Casual- Administrative & Fiscal Support Specialist

University-of-Hawaii-System; Honolulu (HI); On-site; USD 34,000 - 49,000; Part time

Job summary

University of Hawai'i at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology is seeking a Casual Hire – Administrative & Fiscal Support Specialist to support the Oceanography Department. The role involves broad administrative and fiscal duties for faculty, postdocs, and students at UH Manoa in Honolulu.

Responsibilities include travel & expense processing, procurement, visa coordination, hiring paperwork, and budget oversight.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Education, Oceanography, STEM, or related field and 1 year of professional experience in business management
• Knowledge of procurement and financial management concepts
• Understanding of business management laws, rules, and systems
• Ability to analyze problems and resolve procurement/financial issues
• Proficient report writing and communication
• Ability to collaborate across internal/external teams
• Experience with HR processes and immigration procedures
• Familiarity with UH policies and visa processes
• Academic/university environment experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and fiscal support to the Oceanography Department Faculty and research groups
• Prepare and review travel requests and attendance reports for conferences/field work
• Determine appropriateness of fiscal and personnel documents and suggest alternatives
• Advise on fiscal policies and procurement issues within policy
• Oversee procurement, inventory, payments, and task budget compliance
• Audit fiscal documents and purchase requisitions for lab equipment and costs
• Assist with visa paperwork to secure appointments before start date
• Prepare hiring paperwork and timesheets for staff, grads, and researchers
• Assist with overload forms and related payments
• Support Procurement Card transactions and allocate budget codes in KFS
• Process documents using KFS, eTravel, and RCUH systems
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Procurement

Budget management

KFS

eTravel

Visa processing

Vendor relations

Hiring & HR

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration

Tools

KFS

eTravel

RCUH procurement system

Job description

Casual- Administrative & Fiscal Support Specialist

2026-02013

Department

University of Hawai'i at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Oceanography

Opening Date

09/18/2026

Position Number:

casual

Description

***Applicants seeking short-term or part-time work with the University Hawai'i may apply for Casual Hire positions, which include administrative, professional, and technical (APT) or instructional-type positions. Because of the temporary nature of these appointments, Casual Hire employees are not eligible for most benefits as provided to regular BOR and Civil Service employees such as paid leave and holidays. Casual Hire appointments may last for up to 89 days for full-time employees, and up to 1 calendar year for part-time employees.
Title: Casual Hire – Administrative & Fiscal Support Specialist
Position Number:****Casual Hire
Hiring Unit: Department ofOceanography/SOEST
Location: UH at Manoa
Date Posted: September 18, 2026
Closing Date: continuous
Salary Range: $30 hr
Work Schedule: M-F, NTE 40 hours/week
Temporary/Permanent: Temporary, Not to exceed December 28, 2026

Key Responsibilities & Duties

1. *Provide administrative and fiscal support to the Oceanography Department Faculty and their associated research groups, including post-doctoral researchers and students.

2. *Responsible for the preparation and review of travel requests and completion reports for faculty, staff, and students to attend meetings, conferences, and participation in field research programs.

3. *Independently determines appropriateness of various fiscal and personnel documents and recommends alternatives as necessary.

4. *Advise members on various fiscal policies and procedures. Also provides recommendations on various procurement issues, including travel, within established policies and procedures.

5. *Responsible for the procurement and inventory of all supplies, services, and expediting of payments. Advise Principal Investigators with the proper procurement policies/procedures for large equipment purchases.

6. *Oversee Principal Investigators budget reports from the fiscal office and ensure purchases are within the budget.

7. *Prepare and audit necessary fiscal documents in accordance with established policies and procedures, including purchase requisitions for the purchase of laboratory equipment and supplies, airfares, payments, and reimbursements on time.

8. *Establish and maintain good relations with vendors, including clarifying quotes, purchase orders, and payments.

9. *Assist new foreign researchers/visitors with the completion of appropriate visa applications. Complete required visa request paperwork, obtain signatures, & submit all forms to the appropriate office promptly to ensure visa will be obtained before appointment date.

10. *Prepare and audit paperwork for hiring new personnel, which includes, but is not limited to, graduate assistants, postdoctoral appointments, technicians, and student help. Determines the most suitable hiring source and submits timesheets as needed.

11. *Prepare and audit overload forms for both faculty and graduate assistants. Prepare and submit associated payment forms as required.

12. *Provide staff support on Procurement Card (P-Card) transactions. Independently determines correct reallocations and input of appropriate budget and account codes in the Kuali Financial System (KFS).

13. *Utilize software programs used by the campus and the UH System, including KFS, eTravel, and the RCUH procurement system, to process various fiscal documents.

14. Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree in Business Administration, Education, Oceanography, STEM, or related field and 1 year of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for general business management; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills, and abilities as indicated.

2. Functional knowledge of principles, practices, and techniques in business management, procurement and/or financial management demonstrated by knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply concepts, terminology.

3. Functional knowledge and understanding of principles, theories, federal and state laws, rules, regulations, and systems associated with business management, procurement and/or financial management.

4. Demonstrated ability to recognize problems, identify possible causes, and resolve the full range of problems that may commonly occur in business management, procurement and/or financial management.

5. Demonstrated ability to understand oral and written documentation, write reports and procedures, and communicate effectively in a variety of situations.

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

7. Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer and apply word processing software.

8. Work experience in human resources management.

9. Familiarity with UH and RCUH policies and procedures.

10. Familiarity with immigration and employment procedures, including the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program.

11. Professional work experience in an academic/university environment, preferably in an Ocean Science-related field

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.

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/