Administrative Officer

University of Hawaii system; Hilo (HI); On-site; USD 57,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Hawai'i at Hilo is seeking an Administrative Officer to manage day-to-day fiscal and administrative operations for a federally funded project within the Kipuka Native Hawaiian Student Center. The role collaborates with the PI/PD, campus offices, and program staff to ensure compliant, timely processing of budgets, procurement, personnel actions, travel, and reporting.

Full-time, 11-month temporary appointment with a minimum monthly salary of $5,640; work location is UH Hilo.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience in administrative operations, fiscal management, or grant support.
• Strong working knowledge of fiscal administration, procurement, administrative operations, or grant management.
• Solid understanding of applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations related to fiscal administration and procurement.
• Ability to resolve complex problems with creative reasoning and timely resolution.
• Clear written and verbal communication; ability to prepare reports.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with personal computer, word processing, spreadsheet, and financial management software.
• If supervising, ability to lead subordinates and manage priorities.
• Experience providing fiscal or administrative support for externally funded grants or programs.
• Experience with budgeting, procurement, purchasing, personnel, and travel.
• Ability to work independently, exercise good judgment, and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage day-to-day fiscal and administrative operations for the federally funded project.
• Monitor budgets, expenditures, encumbrances, balances, and spending activity; reconcile records.
• Coordinate procurement and purchasing activities, review documentation for accuracy and compliance.
• Coordinate personnel processes including recruitment, payroll documentation, and student employment.
• Assist PI/PD with budget projections, expenditure summaries, and financial reports.
• Review transactions for compliance issues and resolve with appropriate offices.
• Maintain organized fiscal, personnel, procurement, and administrative records.
• Assist with project reporting requirements, including annual reports and budget revisions.
• Serve as a project liaison with UH Hilo and UH System offices on fiscal matters.
• Provide fiscal guidance to project staff on procedures, timelines, and allowable processes.
• Develop internal procedures, tracking tools, calendars, and systems for timely processing.
• Provide administrative and fiscal support for events, internships, contracts, and program activities.
• All other duties as assigned.

Skills

Administrative operations

Fiscal administration

Grant management

Communication skills

Report writing

Problem solving

Independent work

Team collaboration

Education

Baccalaureate degree (any field)

Job description

Administrative Officer (0097770T) | University of Hawai'i page has loaded.

Full-Time Temporary

Job Number

2026-02341

University of Hawai'i at Hilo

Division

Student Affairs - Educational Assistance Center

11/02/2026

Closing Date

11/18/2026 11:59 PM Hawaii

Position Number:

0097770T

Description

Title: Administrative Officer
Position Number: 0097770T
Hiring Unit: Student Affairs, Educational Assistance Center
Location: UH at Hilo
Date Posted: November 2, 2026
Closing Date: November 18, 2026
Band: B
Salary : salary schedules and placement information
Additional Salary Information: PBB, minimum $5,640/month
Full Time/Part Time: Full-time
Month: 11-month
Temporary/Permanent: Temporary

Note: To ensure a consistent digital layout across third-party software platforms, Hawaiian language diacritical marks (kahako and okina) and other such diacritical marks have been omitted from this online posting. The University recognizes and respects the proper use of these markings in all official communications.

Position Overview:

The University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) is a public liberal arts and sciences university on the Island of Hawaii, recognized for its integration of cultural immersion and place-based research that leverages the island's extraordinary geological, biological, and cultural diversity. A comprehensive, regional campus within the ten-campus University of Hawaii System, UH Hilo offers high-quality undergraduate and select postgraduate education, with distinctive strengths in areas such as marine science, geology, astronomy, and Hawaiian language revitalization, while advancing research, scholarship, and creative activity that support community needs, environmental stewardship, Indigenous knowledge systems, and workforce development for the State of Hawaii.

The UH Hilo Division of Student Affairs serves as the primary resource for student support, engagement, and development outside of the classroom. This division provides essential programs and services that foster student success, personal growth, and a vibrant campus life. Student Affairs is responsible for critical functions such as advising and counseling services, housing and residential life, student activities and organizations, wellness and health services, career development, and promoting an inclusive and supportive campus environment.

The Kipuka Native Hawaiian Student Center (Kipuka) advances Native Hawaiian student success by fostering culturally responsive learning environments, programs, and support services. Grounded in the philosophy that Native Hawaiian-centered approaches strengthen success for all students, Kipuka welcomes and engages the broader UH Hilo community through its programs and initiatives.

The Administrative and Fiscal Operations Coordinator provides administrative and fiscal support for all project activities associated with a federally funded U.S. Department of Education project administered through Kipuka. The Administrative and Fiscal Operations Coordinator works closely with the Principal Investigator/Project Director, project staff, UH Hilo administrative and fiscal offices, and other campus units to ensure project activities and expenditures are processed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with University, State, federal, and grant requirements. The position monitors project budgets and expenditures, maintains fiscal and administrative records, identifies and assists in resolving issues, coordinates project activities, procurement, personnel actions, travel, documentation, and reporting to support effective grant implementation and compliance with institutional and federal requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities (*denotes essential functions):

1. *Coordinate and manage day-to-day fiscal and administrative operations for the federally funded project, ensuring project activities and expenditures are processed in accordance with applicable University, State, federal, and grant requirements.

2. *Monitor project budgets, expenditures, encumbrances, available balances, and spending activity; maintain internal fiscal records and tracking systems; reconcile fiscal information with University financial records; and identify discrepancies, projected shortfalls, unspent balances, or other fiscal concerns requiring attention.

3. *Coordinate and process procurement and purchasing activities, including requisitions, purchase orders, payment requests, contracts, vendor documentation, and other fiscal transactions. Review documentation for accuracy, completeness, appropriate funding, and compliance with applicable requirements prior to submission.

4. *Coordinate administrative processes associated with project personnel, including recruitment and hiring documentation, personnel actions, payroll-related documentation, student employment, and other human resources processes. Track appointments, funding periods, and personnel expenditures to support timely and accurate processing.

5. *Assist the Principal Investigator/Project Director with fiscal planning and grant management by preparing budget projections, expenditure summaries, financial reports, and other fiscal information necessary to support project implementation and decision‑making.

6. *Review fiscal and administrative transactions and supporting documentation to identify potential compliance concerns, processing issues, or inconsistencies and work with appropriate University offices and project personnel to resolve issues in a timely manner.

7. Maintain organized and accurate fiscal, personnel, procurement, and administrative records and documentation to support project monitoring, annual reporting, audits, and grant closeout requirements.

8. Assist with project reporting requirements, including annual performance reports, budget revisions, continuation requests, and other institutional or federal grant reports, by compiling and organizing required fiscal, personnel, procurement, and administrative information.

9. Serve as a project liaison with appropriate UH Hilo and University of Hawaii System offices on fiscal and administrative matters, including budgeting, procurement, human resources, contracts, and grant administration.

10. Provide fiscal and administrative guidance to project staff regarding applicable procedures, documentation requirements, timelines, and allowable processes to facilitate efficient implementation of grant‑funded activities.

11. Develop and maintain internal administrative procedures, tracking tools, calendars, and systems to support timely processing of fiscal and administrative activities, effective budget management, and compliance with project deadlines.

12. Provide administrative and fiscal support for project events, student internships, contracts, consultants, program activities, and other grant‑funded initiatives as needed.

13. All other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree in any field and 3 year(s) of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for administrative operations, fiscal management, or grant support, including experience providing fiscal or administrative support for externally funded grants or programs; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills and abilities as indicated.

2. Considerable working knowledge of principles, practices, and techniques related to fiscal administration, procurement, administrative operations, personnel administration, or grant management as demonstrated by the broad knowledge of the full range of pertinent standard and evolving concepts, principles, and methodologies.

3. Considerable working knowledge and understanding of applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations and theories and systems associated fiscal administration, procurement, administrative operations, personnel administration, or grant management.

4. Demonstrated ability to resolve wide ranging complex problems through the use of creative reasoning and logic to accurately determine the cause of the problems and the resolution of the problems in an effective, innovative and timely manner.

5. Demonstrated ability to interpret and present information and ideas clearly and accurately in writing, verbally and by preparation of reports and other materials.

6. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team leaders and members, and individuals.

7. Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer, apply word processing software, and spreadsheet and financial management software.

8. If applicable, for supervisory work, demonstrated ability to lead subordinates, manage work priorities and projects, and manage employee relations.

9. Demonstrated experience providing fiscal or administrative support for externally funded grants or programs.

10. Demonstrated experience with fiscal and administrative functions such as budgeting, procurement, purchasing, personnel, and travel.

11. Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Desirable Qualifications

1. Experience providing fiscal or administrative support for federally funded grants, including U.S. Department of Education programs.

2. Knowledge of University of Hawaii fiscal and administrative policies, procedures, and systems.

3. Experience with budget development, fiscal reporting, and account reconciliation in a higher education environment.

To Apply:

Click on the “Apply” button on the top right corner of the screen to complete an application and attach each required document. A complete application must include:

• Cover letter explaining how each minimum and desirable qualification is met.
• Current resume.
• The names and addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three [3] current professional reference
• Transcript(s) showing degrees and course work appropriate to the position (copies are acceptable; however, original official transcripts will be required prior to employment).

Please do not include any self-identifying photos.Please redact references to Social Security number and birth date on transcript copies. Copy of diplomas will NOT be accepted. Documents issued from an institution outside the United States of America require a course‑by‑course analysis with an equivalency statement from an agency having membership with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc., verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. Expense of the evaluation shall be borne by the applicant.All requested documents/information become the property of the University. All minimum qualifications must be met by the closing date.

EEO, Clery Act, ADA

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, including on the basis of veteran and disability status. For more information, visit: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/policies/

Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/ , or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.

In accordance with Article 10 of the unit 08 collective bargaining agreement, bargaining unit members receive priority consideration for APT job vacancies. As a result, external or non BU 08 applicants may not be considered for some APT vacancies. BU 08 members with re‑employment rights or priority status are responsible for informing the hiring unit of their status.

Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case‑by‑case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/

Equal Opportunity Employer / Veterans / Disabled