Administrative Coordinator | Materials Sciences Group

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Richland (WA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Pension plan

401(k) with company match

Relocation assistance

Life insurance

Paid holidays

Vacation time

Job summary

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking an administrative support specialist based in Richland, WA, onsite five days a week. You will act as a central point of contact for staff and visitors and handle travel, purchases, and documentation flow, enabling our group to operate smoothly.

The role requires strong organizational skills, experience coordinating meetings, and a service-oriented mindset while handling high-priority tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Requires high school diploma or GED with 6 years of relevant admin experience OR an AA degree with 4 years of relevant admin experience.
• Experience planning meetings and coordinating travel is required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a resource for administrative procedures and staff/visitor guidance on policies.
• Coordinate group events and logistics for meetings and activities.
• Prepare agendas, track action items, and follow up on delegated tasks.

Skills

Microsoft Office Suite

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Travel coordination

Education

High school diploma/GED

AA degree or higher

Job description

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate's (PCSD’s) strengths in experimental, computational, and theoretical chemistry and materials science, together with our advanced computing, applied mathematics and data science capabilities, are central to the discovery mission we embrace at PNNL. But our most important resource is our people—experts across the range of scientific disciplines who team together to take on the biggest scientific challenges of our time.

The Materials Sciences and Engineering Division in the Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences supports PNNL research that explores the origin of macroscopic material behaviors and their fundamental connections to atomic, molecular, and electronic structures. At the core of MSE is the quest for a paradigm shift for the deterministic design and discovery of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties. To accomplish this goal, the portfolio stresses the need to probe, understand, and control the interactions of phonons, photons, electrons, and ions with matter to direct and control energy flow in materials systems over multiple time and length scales. PNNL’s fundamental, experimental, and theoretical research provides a knowledge base for the discovery and design of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties covering a broad range of materials, from bio-inspired nanomaterials to thin oxide films

Responsibilities

The Physical Sciences Division within the Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate (IDSD) seeks a highly motivated and dedicated individual to provide administrative support to our Materials Sciences Group. The individual in this position serves as a central point-of-contact for staff and visitors and therefore is instrumental in promoting the group’s brand and culture. This administrative position primarily provides support to the group’s management team and scientific staff, with ad hoc tasking to support distributed efforts across our organization. The successful applicant will also interact on the group’s behalf with PNNL’s work-based learning representatives, safety representatives, move coordinators, laboratory managers, external collaborators, and sponsors.

This position offers diverse range of responsibilities. The administrator chosen for it will need to be flexible, organized, and able to prioritize tasks to meet established deadlines. Responsibilities include:

• Serve as a resource for administrative functions regarding procedures, forms, and formats. Provide appropriate guidance to staff and visitors on PNNL policies and procedures.
• Coordinate group events and activities; including coordination of all logistics for event/meeting.
• Prepare agendas for staff or team meetings, track action items and follow up on delegated actions.
• Process a high volume of auditable requests, including purchases, requisitions, and travel expense reimbursement.
• Compile approvals and ensure requests are completed in accordance with regulations.
• Initiate and track technical documentation flow, including reports and manuscripts submissions, and maintain a submission tracking system.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel for staff and visitors, including complex immigration scenarios.
• Suggest process improvements and innovations for the Directorate, Division or Group related to the administrative role.

This position is based in Richland, WA and requires an onsite presence 5 days a week.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma/GED and 6 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment -OR-
• AA degree or higher and 4 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment
• Experience in planning meetings and coordinating travel

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, OneNote, Teams).
• Ability to work with a service mindset while managing conflicting priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, high-risk environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to articulate standard policy and procedures to multiple audience levels.
• Experience coordinating project visits, interviews, meetings, conferences, etc.
• Demonstrate strong work ethics and high level of productivity with minimal oversight.
• Knowledge of PNNL financial/business systems and charging guidelines.

Additional Information

Not Applicable.

Testing Designated Position

This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP).

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.

Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity

Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at [e-mail].

Drug Free Workplace

PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.

If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements

As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:

If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.

Mandatory Requirements

Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a "country of risk" without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $28.13/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $41.06/Hr.