Administrative Specialist – CCI School of Journalism and Media

Full Time, Non-exempt, MR06

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville invites applications for an Administrative Specialist in the College of Communication and Information (CCI).

Application Process: Interested individuals should apply by September 29, 2024.

Screening of applicants will begin immediately and will continue until the position has been filled. For full consideration, applicants must provide a résumé, cover letter, and a minimum of three references with contact information. All applicants must apply online to be considered for this position.

The anticipated starting salary for this position is $40,000 to $45,000 depending on the selected candidate’s experience, qualifications, and suitability.

The Position: The Administrative Specialist has full responsibility for completing tasks that are varied in nature and are prioritized based on the objectives and goals of the School of Journalism and Media in the College of Communication and Information under the leadership of the school's Director. Primary responsibilities of this role include supervising the main office, executing financial transactions, monitoring departmental operating budgets, providing administrative support to the Director, and coordinating school-level events.

The Administrative Specialist is expected to:

· Manage, monitor, and execute financial transactions in the ERP system including invoices and reimbursements.

· Maintain departmental budget for operating expenses, restricted accounts, and scholarships.

· Prepare and submit travel authorizations and expense reports in Concur for faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

· Prepare monthly ledgers for reconciliation, tracking all expenditures monthly.

· Manage departmental procurement card, reconciling monthly.

· Coordinate with CCI Office of Finance & Administration on creation of university contracts, including dual service agreements.

· Track departmental undergraduate and graduate scholarships, requesting award processing through the CCI Office of Finance and Administration.

· Maintain knowledge of current UT fiscal policies to ensure compliance.

· Provide front-line customer service, greet visitors, answer phones, respond to email inquiries, and distribute mail.

· Serve as first point-of-contact for undergraduate and graduate students, answering general questions or troubleshooting registration difficulties.

· Serve as resource and advisor for department leadership through participation in departmental planning and development meetings to support the mission of the department.

· Compile and prepare payroll reports for monthly ledger reconciliation.

· Maintain office supply inventory.

· Maintain reports, documentation, and operational or procedural manuals for internal use and accreditation surveys.

· Create, update, and submit communication materials for review, acting independently and with minimal direction from supervisor.

· Track and compile data; research and prepare reports.

· Interact with supply and service vendors and serve as point of contact for space, equipment, or facility issues.

· Coordinate with other departments in response to technical needs or to resolve problems.

· Serves as a liaison with students, College administration, external constituents, & vendors to accomplish goals of the department and resolve problems.

· Prepare materials including documents, presentations, and reports for college-wide faculty and staff meetings and departmental faculty meetings.

· Work with confidential and time-sensitive materials including student data and employee payroll reports.

· Prepare correspondence and reports.

· Serve the Director as needed in various administrative tasks.

· Record and distribute minutes for faculty meetings and other school meetings as needed.

· Advise director on various university policies.

· Advise and assist with financial planning and control.

· Assist in preparation of statistical reports and other materials.

· Maintain director's calendar, scheduling meetings when requested.

· Welcome and host visitors to the school.

· Assist in managing various departmental email accounts.

· Coordinate class timetable each semester.

· Coordinate and/or collaborate with J&M staff and faculty on various school-level events on and off campus.

· Identify and reserve venues, secure catering, and coordinate volunteers.

· Manage events in progress.

· Coordinate J&M Advisory board fall and spring meetings.

· Coordinate annual School trip including student engagement, activities, itineraries, lodging, transportation, and chaperones.

· Represent J&M at booths and events.

· Collaborate with Communications Specialist and CCI Communications & Marketing Team on advertising for print and digital signs, banners, and programs.

· Coordinate the student hiring process for student staff in J&M in conjunction with the CCI Office of Finance and Administration.

· Submit requests for various HR transactions to the CCI Office of Finance and Administration, including personnel changes, terminations, additional payments, etc.

· Prepare and issue memos regarding additional payments related to instruction of courses each semester.

· Coordinate administrative aspects of position searches for faculty hiring process (tenure-track/non-tenure track), such as creation of Interfolio job posting and preparation of Request for Faculty Appointment forms.

· Other duties as assigned.

To be successful in this role, candidates are required to possess:

· High school diploma or equivalent.

· Minimum of 1-2 years of experience with general office duties or extensive customer service.

· Experience working with computer systems or enterprise resource planning systems.

· Undergraduate degree in no specific field can be substituted for 1 year of experience.

· Ability to gain proficiency in new processes and procedures in a timely manner.

· Skilled in using Microsoft Office products (including Word, Excel, and Outlook) and Adobe Acrobat.

· Ability to adapt to new computer software and systems.

· Strong quantitative or analytical skills.

· Ability to format long documents and reports.

· Strong correspondence writing experience, especially experience with business writing and interacting via email and management of large quantities of email.

· Ability to maintain confidentiality.

In addition to the above requirements, our ideal candidate has:

· Bachelor’s degree, any field.

· 4 or more years of administrative experience.

· Experience with project management, SAP, and Concur.

· Experience working in academic/higher education setting.

· Experience with various UT computer systems.

· Familiarity with techniques to understand, improve, and document existing workflows.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

The College:

CCI is part of a Land Grant Institution embedded in communities to make those communities a better place. Our alumni, students, faculty, and staff strive to positively impact the lives of people in our state through our teaching, scholarship, creative work, and through our engagement and service. CCI as a college is well poised to deliver upon all of those areas to become the most nationally distinctive but locally relevant College of Communication and Information in the country.