Administrative Specialist, Mechanical Engineering

University of Delaware; Newark (DE); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Delaware is seeking an Administrative Specialist to support Mechanical Engineering capstone Senior Design courses (MEEG401 & MEEG402) and related activities. The role involves budgeting, liaison work with faculty, students, and industry partners, and coordination of events and alumni activities.

The position requires a Bachelor’s degree with at least three years of administrative experience, strong customer service, and excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with at least three years of relevant experience.
• Experience with administrative support practices and procedures.
• Ability to handle information that is confidential and sensitive.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, including grammar and composition.
• Budget preparation and management experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manages Mechanical Engineering Senior Design program (MEEG401 & MEEG402) under faculty direction.
• Serves as main contact for Senior Design teams and coordinates purchasing, budgeting, and department correspondence.
• Plans and coordinates Senior Design events, including logistics, agendas, and invitations to faculty, students, panelists, and judges.
• Recruits and schedules faculty, industry, and alumni as panelists and reviewers for Senior Design events.
• Maintains folders, budgets, and purchasing records; supports the ME Alumni Committee and related events.
• Manages the CBER NSF REU program, including scheduling events and coordinating with external partners.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Confidential information handling

Process improvement

Budget preparation

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

University of Delaware

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer whichencourages applications from Minority Group Members, Women,Individuals with Disabilities and Veterans. The University's Noticeof Non-Discrimination can be found at http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/legalnotices.html

Job No: 503646

Work Type: Staff

Location: Newark, DE

Categories: Administrative Support, Full Time

Pay Grade 29E Context of Job: Under the limiteddirection of the Mechanical Engineering Business Administrator, theDepartment Chair, and Senior Design Faculty, the AdministrativeSpecialist is responsible for the administration of the MechanicalEngineering capstone MEEG401 and MEEG402 Senior Design courses andselected related events, the ME Alumni Committee and events,administration of the CBER NSF REU program, member of theMechanical Engineering Publicity Committee, and support of variedMechanical Engineering events.

The Administrative Specialist serves as the first line response forthese programs providing quality customer service to a variety ofstakeholders and ensuring general support using in-depth knowledgeof University policies. The position interacts with faculty,students, College and University administrators, industry programsponsors, vendors, other educational institutions, alumni andgovernment agencies as necessary to exchange information and/orsolve problems and other issues. The Administrative Specialist usesinitiative, independent judgment and decision-making skills incarrying out the essential functions of the position.

Major Responsibilities

Program Management: Senior Design(MEEG401 & MEEG402)

• Manages and supports the Mechanical Engineering Senior Designprogram under the direction of the Mechanical Engineering SeniorDesign Faculty and Mechanical Engineering BusinessAdministrator.
• Has a working relationship with the Associate Dean forCorporate Engagement with regards to the Mechanical Engineeringteam projects.
• Main contact for Mechanical Engineering Senior Design teams.Provides communications to Mechanical Engineering Department SeniorDesign student teams and their faculty advisors regardingpurchasing, individual project/budget expenses, and generaldepartment correspondence.
• Coordinates and plans Mechanical Engineering Department SeniorDesign events including Practice Mid-Terms and Mid-Term Review.Responsible for those event’s logistics, websites, agendas, andinvitations to department faculty, students, panelists, and reviewjudges.
• Recruits and schedules Mechanical Engineering faculty,industry, and Mechanical Engineering alumni to serve as panelistsand review judges for all Mechanical Engineering Department SeniorDesign team events.
• Creates Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Teams Sponsor listthat include team number, project title, sponsor, faculty advisor,sponsor primary contact(s) name and sponsor email address.
• Creates list of Mechanical Engineering Department Senior DesignTeams including team number, student’s first and last name, studentemail address, advisor, student UD ID number, and department oftheir major.
• Responsible for providing instructions for student teamsneeding to use UD Motor Pool vehicles to visit sponsors. ProvidesMotor Pool request forms and completes Motor Pool request webformto schedule Motor Pool vehicle for trips.
• Works with COE Procurement to register one student from eachMechanical Engineering Senior Design team to be the PurchasingAgent for their team in UD Exchange. Provides documentation andinstructions for making purchases through UD Exchange and throughthe department for items that cannot be purchased in UD Exchange.The Purchasing Agent will access a Google form for making purchaseoutside of UD Exchange. This position is responsible for the yearlyupdated Google form for these purchases. This position will createthe Purchasing Agent list each Senior Design year so departmentstaff are aware of the Purchasing Agent information.
• Works directly with team Purchasing Agents to explain andreview purchasing procedures with the students so they are on trackwith processes, approvals and budgets to make projectpurchases.
• Facilitates purchasing project materials with student teams andME Administrative Assistant IV. Responsible to work with MechanicalEngineering staff to make purchases from the Google form for teamsin a timely manner to ensure on-time project completion. Follows upwith Department Business Administrator to be sure UD Exchangepurchase requests are approved.
• Updates and monitors student team budgets to preventoverspending and ensure proper purchasing approvals..
• Handles returning project purchases and shipping costs throughUD Campus Delivery. Also handles shipping completed projects tosponsor through UD Campus Delivery.
• Works with sponsors that wish to continue project withMechanical Engineering team members into the Spring semesterthrough Independent Study Courses. Responsible for continuedproject material purchases, Motor Pool travel to sponsor, and finalshipping of project to sponsor.
• Responsible for FSAE team purchasing in conjunction with FSAEteam Faculty Advisor.
• Creates folders on shared drive for each year’s MechanicalEngineering Senior Design program, team budgets, program documents,program lists and all other updated yearly documentation.
• Creates file folder for each team’s budget and purchasinginvoices/documents for proper accounting. Files housed indepartment filing cabinets in the event that sponsor requestsaccounting documentation.
• Recruits and schedules UD faculty, industry, and alumni toserve as panelists and review judges for Mechanical EngineeringDepartment Senior Design Practice Mid-Terms and Mid-Termevents.

Program Management: CBER NSF REU

• Manage NSF REU program under PIs, Dr. Michael Hast and Dr.Lucas Lu.
• Maintain REU website, solicit applications from otheruniversities, draft and send acceptance letters to applicants, andmatch students to faculty advisors in multiple UD Colleges andDepartments.
• Responsibilities for 10-week program includes creating summercalendar, reserve rooms, order refreshments, communicate directlywith 10 external REU students, set up room and board (when needed),set up access to UD facilities for REU students, and providestudent IDs.
• Schedule events including lab tours, keynote lecture, REUtraining, REU student picnic, lab safety training, progressreports, industry tour, welcome and farewell receptions, and SummerUndergraduate Research Symposium.
• Collect data from student and faculty surveys to use in futurefunding requests from NSF.

Member of Mechanical Engineering Department PublicityCommittee. Responsibilities include:

• Sourcing and ordering department promotional items from UDapproved vendors.
• Update flash drive for SPL hallway monitors with newcontent.
• Work with University Printing on specific departmentprojects.
• Acting liaison between this committee and the departmentchair.
• Work with department chair on department alumnicommunications.
• Provide any additional administrative support requested bycommittee.

Administrative Management: Mechanical EngineeringDepartment

• Managing and maintaining MailChimp, Qualtrics, GoogleDocs/Sheets/Forms technology systems for event photos, surveys,registration pages, RSVP spreadsheets, and event and departmentmarketing and advertising.
• Department contact for DAR regarding alumni relations, requestsfor alumni lists, DAR communications, etc.
• Event management for department events as assigned. May includebut not limited to department anniversary events, facultyanniversaries, research symposiums, honors award recognitionceremony, center launch events, grand openings & ribboncuttings, VIP receptions or luncheons, career celebration andsenior appreciation day and promotion/tenure/retirementcelebrations.
• Responsible for maintaining department website, updatingcurrent news, events, and department program information. promoteand provide updates on the Department via various social mediaplatforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.).
• Attend meetings/luncheons/open houses/Expos hosted by DAR,Catering, Conference Services, IT, Courtyard Marriott, Hyatt, andpromotional item vendors.

Department Alumni Committee & Events

• Collaborates with various Committee Chairs in planningDepartment Alumni events. Attend meetings and take minutes (ifrequested).
• Plan scheduled events including managing event budget, securelocation, order refreshments, hire photographer, provide UDailymaterial, solicit event vendors, marketing, advertising, and eventregistration. Arrange travel and hotel for out-of-town DepartmentAlumni guests. Attend events.
• Alumni events include but are not limited to Fall HomecomingEvent, Golf Outing at Deerfield Country Club, Gearhead Bike Rideduring Alumni Weekend, Design Studio Open House, DistinguishedCareer Award and Early Career Alumni Award Recognition Event, VIPReception for Department Alumni and Industry Donors.
• Perform other miscellaneous duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience orequivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with administrativesupport practices and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to handle information and documentationthat are of a confidential and highly sensitive nature.
• Ability to assess opportunities for improvement in processesand workflow, make recommendations and implement approvedchanges.
• Proficiency and experience with Microsoft Office applicationsincluding Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint or comparablesoftware programs.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, includingproficiency with grammar, punctuation, spelling andcomposition.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with the abilityto establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to handle challenging situations with initiative,professionalism and diplomacy, prioritize and handle concurrenttasks in a timely manner, and use discretion regarding matters of asensitive and confidential nature.
• Ability to verify accuracy of information, analyze and resolvediscrepancies and follow-up on outstanding activities, oftenwithout guidance from leadership.
• Skills in budget preparation and management preferred.

Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity

The University of Delaware does not discriminate against any personon the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identityor expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, maritalstatus, disability, religion, age, veteran status or any othercharacteristic protected by applicable law in its employment,educational programs and activities, admissions policies, andscholarship and loan programs as required by Title IX of theEducational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Actof 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VIand VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicablestatutes and University policies. The University of Delaware alsoprohibits unlawful harassment including sexual harassment andsexual violence.

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