Temporary Administrative Team Lead: Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development - UTK

This position is the administrative team lead for the Division of Research Administration Shared Administrative Services (DRA-SAS) team in the Office of Research, Innovation, & Economic Development (ORIED), at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), reporting to the associate vice chancellor for research administration (AVCRA). DRA-SAS provides operational and financial administrative support for the work of the 75+ people within DRA, and provides on-site support for all ORIED staff based at Cherokee Mills (CM). The team lead provides oversight of the daily activities of DRA-SAS and supervises the other administrative coordinator(s) on the team to ensure efficient, accurate, and timely support. The position will work closely with the AVCRA and DRA leadership and staff to provide excellent customer service, manage the operational and financial administrative tasks of the division, and create and implement processes for workflow management. The position works in person in ORIED’s Cherokee Mills (CM) location. The position has supervisory duties for staff.

LEADERSHIP: The team lead works with the AVCRA and DRA leadership to create, manage, and update the DRA-SAS shared services framework to meet the operational and financial administrative support needs of the division.

• Meets regularly with the AVCRA and DRA leadership to discuss objectives for the division and how DRA-SAS can support those objectives.

• Creates or modifies solutions to meet divisional workflow management needs, reduce redundancies, streamline operations, and adopt the use of new technology.

• Develops processes and procedures that efficiently and effectively manage team workflow. In particular, the team lead creates and implements new work processes that improve the quality, consistency, and timeliness of DRA-SAS support.

• Establishes and ensures the regular update of written standard operating procedures for all DRA-SAS work processes, which are often highly detailed, specific, and intricate.

• Creates and organizes a shared, online repository of guidance documents (e.g., Microsoft Teams) for DRA-SAS to serve as an official reference for all staff, a training resource for new staff, and a permanent archive of critical documents.

• With the AVCRA, co-leads a weekly DRA-SAS meeting to address issues of shared concern for the team and division.

• Makes staffing and resource recommendations for DRA-SAS to the AVCRA.

SUPERVISION: The team lead supervises other DRA-SAS administrative coordinator(s), makes work assignments, and collaborates with customers in DRA to discuss service needs, outcomes, and opportunities.

• Supervises DRA-SAS administrative coordinator(s), with an emphasis on monitoring work outcomes and deadlines to ensure that deliverables are met, and evaluating the accuracy and timeliness of the work product.

• Makes work assignments to DRA-SAS administrative coordinator(s), exercising independent judgment to assess capacity across the team and assign or reassign work as needed to respond to current and emerging work needs and priorities.

• Trains new and existing staff on how to perform DRA-SAS work functions, following standard operating procedures.

• Working with the AVCRA, develops and implements a cross-training plan for all DRA-SAS administrative coordinator(s) so they are able to fill in for others on the team during a period of absence (e.g., annual leave, sick leave, extended medical/family leave, job vacancy), with the goal of eliminating service gaps or interruptions to mission-critical workflow support provided by DRA-SAS to the rest of the division.

• Establishes and monitors staff work schedules, handles employee relations matters and involves the supervisor when needed, ensures that there is proper coverage for all duties involving DRA-SAS staff, evaluates performance and recommends merit/market increases.

• Exercises independent judgment to identify and solve problems as they arise, elevating issues to the AVCRA when necessary.

• Interfaces with DRA leadership and staff to resolve outstanding matters related to the work of the DRA-SAS team.

OPERATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: Like all of DRA-SAS, the team lead shares the work of managing the operational administrative needs of the division. However, the team lead is the individual who assigns this work to DRA-SAS team members, assessing capacity and shifting responsibilities as needed. DRA-SAS operational support assignments may include but are not limited to the following:

• Updates proposal information in the DASH Research database.

• Establishes and updates electronic accounts for principal investigators and DRA staff.

• Facilitates requests from researchers and sets up user ID profiles in numerous systems for purposes of submitting proposals and/or progress reports.

• Processes incoming awards and award-related documents by identifying the applicable proposal, logging documents into multiple digital systems, and distributing to appropriate coordinator.

• Manages DASH Research roles and access levels.

• Manages intake and triage of foundation proposals and awards, working with colleagues at the UT Foundation and the AVCRA to produce regular reporting on foundations workflow

ON-SITE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: Like all of DRA-SAS, the team lead provides on-site administrative support for ORIED’s CM-based staff (not limited to DRA staff). That support may include, but is not limited to:

• Answers the door and welcomes guests to ORIED’s CM suite.

• Manages reservations for CM conference rooms and workspaces.

• Manages parking tag reservations.

• Interfaces with ORIED business staff and CM building manager on facilities concerns.

• Manages incoming and outgoing mail and package and service deliveries

OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED: Includes (but is not limited to) temporarily assuming additional operational and financial administrative duties in the event of a job vacancy on the team, until the position can be filled

Required Qualifications

Education:

• High School diploma or GED

Experience:

• Seven years of experience as an administrative assistant in an office environment.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Exceptional customer service approach to all interactions with UT faculty, staff, and administrators as well as external guests;
• Commitment to supporting the workload of the entire team in a positive, equitable, and flexible manner;
• Strong personal initiative to proactively manage assigned tasks and meet deadlines under minimal supervision;
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail;
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize assignments;
• Experience managing multiple calendars;
• Experience with data entry;
• Experience with event planning and execution;
• Professional writing and proofreading skills;
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office software suite, especially Outlook;
• Professional integrity, including a thorough understanding of confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Associate’s Degree or Bachelor's Degree
• Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) credential

Experience:

• Experience supporting executives or senior administrators; experience working in an academic environment; any level of supervisory experience.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Experience with software programs and tools used at UT or in other academic institutions, such as IRIS/DASH, Cayuse/DASH Research, 25Live, etc.

Position Details

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Onsite, Hybrid
• Position Pay Rate/Range: MR 08
• Hours: 40
• Duration of Temporary Assignment: UP to 1 year

About The Division:

Here at the University of Tennessee, thousands of world-class faculty, staff, students and postdoctoral fellows are engaged in research, scholarship and creative work on a daily basis. With a shared commitment to creating a more just, prosperous, and sustainable world for the citizens of Tennessee and communities far beyond, the UT community is creating new knowledge and generating solutions to some of the most challenging issues of our time.

The Office of Research, Innovation & Economic Development is here to support you, our community of researchers, scholars and creatives, from ideation to impact. Our dedicated team is here to help you develop competitive proposals and sources of support for your work, seed investments in promising new areas, nurture new and established multidisciplinary communities of scholars and support and sustain a strong culture of research integrity.

The university’s strategic relationships with corporate, venture, community, non-profit and government partners help extend the impact of our community’s work across the state and around the world. In collaboration with these partners, we are working to establish Tennessee as a go-to destination for cutting-edge research, innovation and a skilled workforce.

We understand that a creative, productive, and empowered community of researchers, scholars, and creatives is critical to the university’s future as a world-renowned research institution.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!