Senior Administrator (Chemical Sciences Division)

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is hiring a Senior Administrator to support the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD).

In this exciting role, you will provide a high-level of administrative and executive support to the Division Director and Deputy Director serving as the "face" of the organization. Your role will involve fast-paced work of a sensitive nature requiring a high level of confidentiality. Reporting to the Division Program Manager, you will provide expertise in directing, planning, scheduling, and overseeing the day-to-day aspect of the Division Director's email and calendar. You will manage a broad set of projects and activities on behalf of the Division, in addition to serving as a liaison to internal and external contacts and partners with key personnel, campus, and team members to ensure business goals are met.

This position will have extensive interactions with management, colleagues, and stakeholders across CSD, including key stakeholders within the Joint Division Office (JDO) for Chemical and Materials Sciences (MSD), the Energy Sciences Area (ESA), and across the Laboratory.

This position has an anticipated start date of May 15, 2026.

Why join Berkeley Lab?

We invest in our employees by offering a total rewards package you can count on:

• Exceptional health and retirement benefits, including pension or 401K-style plans
• Opportunities to grow in your career - check out our Tuition Assistance Program
• A culture where you'll belong - we are invested in our teams!
• In addition to accruing vacation and sick time, we also have a Winter Holiday Shutdown every year.
• Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers)
• Pet insurance

What You Will Do:

• Oversee and manage the Division Director's email and calendar.
• Manage all aspects of domestic and international travel for the Division Director.
• Serve as the primary interface between the Division Director's office, Lab Directorate, DOE, UC campus, and other affiliated organizations to ensure timely and effective communication.
• Coordinate and respond directly to DOE requests (e.g. DOE foreign travel pre-approvals) and produce DOE reports, as requested and on behalf of the Division Director.
• Organize and coordinate Divisional meetings, events, and complex calendaring and administrative support for meetings, including note-taking, following up on action items, arranging presentation agenda, creating a repository for presentation slides using Google suites, AV management during meetings, etc.
• Take a lead role in administrative support for Division Staff Council (DSC) activities. Oversee and manage all case data on behalf of the division.
• Lead administrative &/or logistics support for events, in coordination with the Joint Division Office.
• Lead and provide all administrative support for various business processes in coordination with the Joint Division Office, i.e., DOE highlights, organizational charts, LDRD, contacts/mailing lists, etc. Coordinate & track content as needed for scientific highlights and other documentation, ensuring accuracy and quality.
• Support Program Manager in HR hires, terminations, affiliate and GSRA processing, and other assignments as assigned.
• Prepare and coordinate complex documents, including technical and scientific reports, ensuring that documents meet DOE, LBNL, and other requirements.
• Provide support to the Program Manager as needed to assist other Division personnel in meeting Divisional, Institutional, and/or DOE requests and requirements.
• Provide support as assigned to Chemical Sciences Division research programs and initiatives.

What We Are Looking For:

• A minimum of 8 years of relevant administrative experience, including a minimum of 3 years of experience in supporting a high level executive in a professional, academic or research environment.
• Demonstrated experience delivering high-level administrative support, encompassing email correspondence, calendar management, scheduling, document management, travel coordination, expense reports, meeting planning, project coordination, data management, report generation, and navigating complex computerized systems.
• Experience providing comprehensive travel support by managing complex domestic and foreign itineraries--including cost estimation, conference attendance approvals, and booking--while overseeing the entire lifecycle of travel authorizations, detailed itineraries, and expense reports.
• Experience providing executive level and project management oriented support using prominent cloud-based software platforms and applications, including Google Applications Suite, MS Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, and Zoom video conferencing, on Mac or PC.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and utilize new tools in day-to-day work, including leveraging AI tools to increase productivity.
• Demonstrated ability to create, edit, and enhance presentations, documents, and spreadsheets using advanced techniques to support complex administrative and operational needs.
• Experience with event planning, including the planning, coordination, and execution of high-level events, executive meetings, and organizational functions, ensuring seamless logistics, effective stakeholder engagement, and alignment with organizational goals for both in-person and virtual environments.
• Demonstrated excellent written communication skills, with a history of producing professional, error-free emails, documents, reports, and presentations.
• Exceptional organizational skills, showcasing the ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, take initiative, and adapt quickly to changing work priorities.
• Proven interpersonal skills, including the ability to maintain professionalism, diplomacy, discretion, and confidentiality while interfacing with personnel at all organizational levels, internally and externally.
• Familiarity with and ability to interpret policies and procedures in administrative areas of responsibility, such as travel, personnel, and document preparation and submission.

Desired Skills/Knowledge:

• A Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
• Experience with Berkeley Lab systems and tools (LETS, FMS, TREX, RezDesk, etc.)
• Knowledge of Berkeley Lab, the University of California (UC), the Department of Energy (DOE), and/or local, state, federal policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Prefer valid CA driver's license and willingness to drive staff and visitors within the Lab site and/or to Berkeley as needed.
• Ability to occasionally do light lifting (10-20 lbs) during the coordination of events as needed.

Additional Information:

• Application Date: Priority consideration will be given to candidates who apply with a resume and cover letter describing their interest in the position by Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the job posting is removed.
• Appointment Type: This is a full-time career appointment, exempt (monthly paid) from overtime pay.
• Salary Range: This position is represented by a union for collective bargaining purposes and has a budgeted salary range of $90,288 - $121,320 annually for job code A40.3. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications, and aligned with the internal peer group (if applicable, and union contract agreement).
• Background Check: This position is subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
• Work Modality: This position offers a hybrid work schedule, combining telework with onsite work at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, located at 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720. Work schedules are dependent on business needs. Under the hybrid work schedule, this position is expected to be onsite 4 days per week during regular business hours, and additional days as needed.
• Relocation: This position is not eligible for relocation assistance.
• Work Authorization: Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S. at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Want to learn more about working at Berkeley Lab? Please visit: careers.lbl.gov