Administrative Specialist

Usmfoundation; Hattiesburg (MS); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg is seeking an Administrative Specialist to provide academic, operational, and budgetary support for the Dean’s Office, faculty, staff, and students. This role serves as the first point of contact for the Dean’s Office, the public, and the university community.

You will assist with course scheduling, budgeting, inventory, HR processes, and event planning, coordinating with various offices and external agencies.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED with two years of office experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and data entry.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with faculty, staff, and students and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide academic, operational, and budgetary support for the Dean's Office and university community.
• Assist with course scheduling, room reservations, and textbook ordering.
• Develop and monitor operating budgets; assist with budget audits and reports.
• Manage inventory, supplies, and lab/facility maintenance coordination.
• Handle HR paperwork for faculty, staff, and student employees; onboarding/offboarding.

Skills

Data entry

Microsoft Office

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Confidentiality

Problem solving

Education

GED or equivalent

Tools

SOARFIN

Cornerstone

BlackBaud

Go! System

Astra

Job description

The University of Southern Mississippi is currently accepting applications for the position of Administrative Specialist.

Location Hattiesburg
118 College Drive
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406-0001
United States

Division College of Education and Human Sciences

Position Type Staff

Employment Status Full Time

Grant Funded No

Pay Grade N04

Posting Close Date Open Until Filled

Special Instructions to Applicants

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for visa sponsorship. The University will not sponsor applicants for work visas (e.g., H-1B).

Job Summary

This position is for Academic, Operational, and Budgetary Support of the Dean’s Office, faculty, staff, and students. This position is essential as it is the first point of contact for anyone within the Dean’s Office, the public and university community.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Acts as academic support for the Dean’s Office to include, but not limited to, corresponding with prospective students, coordinating on-campus student visits, preparing and sending necessary student forms, maintaining appropriate student files and working with faculty, staff, students and university community to assure student success. Liaising with offices/departments/programs that offer courses through ISPD, e.g. all Student Affairs courses, Luckyday Scholarship Program, Center for Faculty Development.
• Assists with preparation of and inputs course schedule, room reservations and student scheduling needs. Manages all class enrollment permissions. Oversees textbook ordering. Organizes summer programs, including conferences.
• Develop and monitor the annual operating budgets through consultation with Dean, including planning and preparing justification statements for budget requests. Prepare analysis of budget data for the Dean and assure that expenditures stay within the established budget for the Dean’s office; monitors personnel accounts. Maintain and reconcile all budgets in a timely/monthly manner. Assist with Course Fee Audits. Assist university units and external agencies with budget requests. Prepare budgetary forms, and initiate processes in SOARFIN, obtain appropriate signatures and route to appropriate entity. (i.e. Purchase Orders, Permission to Travel, Reimbursement Voucher, Interdepartmental Invoices etc.). Initiates all Foundation non-scholarship withdrawal requests.
• Serves as facility and inventory point of contact. Maintain and track Dean’s office inventory. Conduct regular inventory audits. Assist in state mandated audits. Order course and lab supplies and coordinate delivery, as requested. Coordinate lab maintenance with off-campus technicians and appropriate lab coordinator or faculty. Assist with lab clean-out. Process necessary forms for office maintenance, supply purchases, awards, etc. through the University and Foundation. Serve as building liaison, enters work orders and interacts with physical plant on building maintenance and service.
• Manage personnel actions under supervision of the Dean, including creating job requisitions, onboarding and off-boarding of staff, faculty, graduate assistants, temporary non-students. Prepare appropriate HR hiring paperwork for faculty, staff, adjuncts, student employees, etc. Prepares credentialing paperwork for instructors. Hires, assigns duties, and supervises the work of student employees. Prepare semesterly paperwork for Graduate school, include tuition waiver requests, offer letters, and Personnel Action Forms.
• Provide administrative support for the Dean/Associate Dean’s including, but not limited to: gathering, analyzing, and/or inputting data; event planning and public relations; website management, calendar/scheduling and facilities reservations; correspondence, preparing reports for accreditation and funding agencies.
• Serves as back-up and support to fill in as needed by successfully completing cross training on all job duties and responsibilities outlined in this position; performs other duties as assigned by the Dean.

Minimum Qualifications

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and two years of office experience – OR- an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Proficiency with a PC and keyboard to perform data entry, manipulation, and analysis.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence in Microsoft Office.
• Ability to maintain cooperative relationships with colleagues.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to exercise discretion, confidentiality, and judgment in dealing with sensitive issues.
• Ability to problem solve under direction of Dean and campus administrators.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working in academia
Minimum three years in a full-time office administration position
Knowledge of SOAR, SOARHR, SOARFIN, Cornerstone, BlackBaud, University Foundation Go! System, Astra, and Faculty Enlight.

About The University of Southern Mississippi

Since our founding in 1910, The University of SouthernMississippi has remained dedicated to preparingstudents for success. We deliver programs to more than 13,000 studentsin Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across theMississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. Weare a community-engaged Carnegie R1 university, earning distinction as one ofthe nation's leading research institutions.

Southern Miss is known for pioneering work inpolymer science, ocean science, spectator sports safety and security, and bringinglanguage to children with communication disorders. We are also a nationalleader in a broad range of disciplines, including cybersecurity, hydrography,nutrition, aquaculture, kinesiology, and economic development, among others.

We produce graduates ready to enterfields that are leading the way in emerging technologies through programs suchas computer engineering, information technology, and ocean engineering. We’re developing the next generation ofbusiness leaders, while also responding to critical workforce shortages byproducing skilled professionals in education and nursing. With a tradition ofexcellence in the arts, we are one of only 36 public institutions in the nationaccredited in four major areas of the arts. Home to the Golden Eagles, ourstudent-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division I sports. With a culture marked by passion andpersistence, Southern Miss is delivering graduates who are ready for life. For more information, visit www.usm.edu .

The University of Southern Mississippi is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. EOE/VETS/DISABILITY.

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

The University of Southern Mississippi is committed to the safety andsecurity of the USM community. The annual federal required compliancedocument which contains policy statements and crime statistics for theUniversity is available on the UPD website at http://www.usm.edu/police/ .You may also request a copy by contacting the University PoliceDepartment at Bond Hall, 1st Floor West, Hattiesburg, MS 39406 [phone]. The policy statements address the University's policies,procedures and programs concerning safety and security, for example,policies for responding to emergency situations and sexual offenses.Three years' of statistics are included for certain types of crimes thatwere reported to have occurred on campus, in or on off-campus buildingsor property owned or controlled by the University and on publicproperty within or immediately adjacent to the campus.