Administrative Program Specialist

Oregon State University; Norwalk (CA); On-site; USD 31,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Oregon State University’s Botany & Plant Pathology Department seeks an Administrative Program Specialist to serve as the department's HR liaison and Workday resource. You will guide payroll actions, onboarding, hiring processes, and employment documentation, ensuring accuracy and timely processing.

Responsibilities include communicating HR policies, supporting supervisors and search committees, and resolving HR-related issues with university partners, while maintaining compliance and high data

Qualifications

• Two years of experience as an administrative specialist or executive support specialist including administrative support for a project, program, or operation.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the departmental liaison between Human Resources, Business Center, and department employees for personnel and Workday-related processes.
• Interprets and communicates HR policies, procedures, and employment requirements to supervisors, search committees, new hires, faculty, staff, and student employees.
• Provides guidance, training, and clear instructions regarding Workday transactions, onboarding, hiring processes, payroll actions, position changes, and employment documentation.
• Researches and resolves HR-related issues by reviewing information, identifying resources, and coordinating with university partners to ensure compliance and accurate processing.
• Maintains a high level of accuracy when reviewing, entering, auditing, and processing personnel and employment-related records.

Skills

Strong communication

Organizational skills

Education

Associates degree

Tools

Workday

PeopleAdmin

Banner

CORE

Job description

Important Notifications:

Application Deadline: When applying, please keep in mind this posting will close at 11:59 pm the night before the posted "end date". Applications MUST be submitted prior to this deadline.

Current Employees: Do not apply via the OSU Career site. Instead, please login to your regular Workday account and visit the Jobs Hub to apply.

# Department:
Botany & Plant Pathology

Special Instructions to Applicants:

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:

1) A resume; and

2) A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position.

3) Please upload responses to the following question as a separate document.

- Please describe your experience providing customer service or support to a diverse group of individuals. Include the setting, the types of questions or concerns you addressed, and how you ensured a positive experience. (Maximum 300 words)

Starting salary will be commensurate with skills, education, and experience.

For additional information please contact:

Catherine Mullins-Rodriguez

[e-mail]

541-737-7663

Job Summary:

This recruitment will be used to fill one full-time Administrative Program Specialist position for the Department of Botany & Plant Pathology at Oregon State University (OSU).

Serves as the department's personnel and human resources liaison, providing guidance and support to faculty, staff, search committees, supervisors, and employees throughout the employee lifecycle. Interprets and applies university policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements. Functions as a departmental Workday resource, assisting with transactions, troubleshooting issues, communicating requirements, and ensuring accurate and timely completion of HR and payroll-related processes. Requires the ability to analyze and interpret information including payroll, navigate evolving technology systems, communicate complex procedures clearly, and maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serves as the departmental liaison between Human Resources, Business Center, and department employees for personnel and Workday-related processes.
• Interprets and communicates HR policies, procedures, and employment requirements to supervisors, search committees, new hires, faculty, staff, and student employees.
• Provides guidance, training, and clear instructions regarding Workday transactions, onboarding, hiring processes, payroll actions, position changes, and employment documentation.
• Researches and resolves HR-related issues by reviewing available information, identifying appropriate resources, and coordinating with university partners to ensure compliance and accurate processing.
• Maintains a high level of accuracy and attention to detail when reviewing, entering, auditing, and processing personnel and employment-related records.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Two years of experience as an administrative specialist or executive support specialist which included administrative support for a project, program, or operation. Administrative support includes those duties beyond clerical/secretarial such as: interpretation of laws, rules, and regulations; administrative data collection and analysis; and evaluation of projects, processes, and operations; OR an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associates degree.
• Experience working in human resources.
• Basic Accounting skills as it pertains to human resources support.
• Record of/commitment to work with underrepresented/underserved students or other audiences.
• Life experience, education, or training that broadens capacity to equalize student success or impact underserved audiences.
• Previous experience working in an academic setting utilizing enterprise administrative systems such as Workday, PeopleAdmin, Banner, CORE, or similar platforms.

# Working Conditions/Schedule:
This is an On-Campus appointment, Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm.

Salary Range:

$22.84 - $34.70

Anticipated Start Date:

2026-12-01

Anticipated End Date:

When applying, please keep in mind this posting will close at 11:59 pm the night before the posted "end date". Applications MUST be submitted prior to this deadline.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system. If this position has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities and/or driving duties and you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job‑related pre‑employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre‑employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at [e-mail] .