SCHOOL/UNIT DESCRIPTION:

This is a hybrid position based on Stanford’s main campus at least three days per week, with the remaining two days per week telecommuting; this hybrid schedule is subject to operational need and may change in the future as directed by the position’s supervisor.

The Geballe Lab for Advanced Materials (GLAM) is a transdisciplinary Independent Laboratory within the Office of the Vice Provost & Dean of Research (VPDoR), which spearheads innovative and high-impact research in bio-inspired materials, sustainable energy and manufacturing, quantum science and engineering, and electronic and magnetic systems. With 30 faculty and ~250 students, postdocs, and scientific staff across six departments – primarily Physics, Applied Physics, and Materials Science & Engineering – GLAM’s research portfolio is large, complex, and highly-heterogeneous, involving strong relationships with many Stanford academic and administrative units, SLAC, and federal and non-federal sponsors. As GLAM gradually expands its community-led programming for interdisciplinary collaboration, it relies upon 17 high-performing administrative staff to comprehensively support its researchers, visitors, and campus partners.

Our VPDoR Diversity Journey:

We create a hub of innovation through the power of diversity of disciplines and people. We provide equitable access and opportunity to all members of the community in order to do their best work, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We listen to and value all colleagues who bring diverse perspectives to the advancement and development of a respectful community.  We promote a culture of belonging, equity, and safety. We embed these values in excellence of education, research, and operation.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to GLAM’s Associate Director, with a dotted-line reporting structure to six faculty appointed in the Department of Physics, the Administrative Coordinator (Administrative Associate 3) will support a highly-ambitious and -active portfolio of theoretical research groups, including 6 faculty, 10 postdocs, ~30 graduate students, and external faculty-level visitors. This position will provide a heterogeneous suite of administrative support services to ensure that researchers are able to focus their time on research excellence and collaboration, which will regularly involve processing a large quantity of financial transactions, scheduling travel and meetings with diplomacy, conducting advanced budget plans and accounting analyses, troubleshooting policy and communications transactions, planning special academic and social events, and contributing to complex programming activities. The Administrative Coordinator is a meaningful contributor to GLAM’s ever-evolving identity as an interdisciplinary unifier and incubator.

This is a special opportunity for an administrative professional who wishes to deploy and develop their skills in advanced organization, financial management, inclusive communications, and emotionally intelligent collaboration. It is also an opportunity to join a high-performing and interdependent administrative team united in their commitment to faculty support, research excellence, and academic community development. Success in this role will chiefly be measured by overall faculty satisfaction with the comprehensive administrative support that they receive across the core duties defined below, as well as the incumbent’s commitment to a growth mindset, self-reflection, customer service, accuracy, and efficiency.

CORE DUTIES:

Faculty Administrative Support (70%)

Serve as the first and primary administrative point of contact for researchers (faculty, postdocs, students, and visitors); with great independence and authority, embark on small and large projects as directed by researchers, most often connected to procurement, travel and meeting scheduling, appointment processing, space management, and academic event planning. Do whatever is possible to save faculty time, reduce the cost of doing research, and optimize efficiency in how faculty navigate a large, complex, and decentralized university. Route questions, concerns, and general information from researchers across GLAM and the university, including requests for fixes and improvements to GLAM’s physical spaces, needs for procurement within GLAM’s sponsored projects and/or general operations, rebudgets and cost policy analysis via federal and non-federal sponsored projects, desk reassignments, troubleshooting appointments and HR transactions, and a heterogeneous variety of other tasks associated with GLAM facilities and administration. Track the ebb and flow of information to ensure that all affected parties are sufficiently knowledgeable about timelines and that they feel fully supported. Working closely with faculty and administrative leadership in GLAM, the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the Department of Physics, develop annual operating budgets and expense controls, and ensure that the following years’ activities adhere to budget plans with minimal deviation. Identify discrepancies and potential problems for leadership in order to ensure that year-end statements are under-budget and that they receive accurate consolidation and reporting. Compose and draft documents and correspondence for presentations, course handouts, grants, conferences, seminars, and reports; perform substantial editing and fact checking. Create, maintain, modify, and/or ensure accuracy of content in various unit documents, displays, reports, brochures, social media, and/or websites.  Coordinate travel plans and itineraries for faculty, postdocs, and students in a manner that promotes the best use of time and minimizes potential travel issues. Welcome new researchers to the GLAM community, involving emotionally-intelligent communications and orienting incoming members to the range of administrative and facilities services available to them. In close coordination with the Manager of Academic Affairs, ensure each group member’s timely appointment and correct labor schedule for optimal Payroll and HR support.  Schedule faculty calendars for meetings, which will involve confidential communications with internal and external constituents with varying degrees of complexity and sensitivity.

Procurement, Accounting & Data Analysis (10%)

Process financial transactions, including reimbursement requests, Purchasing Card (Pcard) and Travel Card (Tcard) expenses, fund and expense transfers, and other financial processes. This position will be the cardholder and custodian for the assigned research groups’ Pcards and Tcards, and must keep abreast of all university and federal policies pertaining to permissible expenses, timely reconciliation, and confidentiality. Support faculty in distributing postdoc and student salaries and other support across available financial accounts, ensuring that existing and prospective group members can be supported in the current year and in as-needed subsequent years of their term. Working closely with the Manager of Academic Affairs, prepare various financial and student affairs documents to process each appointment and gather requisite university-level approvals.  Maintain, reconcile, review, combine, and validate financial data sets and accounts, utilizing financial reports, financial databases, and key financial information. Run and analyze financial reports as directed by faculty and/or GLAM leadership, often from multiple systems, and complete data assimilation, clean-up, and reformatting work to ensure that finalized reports fully align with requests. With other administrative staff, provide as-needed support and cross-coverage for GLAM’s common areas to ensure a vibrant, welcoming, and clean physical space for 300+ researchers and administrative staff. Service GLAM’s espresso machines and dishwasher, order supplies (coffee beans, teas, holding containers, pens, paper towels, cups, etc.), and maintain an ongoing and ever-complex inventory of shared operational supplies. Conceptualize new policies and communications designed to enable equitable sharing of GLAM’s common areas and recommend small and large improvements to the Associate Director and peer colleagues.

Event Planning, Policy Communications & Special Projects (20%)

Manage a robust program for short- and long-term visitors to GLAM, including arranging travel and accommodations, reserving dinners and other receptions, overseeing the distribution of print and digital materials, planning internal seminars and research talks, and navigating multiple vendors to ensure event success. This position will serve as the primary administrative point-person for all visitors, ensuring their entry to, engagement with, and departure from GLAM is seamless and comfortable.  Coordinate, organize, and manage complex academic conferences and seminars, including procuring vendor services; attendee accommodations, oversee distribution of print and digital materials, organize and manage logistics, and manage events within budget. Report progress and post-event outcomes to faculty and administrative leadership and proactively relay operational recommendations to continuously improve upon existing programs to increase the utility for and positive impact to researchers. Serve as one of GLAM’s primary repositories for knowledge about the full spectrum of Stanford’s procurement policies, including the appropriate and best methods for procurement (e.g. purchase orders, credit cards, reimbursements), travel, and distributing prospective costs across sponsored and non-sponsored accounts. Working closely with the Associate Director and Grants Manager, navigate financial policies as-needed and draft simple communications to orient and inform the full GLAM community about financial best practices. Continuously analyze and critique existing financial policies implemented by GLAM and the larger university, and work closely and diplomatically with the Associate Director in collaborating with the appropriate policy-guardians in potentially changing policies and/or developing work-around solutions that are in the best interest of GLAM and its researchers. Other duties as assigned by faculty, the GLAM Faculty Director, or the GLAM Associate Director.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience: High school diploma and four years of administrative experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Finance & Operations:

Knowledge about financial processes and generally-accepted accounting procedures. Special preference for candidates with existing knowledge of Stanford-specific financial systems, notably Oracle and FFIT. Strong organizational skills, including comfort with learning and deploying new and emerging technologies for project management, data analysis/reporting, and general collaboration and team communication. Firm commitment to keeping privileged or sensitive information in confidence.

Communication & Collaboration:

Demonstrated ability to earn and maintain trust from faculty, trainees, staff, and university leadership in navigating complex, complicated, and often unforeseen situations. Ability to cultivate strong collaborative relationships with faculty, with the eagerness and diplomacy required to anticipate faculty needs and save faculty time. At minimum, a knowledge about and sensitivity regarding fostering a culture of inclusion, and general understanding about how a history of inequity and how unexamined personal biases contribute to uneven workforce development. A credible commitment to inclusion, empathy, and community is essential for success in this role. A credible commitment to a “growth mindset,” professional development, self-reflection, and collaborative communications. Ability to routinely and independently exercise sound judgment in making decisions. Demonstrated ability to communicate respectfully, both orally and in writing. Ability to effectively communicate new ideas, future operating models, and approaches to work. Unrelenting optimism and a deep-rooted motivation towards operational excellence, fix problems, and work with diverse stakeholders to achieve a common goal.  Exceptional diplomacy, grace under pressure, and the unwavering motivation to solve problems and resolve conflicts. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS*:

Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks. Frequently stand/walk, sitting, grasp lightly/fine manipulation. Occasionally use a telephone. Rarely lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh 11-20 pounds.

* Consistent with its obligations under the law, the university will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Occasional work on evenings or weekends may be required.

WORK STANDARDS:

Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned. Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable university policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University’s Administrative Guide.

The expected pay range for this position is $39.46 to $44.30 per hour.

Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on a wide range of factors that are unique to each candidate including but not limited to geographic location, knowledge, skills and abilities, relevant education, depth and breadth of experience, performance; as well as other business and organization needs such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the minimum qualifications, departmental budget availability, and market and internal equity across the unit, department and reporting relationships.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website (https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards) provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

Why Stanford is for You

Imagine a world without search engines or social platforms. Consider lives saved through first-ever organ transplants and research to cure illnesses. Stanford University has revolutionized the way we live and enrich the world. Supporting this mission is our diverse and dedicated 17,000 staff. We seek talent driven to impact the future of our legacy. Our culture and unique perks empower you with:

Freedom to Grow. We offer career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or audit a course. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or global leader speak. A Caring Culture. We provide superb retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources. A Healthier You. Climb our rock wall, or choose from hundreds of health or fitness classes at our world-class exercise facilities. We also provide excellent health care benefits. Discovery & Fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums. Enviable Resources. Enjoy free commuter programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts, and more!

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact Stanford University Human Resources by submitting a contact form.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Additional Information Schedule: Full-time Job Code: 4098 Employee Status: Regular Grade: F Requisition ID: 106080 Work Arrangement : Hybrid Eligible, On Site