"Senior Grants Manager Assistant"

Job Summary

The Senior Grants Manager Assistant will provide top-level support to the department's Grants and Operations Manager in the areas of fiscal and management operations, department operations, human resources, and facilities. The successful candidate will directly interact with and assist faculty and their research groups, including students, postdocs, and research staff.

Essential Job Duties

• Research Administration and Budget Management: Advise faculty on Institute policies and Sponsor guidelines to ensure pre- and post-award compliance. Draft proposal budgets and justifications; update non-scientific proposal documents; upload proposal documents. Create electronic proposal and award files; track awarded and declined proposals. Prepare PTA set-ups, cost transfers, and budget realignments. Provide monthly financial and personnel reports to faculty; monitor account balances and spending activity with emphasis on cost allowability, use of correct expenditure types, and maintaining accurate balances. Update projections and recommend changes in spending of awards to Grants and Operations Manager and/or faculty. Communicate with internal departments for fiscal management needs. Assist with administrative oversight of awards: timely submission of technical reports; review and clear cost commitments; monitor fabrication and cost-sharing accounts. Attend Institute training sessions as required.
• Procurement-Purchasing and Billing: Purchase supplies and equipment for faculty and their research personnel and the department. Conduct vendor searches and obtain quotes, handle sole source justifications and CA sales tax exception documents, process subaward and consulting requisitions, track shipments, review deliveries and invoices for accuracy, and resolve billing issues. Process payment requests and reconcile monthly P-Card reports. Process WICs for the department's shared printing and supplies expenses. Act as Petty Cash Custodian.
• Travel: Coordinate complex domestic and international travel arrangements and handle all logistics for faculty members and research field trips. Process cash advances and reimbursement requests. Reconcile and submit travel expense reports. Ensure all travel costs are allowable and allocable according to sponsor's terms and conditions.
• Human Resources: Prepare onboarding documents and obtain required approvals for guests, external affiliates, volunteers, visiting student researchers, and visitors, and assist with extension and departure processes. Assist with onboarding research staff, students, and postdocs.
• Facilities and Property Services: Submit and follow up on facilities work orders for building maintenance and upkeep. Update equipment and computer logs and assist with processing equipment disposals and equipment returns to JPL.
• Events: Organize faculty workshops, conferences, and seminars. Organize seminar weekly arrangements (accommodation, travel reimbursement, announcement, management of finances). Organize all Planetary Science (PS) Department events. Coordinate prospective grad student visits.
• Faculty Support: Assist in copying and collecting classroom materials, scheduling meetings and appointments, maintaining travel calendar; handle mail and shipping needs.
• Operations Duties: Front desk for the PS department. Provide back-up for the Grants and Operations Manager. Designated as lead and provide peer training to all new GMAs in the department. Provide ongoing support and guidance to fellow GMAs on complex tasks and issues as they arise. Update the PS website. Update and maintain floorplan and room and visitor desk reservations. Proactively offer and suggest ways to improve internal department efficiencies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• 10 years of relevant work experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and work well under pressure with meticulous attention to detail and a positive attitude.
• Excellent customer service skills with the ability to interface with people at all levels inside and outside the Division.
• Ability to demonstrate initiative in independently solving problems and a commitment to continual improvement.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to apply comprehensive knowledge of applicable Institute policies and practices to assessments.
• Able to interpret, communicate, and adhere to detailed and stringent federal and nonfederal sponsor guidelines.
• Proficient computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience with the GPS Division's standard operating procedures and Caltech policies and procedures.
• Proficient with Caltech systems and applications.

Required Documents

• Resume