MME Graduate Administrative Associate

wpi; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 29,000 - 34,000; Part time

Job summary

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) seeks a Graduate Administrative Associate to support the Mechanical & Materials Engineering department from admission through graduation for BS/MS, MS, and PhD students.

The role includes payroll processing for hourly students, organizing timesheets, and coordinating ABET materials with faculty and the operations team. Strong Excel/Word/PowerPoint skills and teamwork are essential.

Qualifications

• High school degree or GED is required.
• 3 years of administrative or office experience.
• Excellent communication and computer skills are required.
• Proficiency using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; willingness to learn new skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Support BS/MS, MS, and PhD students from acceptance through graduation.
• Track graduate student population and provide routine information and ad hoc reports.
• Track PhD qualifying exams, thesis proposals, and defenses; post on WPI Today.
• Coordinate textbook orders and desk copies for faculty and TAs.
• Assist with TA payroll and related forms; manage timesheet approvals.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Independent work

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

JOB TITLE

MME Graduate Administrative Associate

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Mechanical & Materials Engineering

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Graduate Administrative Associate is primarily responsible for the support of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) Department's Bachelor's/Master's (BS/MS), Masters (MS), and PhD students from acceptance through graduation. Involved at many levels in the support of the department's Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants. Responsible for hourly undergraduate and graduate student payroll, including hiring, timesheet approval, and running reports as requested by the department. Assist the operations manager and faculty with the preparation and electronic storage of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) materials for the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Program.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities

Provide Graduate Student Support

• Work closely with the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Committee (MEGC) and the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Coordinator to support Bachelor's/Master's (BS/MS), Masters (MS), and PhD students from acceptance through graduation.
• Track the department's graduate student population and provide routine information and ad hoc reports.
• Track written and oral PhD qualifying exams, PhD thesis proposals, and MS and PhD thesis defenses. Post proposals and defenses on WPI Today and advertise within the department.
• Track submission of Graduate Degree Completion forms and BS/MS Double Counting forms throughout the year.
• Create agendas for Graduate Seminar guest speakers, and track student seminar attendance.
• Co-ordinate textbook orders throughout the year between faculty and WPI Bookstore. Order desk copies of textbooks for faculty and Teaching Assistant upon request.

Assist the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Coordinator, and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Committee (MEGC) with assigning TAs, quarterly, utilizing instructor and TA survey responses

• Responsible for RA/TA payments in coordination with Hiring Specialist in the Office of the Provost.
• Responsible for TA evaluations completed by instructors and students. Sharing evaluation outcomes with the MEGC chair, as well as the Teaching Assistants and their research advisors.

Responsible for hourly undergraduate and graduate student payroll, including hiring, timesheet approval, and running reports as requested by the department

• Attend Federal Work Study (FWS) Job Fair at start of academic year to recruit FWS students for the Mechanical Engineering Office and labs.
• Monitor monthly costing allocation reports, and proactively notify faculty of positions due to expire.
• Supervise student office workers; create updated schedules, by academic term.

Manage Department Events

• Quarterly TA meetings, BS/MS Information Sessions, PhD Information Session for WPI undergraduates.
• PhD Luncheons, Holiday Luncheons, Pi-Day Celebration
• Annual Visitation Retreat for Prospective PhD students.
• Utilize 25Live to reserve and approve requests for conference room(s) in Higgins Labs.
• Make reservations outside of Higgins Labs for departmental events.

Provide administrative support

• Manage Department Head's outlook calendar, schedule zoom meetings, assist with IT and office equipment.
• Assist students, faculty, staff and visitors with information about the MME department and maintain a liaison with other WPI departments.
• Reply to inquiries on shared email alias [e-mail].
• Submit work orders for department and request keys through maintenance. Request card swipe access to department labs, for students, through IT.
• Process expense reports using Workday.
• Assist new faculty with office set-up (furniture, keys, phones, supplies, business cards, etc.) Process paperwork and request campus access for visiting international students.
• Order Mechanical Engineering T-Shirts and gifts as needed.
• Provide back-up coverage for the Operations Manager and other administrative assistants.

Facilitate Weekly/Quarterly Meetings

• Mechanical Engineering Graduate Committee
• One-on-one weekly meeting with Mechanical Engineering Graduate Coordinator, plus follow-up assignments.
• Graduate Administrator meetings with Graduate Studies
• Department Costing Allocation Meetings
• Affinity Group meetings.

Requirements

• High school degree or GED.
• 3 years of experience in an administrative or office setting.
• Excellent communication and computer skills are required.
• Proficiency using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and have the ability and willingness to learn new computer skills and adapt to changing job requirements.
• High level of judgment and confidentiality, and the ability to interact effectively with a wide range of people.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

Compensation

Hourly pay rate: $21.25 - $25.00 per hour. Salary is based on related experience, expertise,