Purchasing and Administrative Assistant

Overview

The department of Geosciences seeks a purchasing and administrative assistant to provide full administrative support to eight to ten faculty members and their research groups. This individual will be responsible for duties such (1) managing the purchasing process for lab supplies and equipment; (2) planning and organizing domestic and international travel and processing expense reports; (3) shipment of inbound and outbound equipment and scientific samples; and (4) general administrative support. A cover letter is required. The position reports to the Business Manager and collaborates with other administrative staff in the department.

Responsibilities

Purchasing

• Procure equipment, supplies, and services required to meet the specialized research needs using purchase orders and purchasing cards
• Responsible for purchasing-related activities including requisition approvals within delegated threshold, processing of shopping carts, resolving match exceptions, and PO change requests.
• Independently advise and coordinate with faculty and staff regarding purchasing policies and procedures
• Onboard new suppliers, including international suppliers when necessary
• Correspond with suppliers to request quotes, confirm availability, and arrange for delivery
• Submit invoices for payment and resolve any issues
• Monthly review and monitoring of open PO encumbrances, ensuring procurement obligations are accurate and that POs are closed out on a timely basis.

Travel & Concur

• Organize and arrange domestic and international travel for individual and groups, including international field work teams working in remote areas.
• Support traveler safety by ensuring that they have complied with the travel registration policies and that they have access to resources for safe travel such as communication devices.
• Manage and process travel and expense reporting via the Concur system - ensure reporting complies with university and government policies; enter expense details, receipts and ensure proper chart strings are used for allocations and document/backups are sufficient and accurate.
• Reimburse non-Princeton individuals through non-PO payments as needed.

Shipping

• Arrange and manage shipments of equipment and scientific samples for research groups, domestically and internationally, including freight shipments when necessary.
• Arrange for the importation of scientific samples from international collaborators.
• Advise faculty, researchers, and students of policies and processes. Attend training on topics such as export control and the shipment of hazardous materials to keep current with policy changes.
• Prepare and obtain import and/or export documentation such as carnet de passage and USDA import permits when needed.
• Track shipments in progress and resolve any issues that arise.
• Coordinate with the University's custom agents when importing scientific samples or other complicated inbound shipments.
• Ensure compliance by closely coordinating with the University's Export Control office and Office of Environmental Health & Safety.

General Administrative Support

• Assist the grants manager throughout the sponsored research lifecycle, including the proposal process, the interim financial reports, research results support, and grants closeout process.
• Maintain and update faculty biosketches, current and pending support documents, and collaborator information for proposals using ORICD and SciENcv
• Assist with the monthly grant reconciliation process and with the final award closeout process.
• Plan, schedule and support events such as seminar series and special conferences by reserving space, arranging for catering, handling travel for speakers for attendees, and arranging for A/V services
• Update faculty and research group web pages as needed; add events to the department web page
• Provide backup assistance to other administrative staff in the department; work collaboratively as a team during peak times.

Qualifications

• 2 to 3 years minimum related experience.
• Intermediate level proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Working knowledge of Google Docs, Gmail, and other Google products is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, ability to take initiative and meet firm deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, work collaboratively as a part of a team, and function in demanding situations is essential.
• Demonstrate the highest level of professionalism in welcoming and assisting all constituents.
• Excellent organizational skills, the ability to work independently with a high level of accuracy and energy, manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and exercise discretion in obtaining and providing factual and confidential information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or equivalent
• Familiarity with Princeton University's systems: Information Warehouse, PRIME, Concur, Canvas, EMS, Open Scholar.

Standard Weekly Hours 36.25

Eligible for Overtime No

Benefits Eligible Yes

Probationary Period 180 days

Essential Services Personnel (see policy for detail) No

Physical Capacity Exam Required No

Valid Drivers License Required No

Experience Level Entry Level

Salary Range $65,000 to $77,000