Office Administrator - School of Labor & Employment Relations

Office Administrator - School of Labor & Employment Relations

School of Labor and Employment Relations

Job Summary

Provide administrative support to the Dean and Senior Associate Dean and carry out administrative functions for the School pertaining to business, human resources, and facilities support.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provides primary support to the Dean of LER (30%):

• Provides direct administrative and clerical support to the Dean such as composing replies to correspondence on own initiative, interpreting and explaining established policies and procedures in response to inquiries from a variety of sources, summarizing reports and information to facilitate review by Dean, and investigating, evaluating and resolving problems within scope of position, utilizing subject matter knowledge and discretion.
• Answers questions about LER for the Dean, requiring complete knowledge of School business. Contacts often involve sensitive and confidential information and are frequently with upper-level administrative officers and corporate administrators.
• Interprets and communicates university policy.
• Controls the Dean's calendar and keeps the Dean abreast of all schedule/attendance requests made of the Dean.
• Builds and maintains strong working relationships with faculty, and staff within the School, across campus, and with external stakeholders.
• Arranges committee meetings for dean and for other LER faculty members.
• Assists the Senior Assistant Director, School Administration & Operations in providing administrative support to the Dean regarding promotion and tenure, third year reviews, sabbaticals, and emeritus faculty requests.
• Serves as primary administrator and contact for Executive Committee and Faculty Senate elections.
• Attends Faculty and Executive Committee meetings and records the minutes; schedules and manages logistics for all meetings, send communication and related materials.
• Tracks Ethics, ANCRA, Sexual Misconduct, and other trainings to ensure completion.
• Ensures travel arrangements for the Dean are made that support the Dean's schedule, lodging, and transportation needs, including alumni visits and advancement travel.
• Maintains confidential records and files.

Provides primary support to the Senior Associate Dean of LER (20%):

• Answers communications for the Senior Associate Dean requesting information on assigned matters and independently composes correspondence and responses that reflect the Senior Associate Dean''s position.
• Manages scheduling for the Senior Associate Dean. Exercises independent judgment and initiative in determining priorities and effective utilization of time for meetings and appointments, including coordination with other administrative officers in attendance and meeting place arrangements.
• Makes appropriate travel, hotel and transportation arrangements for Senior Associate Dean, utilizing a working knowledge of university regulations and travel approval, expense reimbursement, p-card and t-card transactions, etc.
• Accompanies the Senior Associate Dean to key events and meetings and/or attends on behalf of the Senior Associate Dean as requested.

Business Support (20%):

• Assists faculty and staff with business purchases and operation development activities. Ensures University policy and procedures are followed.
• Places orders for IT supplies and equipment.
• Prepares travel in Emburse for LER faculty including the setup and closing of cash advances. Makes purchases in I-Buy and completes purchase orders in Banner.
• Handles new vendor setup and special payment forms and maintains records of each transaction. Makes purchases for the Dean and LER faculty using the University p-card and t-card.
• Reconciles purchases in Emburse.
• Keeps updated on travel guidelines and notifies the Dean and faculty of current/changing rules and regulations so all remain in compliance.
• Works to ensure streamlined business processes for office staff; created efficiencies and processes where appropriate.
• Performs business transactions for the School''s affiliated units, including the Climate Jobs Institute, Labor Education Program, and Project for Middle Class Renewal, as needed.

Human Resources Support (15%):

• Assists with preparing and entering LER graduate research and teaching assistant appointments and other graduate hourly employees in HRFE. These appointments include new hires, reappointments, annual raises, and grant and account changes.
• Assists with preparing biweekly payroll and pay adjustments for hourly student appointments and clerical and professional staff. Ensures funding is available for appointments and tracks salary costs.
• Assists the Senior Assistant Director, School Administration & Operations with training faculty and AP staff on University and LER travel policies. Trains staff in University systems including Emburse, Banner, I-Buy, p-card, and t-card.
• Supervises student workers as needed.
• Serves as a search committee member as needed.

General LER Activities (10%):

• Plans and organizes special events, workshops, conferences, and other general LER events for the Dean, Senior Associate Dean, and other faculty members, including space, speaker travel, honorariums, catering, gifts, and attendee materials.
• Designs and manages spreadsheets, as needed, to capture data on specific events.
• Serves as point of on-site contact during recruiting. Creates daily recruiting schedules, greeting recruiters, setting and cleaning up interview rooms, ordering and setting up lunches.
• Assumes responsibility for special projects as requested.
• May require limited travel or overtime.
• Other duties as assigned.

Facilities Support (5%):

• Serves as main contact for all facility issues. Responsible for entering work orders in My.FS and coordinating all facility issues and repairs with Facilities and Services. Tracks progress and expenditures and follows-up with F&S as needed.
• Coordinates moves within the School including furniture, files, and surplus, working with the Senior Associate Dean and appropriate Facilities contacts.
• Assists with managing the key distribution list and office space assignments.

Minimum Qualifications:

Per SUCSS class spec.:

1. High school diploma or equivalent.

2. Any one of the following from the categories below:

(a) Four (4) years (48 months) of work experience comparable to the third level of this series.

(b) Two (2) years (24 months) of work experience comparable to the fourth level of this series.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor''s degree.

Excellent knowledge of business English, excellent keyboarding skills and accurate spelling and proofreading ability.

Ability to organize and prioritize work assignments.

Ability to work under pressure, attention to detail, and follow-through.

Experience with Word, Excel, and University systems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of administrative and administrative procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Knowledge of computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to enter data, or process information.

Skill in material resources management through obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

Skill in communicating effectively as appropriate for the needs of the audience

Ability to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Ability to manage highly confidential and sensitive information with the utmost discretion, sound judgment and professionalism.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 3253 - Office Administrator position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 8/3/2026. Salary range is $54,000.00 - $58,000.00.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on Friday, July 24, 2026. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. If required by the position, transcripts or other documentation of credentials are to be provided no later than the first day of employment. For further information about this specific position, please contact Nell Madigan (nellm@illinois.edu). For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - the state's flagship public university and one of the world's leading research institutions - every staff member helps shape what's next. Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation. Whether you're empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence - where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.

Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1037225

Job Category: Administrative Support

Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu