Project Administrator, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Calgary is seeking a full-time Temporary Project Administrator in Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, for about 4 months. The role supports faculty on policies for research, grants, and financial compliance, with campus-based hours and occasional after-hours events.

Key tasks include managing research accounts, handling travel and non-employee reimbursements, and coordinating vendor setups.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary business administration/accounting degree or diploma.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience, preferably in a university environment.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office 365.
• Experience with financial reporting systems.
• Experience in PeopleSoft including e-procurement, travel & expense, A/P and payroll modules.
• Demonstrated strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Must be able to read and understand contracts and grants.
• Ability to multi-task due to shifting priorities.
• Highly developed interpersonal, time management and communication skills are required.
• Ability to work independently and to work in confidential settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice to faculty, staff, and graduate students regarding university policies related to research projects.
• Advise on granting agency rules and ensure expenses are eligible and documented.
• Coordinate with university partners to establish and monitor research accounts and projects.
• Track project balances and end dates and advise on issues like over-expenditures.
• Oversee year-end review of project accounts and prepare journal vouchers.
• Manage overhead distribution calculation and submission.
• Prepare and submit travel claims, non-employee expense reimbursements, PER claims, and PI fees.
• Set up external vendors and general associates per university policies.
• Submit template-based hires and job change requests (sessional instructors, post-docs, researchers, students).
• Support department account transactions, A/R billing, expense reports, honoraria and non-employee expenses.
• Order and purchase equipment, materials, and supplies for department and faculty.
• Coordinate department speaker series.
• Maintain financial records and track project information.
• Administer faculty recruitment and appointments.
• Serve as department onboarding coordinator.
• Maintain space data and access control; perform monthly space-related reconciliations.

Skills

Budget management

Contract review

Communication

Multi-tasking

Microsoft Office 365

Interpersonal skills

Education

Business administration / accounting degree or diploma

Tools

PeopleSoft

Office 365

Job description

Description

Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering is currently seeking a Full-time Temporary Project Administrator for approximately 4 months.

Reporting to the Manager, Department Operations, the Project Administrator is responsible for providing accurate information and guidance to faculty with respect to the procedures, policies and regulations of Research Services, Supply Chain Management, Finance, and Human Resources. The position is complex with a variety of responsibilities. The incumbent must have the ability to organize and multi-task large volumes of work with conflicting deadlines, shifting priorities, and handles confidential information.

The hours of work are 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with normal business hours being from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This position is primarily on campus (minimum 4 days per week) and may be expected to attend events or provide service outside normal working hours.

Current Regular, Sessional or Recurring Part-time (RPT) Support Staff applying on this Temporary position are strongly encouraged to review Article 42.06 - Job Opportunities of the University and AUPE Local 052 collective agreement. In advance of accepting a Temporary position, affected employees are required to seek written confirmation from their manager as to whether their Regular, Sessional or RPT position will be available to return to at the conclusion of the temporary assignment.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Research Support

• Provide advice to faculty members, staff, and graduate students regarding established University policies and regulations related to research projects.
• Advise faculty members on established granting agency rules and regulations, i.e. guidelines regarding acceptable and non-acceptable expenditures of various grants and helping to ensure all expenses are eligible and has supporting documentation.
• Coordinate with appropriate university partners to facilitate the establishment and compliance of new research accounts and projects. Monitor these research accounts to ensure correct revenue has been received, and follow up with research accounting as required.
• Assist faculty members with managing their research accounts by tracking project balances and end dates, and advising them on areas requiring immediate action such as over-expenditures and expiring projects.
• Involved in year-end review of project accounts, including preparing journal voucher requests to clear over-expenditures and zero out expired accounts.
• Oversees the detailed review of research and endowment accounts for the department to ensure that expenditures do not exceed the funding available; prepare journal voucher requests as required.
• Responsible for the calculation and preparation of overhead distribution.
• Responsible for preparation and submission of travel claims and non-employee expense reimbursement, PER claims, one-time lump sum payments, and PI fees.
• Facilitate the set-up of external vendors and general associates in compliance with university policies.
• Submission of template-based hires and job change requests (sessional instructors, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants/associates, studentships).

Department Support

• Supports the Manager, Department Operations and Department Head regarding department account transactions including preparing journal voucher requests, A/R billing requests, submitting expense reports, honoraria and non-employee expense reports.
• Responsible for ordering and purchasing of equipment, materials, and supplies for the department and faculty members.
• Manages and facilitates the department speaker series in coordination with designated faculty members.
• Responsible for the retention of financial records, and tracking research project information.
• Responsible for the administration of faculty recruitment and appointments.
• Serves as department onboarding coordinator.
• Maintains accurate data on space categories, space users and space allocation including managing the department space database; coordinates electronic access to areas and
• keys.Performs monthly key deposit reconciliations.
• Other department-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• A post-secondary business administration/accounting degree or diploma
• A minimum of 3 years of experience, preferably in a university environment. A combination of education and directly related experience may be considered
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 is required
• Experience with financial reporting systems
• Experience in PeopleSoft including e-procurement, travel & expense, A/P and payroll modules
• Demonstrated strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated problem-solving ability
• Must be able to read and understand contracts and grants
• Ability to multi-task due to shifting priorities
• Highly developed interpersonal, time management and communication skills are required
• Ability to work independently and to work in confidential settings

Application Deadline: September 15, 2026

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist / Advisor Job Family, Phase 2.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii' taa'poh'to'p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments ([e-mail]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture ([e-mail]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.