"Administrative Program Specialist"

POSITION SUMMARY

Date application must be received for priority consideration by: March 18, 2026
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date: April 1, 2026
Closing Date or if blank, Open Until Filled:
Job Family Group: Support Staff
Support Staff Classification Title: Administrative Program Specialist
Division/Department: Academic and Student Affairs/McNair
Compensation Range (commensurate with experience): Salary Range 21, Steps 1-3 $22.84 -$24.99 /hourly or $3,958-$4,332 monthly 1.0 FTE
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Appointment Basis: 12-month
Time Type: Full-time
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Renewable/Non-renewable/Grants/Limited Duration/Temporary: Grant Funded/Limited Duration
This position must possess and maintain a current, valid Driver License: No
This position is designated as a critical, security-sensitive or safety-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check: Yes
Lead Work/Supervisory Responsibilities: No
Work Location Type: On-campus
Work Hours: M-F (8:00a - 5:00p) Hours are subject to change with notice.
Worker Status: Must be able to legally work in the United States without visa sponsorship

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program is a federally grant-funded Department of Education TRIO program. The program is designed to provide a variety of services to assist student participants to complete their undergraduate degrees and to enhance their preparation for successful entry into graduate school and eventual completion of a Ph.D. program. The program has one full-time Director and one full-time Administrative Program Specialist (APS). The program works with selected eligible SOU undergraduate student participants providing them with specialized workshops, seminars, and technical assistance with graduate school application procedures. The program supports the University mission by providing services to SOU McNair student scholars that are designed to enhance their personal, intellectual, and professional growth through education and scholarship.

Reporting to the Program Director, the McNair APS provides administrative program assistance through aiding in federal annual reporting, coordinating travel and program visitations for McNair Scholars, providing coordination and instruction of specific topical workshops for the Scholars, maintaining monthly department financial and administrative files, and producing marketing materials. The McNair APS is also responsible for providing the program with primary support and outstanding customer service for the program through coordination of: daily office production, short- and long-range planning, web page creation and maintenance, budget management, and scheduling as well as project management of student workers.

The McNair APS responds to staff, faculty, students, and general public inquiries about the SOU McNair program; must maintain communication and coordinate services needed with supporting institution departments (i.e.: Service and Business Center); enters and retrieves information from campus and state databases, student information system, fiscal information system, and institutional reports system.

Funding for this position is contingent upon McNair TRIO funding.

Minimum Requirements

• Two years of experience as an administrative specialist or executive support specialist which included administrative support for a project, program, or operation. Administrative support includes those duties beyond clerical/secretarial such as: interpretation of laws, rules, and regulations; administrative data collection and analysis; and evaluation of projects, processes, and operations;
• OR an equivalent combination of training and experience.

One year of postsecondary education may be substituted for up to one year of the experience.

Preferred Requirements

• Prefer completion of one or more years of post-secondary education; experience working with individuals from diverse, multicultural backgrounds; Preferred competencies using: Microsoft Word 2010 and Excel 2010, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat XI Professional, Photoshop, Joomla, and Qualtrics. The program is particularly interested in encouraging applications from individuals with characteristics similar to the population of McNair Program eligible participant group and from individuals who have succeeded in overcoming barriers similar to those confronting the population of eligible program participants.
• Requires experience working in an office environment managing records, keeping accurate accounts, and performing receptionist, secretarial, and website support requiring advanced computer skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Requires a commitment to the program goals and mission, an understanding of the barriers confronting program participants, and a commitment to providing students with assistance that will help them to succeed in the program.

Essential Functions

(60%) Administrative/Program Assistance:

• Maintains all documentation and records for the program in a clear, accurate, and well-organized manner.
• Respect confidentiality of documents and Scholar information.
• Maintain efficient filing system for student participant files and personnel files - electronic and paper.
• Enter data into the appropriate McNair Database.
• Compose, revise and distribute: Informational materials for campus and local community and Scholar, Internship, and Mentor Handbooks.
• Compile and edit: Scholar Intern articles for publication in the annual McNair Scholars Journal and Winter/Spring McNairium Newsletters.
• General office duties including: take, transcribe, and distribute notes for program staff meetings and Advisory Council meetings; sort mail; typing; correspondence; operate office machines.
• Troubleshoot computers and equipment and contact the SOU IT department when necessary.
• Monitor office inventory, research, and order office supplies and machines in coordination with the Program Director.
• Ensure all department expenditures are in compliance with McNair legislation and the code of Federal Regulations.
• Keep accurate inventory list of Scholar Lending Library and research machines; monitor check-out records and follow up on items checked out.
• Respond to phone calls and visitors, respecting confidentiality when appropriate.
• Respond to inquiries or requests regarding McNair program policies, processes, and services; answer questions and provide program information to applicants.
• Explain and clarify program policies, processes, and procedures to students, staff members, faculty members, and the public and refer appropriate questions to the Program Director.
• Scheduling: reserve rooms for McNair seminars and workshops, set appointments and maintain calendar for the Program Director.
• Coordinate event planning for Orientation; Recognition; Symposium; and annual Advisory Council meeting: makes arrangements for dates, facilities, catering, advertisement, dissemination of related materials, and preparing post-event reports to the Program Director.
• Maintain current listings of campus and community events and attend all four McNair program events.
• Program Recruiting: prepares flyers and materials, and distributes as needed.
• Retrieve information from the Student Information System (SIS) and set record attributes and retrieves information from IReports (state database) and submit reports to the Program Director.
• Updates and modifies content of the McNair program website. Types and updates forms and internal reports for the Program Director.
• Use Qualtrics report features to export data received from Scholar, Alumni, and Mentor surveys: manipulate data exported into Excel to provide reports with requested information to Program Director.
• Maintain all Policies and Procedures manuals and handbooks for the program.
• Assist with annual program reporting data collection, as well as creation of required federal reports.
• Meet with program participants to provide academic advising and process travel and program assignments.
• Photograph program events, as well as scholars for website creation.
• Create program marketing materials(brochures, fliers, signs, posters, video), and interface/coordinate with outside contractors for printing needs.
• Maintain connections and communications within the institution, and the wider community, for program support (local print shop, event locations, and institutional offices that provide support for the program).
• Provide instructional workshops for program participants to enhance academic success at the undergraduate and graduate level.
• Coordinate presentation of program benefits campus-wide by organizing and presenting information during recruitment to classes on campus.

(15%) Personnel Coordination:

• Coordinate the work and scheduling of up to 5 student workers.
• Post advertisements for work study student workers in the career services website, review submitted applications, conduct interviews of potential student employees and maintain student employment referral forms and complete student employee files.
• Maintain an up-to-date McNair Student Employee Procedures Handbook and ensure that new student employees receive an orientation to the procedures and adhere to current FERPA laws.
• Work with SOU IT department to ensure proper student worker access available on program drive.
• Maintain scheduling for student workers each term, and monitor hour usage and recording.
• When applicable, approve monthly student worker time sheets.
• Assign short- and long-term projects for student workers in a clear and well-organized manner, monitor work projects and assist when necessary.
• Review student workers' completed work for accuracy and clarity.
• Demonstrate to student workers how to make short informational presentations about the program.
• Address basic personnel issues that arise within students' work in the program.

(10%) Presentations/Workshops:

• Coordinate and present workshops for Scholars to include: undergraduate funding and graduate level funding workshops, Graduate Record Examinations review workshop, and software workshops specific to assignments required in seminars (curriculum vitae and power point presentations).
• Coordinate and make presentations across the institution during recruitment periods (Spring and Fall terms).

(10%) Training:

• Attend professional development training, campus workshops, and IT seminar classes regularly in order to stay current with the skills necessary to meet office needs

(5%) Duties Include

• Performs additional duties as assigned by the Program Director

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
• Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, online systems, social media platforms, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
• Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to provide training and direction to student assistants.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.
• Working knowledge, or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, procedures, and federal TRIO legislation and regulations.