Administrative Assistant | Comparative Bioscience Center

Organization Overview

The Comparative Bioscience Center provides a comprehensive program of animal care in support of the University's in vivo research. The goal of our staff is to provide investigators with the highest level of research support at the lowest cost while ensuring the welfare of the animals used in the research. The center is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).

Overview

The Administrative Assistant plays a key role in supporting the CBC Main Office by managing daily animal ordering operations and providing exceptional administrative service. This position manages vendor coordination, purchasing workflows, and front-facing office functions, serving as a primary liaison between vendors, investigators, and internal departments. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for ensuring the accurate processing of animal orders and maintaining system records across Oracle iProcurement and Tick@Lab platforms. In addition, this role also provides operational support for audits, database functions, and vivarium logistics.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Animal Ordering and Vendor Coordination:

• Serve as the primary administrative contact for animal ordering and vendor coordination for the CBC
• Process animal orders in Oracle iProcurement, including non-catalog, time-sensitive, and corrective requests
• Generate and process receipts for animal orders to confirm delivery
• Coordinates with animal vendors to resolve any ordering issues
• Supports import/export operations

Tick@Lab and Systems Support:

• Provide operational backup for Tick@Lab operations, including order verification and troubleshooting purchase order errors
• Conduct census floor scans to maintain accurate inventory
• Supports Admin Supervisor with Tick@Lab audit preparation

Front-Facing Administrative and Service Support:

• Provides front desk coverage and serves as a primary problem-solving resource for investigators and research staff
• Responds to operational, ordering, and billing-related inquiries in a professional, service-oriented manner
• Coordinates across internal teams to resolve issues efficiently and accurately

Perform additional duties as assigned by management

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Experience with animal ordering, vendor coordination, or procurement workflows
• Working knowledge of the Tick@Lab database system
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in processing orders, receipts, and financial records
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to serve in a front-facing, customer service-oriented role with investigators and vendors

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in administrative coordination within an academic, research, or laboratory environment
• Proficiency in Oracle iProcurement platform