Research Group Program Coordinator - 140961

University of California San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 24,000 - 35,000; Part time

Job summary

UC San Diego invites applications for the #140961 Research Group Program Coordinator within the Geosciences Research Division. This 1-year, 40% Limited appointment supports the deep-ocean biomolecular observing network under the PI, handling travel, purchasing, and conference logistics.

The role requires coordinating complex travel, field safety plans, reimbursements, and vendor interactions while tracking progress across SIO and partner institutions.

Qualifications

• Experience organizing academic meetings, conferences, seminars or similar events.
• Knowledge of travel policies and procedures for domestic/international travel.
• Experience with online financial/purchasing/travel systems and reimbursements.
• Understanding of purchasing policies for federally funded contracts and grants.
• Strong mathematical skills for budgeting and financial reporting.
• Proficiency with MS Office and calendar management.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate executive-level administrative support for the biomolecular observing network.
• Arrange complex travel (Concur), reconciliations, reimbursements, and field-related logistics.
• Organize and coordinate virtual or in-person conferences, meetings, and workshops.

Skills

Meeting logistics

Travel coordination

Budget reconciliation

Purchasing and invoicing

Data tracking and reporting

Customer service

Independent work

Tools

Concur

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

Payroll Title: BLANK AST 3

Department: Geosciences Research Division

Hiring Pay Scale: $62,744.40 - $72,098.64

Worksite: SIO

Appointment Type: Limited Appointment

Appointment Percent: 40%

Union: CX Contract

Total Openings: 1

Work Schedule: Variable, 4 hrs/day, Mon-Thurs, Tues-Fri, or other flexible options

#140961 Research Group Program Coordinator

Filing Deadline: Mon 8/31/2026

UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds. If you are interested in being part of our team, possess the needed licensure and certifications, and feel that you have most of the qualifications and/or transferable skills for a job opening, we strongly encourage you to apply.

This is a one (1) year 40% Limited appointment position. This appointment may be extended or converted to career status at 50% based on the needs and funding of the department. Tentative work schedule of 16 hours per week is flexible/negotiable.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Earth Section of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography encompasses research in the Cecil H. & Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) and the Geosciences Research Division (GRD). Research in IGPP spans a broad range of topics in geophysics including seismology, geodynamics, geodesy and crustal deformation, geomorphology, planetary physics, geomagnetism and paleomagnetism, oceanography and electrical methods. The Cecil and Ida Green IGPP is recognized internationally as an outstanding research and teaching institution in geophysics with focus on maintaining modern infrastructure for conducting research including buildings, computer networks, computing mass storage, seagoing instrumentation, communications and global observatories. Research in GRD embraces atmospheric, marine and solid earth chemistry, cosmochemistry, paleoceanography and paleoclimate, stratigraphy, geobiology and paleoecology, hydrogeology, global and regional tectonics, and paleomagnetism.

IGPP has 45 academics in various titles (Professor, Professor-in-Residence, Research Scientist, Project Scientist and Specialist), several Research Associates/Visiting Scholars, 10 Postdoctoral Scholars, 30 graduate students and 80 staff. The Institute has approximately $22 million in annual federal, state and private allocations and $27 million in expenditures. It occupies 55,000 square feet of space including instructional and research support space, administrative offices and research labs. IGPP has 4 recharge facilities providing services to UCSD and the geophysics community. IGPP manages the operations of the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Foundation for Earth Sciences and its endowment under the direction of the Board of Directors. The foundation provides funding for postdoctoral fellowships, seed money for new research, support for visiting scholars and cost‑sharing funds.

GRD is home to 38 academics in various titles (Professor, Research Professor, Research Scientist, Project Scientist and Specialist), 10 Research Associates and Visiting Scholars, 10 Postdoctoral Scholars, 45 graduate students and 45 staff. GRD expends approximately $10 million annually in federal, state and private funds. The Division occupies over 65,000 square feet of space including research support space, research labs, geological collections space and administrative offices.

The deep ocean is the largest — and least well studied — ecosystem on Earth. Despite comprising most of Earth's habitable volume, little is known about how microbial and metazoan communities are distributed through the ocean interior or how they may respond to climate change. This program, supported by a philanthropic organization, the Fund For Science and Technology (FFST), is establishing the first globally distributed biomolecular observing network for the deep ocean, integrating recently developed genomic and molecular tools with long-running physical and chemical observation systems that have been collecting data for decades but have rarely been sampled for biology.

Position Overview

Under general supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI), the Program Coordinator is independently responsible for organization, analysis and execution of executive level administrative support for the biomolecular observing network for the deep ocean. The incumbent is independently responsible for complex group and foreign visitor travel arrangements including Concur entries, reconciliations, reimbursements, ships schedules/sea cruises, travel plans, Field Safety Research Plans, trip insurance, vouchers, containment shipping, etc. Other duties include processing all purchasing for the Program by credit card or Oracle, when necessary. They are also independently responsible for organizing and coordinating virtual or in person conferences, meetings, and workshops. The incumbent is responsible for interacting with other Scripps personnel and tracking progress on interactions at Scripps offices and offices at other institutions, for example, with sub-contracts.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Extensive experience in meeting/event organization logistics and event coordination to include conferences, seminars, symposium, or similar academic meetings. Experience with meeting logistics such as room reservations, catering, speakers presentations, IT/AV, outreach and confirmation of speakers, arranging travel for speakers, reconciling travel expenses, and preparing simple budgets, monitoring expenses, and following polices related to expenses and reimbursements. Experience working with several people to schedule meetings and events with several senior personnel from multiple agencies.

• Experience processing travel documents including complex travel arrangements and travel reimbursements. Knowledge of and familiarity with travel policies and procedures and federal and state regulations related to domestic and international travel.

• Experience using online systems: financial/purchasing/travel. Experience (or the ability to learn) processing invoices, reimbursements, expense reconciliations; experience entering account codes. Experience collecting and submitting documentation for reconciliation and reimbursements.

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of purchasing policies and procedures including knowledge of purchasing and buying procedures and practices for federally funded contracts and grants procurement; knowledge of funding restrictions and regulations regarding equipment purchases and non-standard services.

• Strong, accurate mathematical skills. Experience working with numbers under a deadline. Skill in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals. Skill in computing ratios, rates, and percentages.

• Proficient in using personal computers and a wide variety of software packages for word-processing, database processing, presentations, web and publication design, and calendaring (e.g. Microsoft Office suite, etc.). Experience with outlook e-mail as a primary form of communication; accomplished skill at navigating the Internet for information retrieval. Proven ability to utilize excel spreadsheets and databases to interpret and organize financial information and provide financial reporting.

• Demonstrated experience and skill to work independently, to assess workload, organize and prioritize work, take initiative, and meet multiple and conflicting deadlines in a fast paced environment with frequent interruptions, changing demands, and minimal supervision, with efficiency and accuracy.

• Excellent customer service skills to communicate in a helpful, effective and informative manner in person/phone/in writing, with a diverse group of people, demonstrating tact, diplomacy, and maintaining confidentiality; ability to communicate ideas, thoughts and meaning to articulate one's position clearly.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.

• Able to travel locally to on-site meetings and conferences and to other buildings at SIO La Jolla campus.

• Must have access to reliable transportation.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $61,429 - $88,030 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $29.42 - $42.16

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace