Administrative Associate, McDonald Observatory - job 1 of 2

Job Posting Title:

Administrative Associate, McDonald Observatory

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Hiring Department:

McDonald Observatory

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

MCDONALD OBSERVATORY

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Job Details:

General Notes

This position is onsite at the McDonald Observatory, 16 miles from Ft. Davis, Texas (440 miles west of the UT Austin campus). The administrative associate provides administrative support to McDonald Observatory's West Texas operations. The administrative associate will report to the executive assistant for the Superintendent and works closely with the Austin Business Office.

UT Austin, recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers, provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)

• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options

• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan with employer-matching funds

• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)

• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses

Purpose

This role provides administrative support to McDonald Observatory's West Texas operations, including procuring goods and services, contracts, inventory, accounting and reporting, and other administrative duties.

Responsibilities

• Administrative Support. Support the administrative and clerical operations for the Superintendent’s office and staff. Assists with shipping and receiving packages and mail and ensuring the proper recipients are contacted. Helps maintain site calendars. Composes and proofreads departmental correspondence. Prepares required documentation for special events and assist with special event staffing as required. Serve as backup to administrative staff and Astronomers Lodge. Assists with records retention. Maintains a professional manner and ensures confidentiality. Drives UT vehicles as needed. Performs other related duties as required to meet the business needs.

• Physical Plant Administrative Support. Assists the Physical Plant Manager and Technical Trades Supervisors with administrative tasks, including, but not limited to, purchasing research, fuel reports, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reports. Provides quarterly account reconciliation reports to the managers. Performs radio dispatch, sends faxes, copying, scanning, and other job-related duties.

• Procurement. Serves as a point of contact for West Texas staff regarding University purchasing policies and procedures and ensures compliance, including the Superintendent's office, in coordination with the Austin Business Office. Procures goods and services for the Observatory's West Texas operations. Issues department transaction numbers and sets up vendor ID's. Obtains quotes, processes electronic documents, maintains records, and orders merchandise. Prepares purchase orders and ProCard purchases following University policies and procedures. Posts and maintains the purchasing database. Maintains department's ProCard and assists with the ProCard logs for the Superintendent's staff. Coordinates all information, services to and from suppliers/vendors concerning purchase orders. Coordinates and monitors all purchases through contracts between UT and the West Texas site. Develops relationships with suppliers and vendors to promote the availability of supplier resources to meet and exceed project needs. Monitors all purchasing requests and escalates issues with internal customers and vendors to appropriate managers.

• Inventory and Surplus. Responsible for over site of West Texas Inventory, including issuance and maintenance of inventory tags, database entry, and inventory reporting. Coordinates West Texas surplus, tracking the returns on spreadsheets, taking photos, arranging for vehicle and trailer usage to deliver to UT's Surplus site, in coordination with the Austin Business Office.

• Accounting. Prepares interdepartmental transfer paperwork for various event and lodging charges. Enters weekly deposits for the Astronomers Lodge. Prepares and processes payment vouchers for goods and services received at the Observatory in West Texas. Reconciles Mt. Locke West Texas accounts and prepares detailed monthly reports, including appropriate use of funds. Required to be an authorized signer on the local bank account.

Required Qualifications

• High school graduation or GED and at least five years of clerical experience, including one year of experience at either the Administrative Assistant or the Administrative Associate level. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel and Word

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with attention to detail

• Adaptable and quick learner, able to work independently or collaboratively

• Professional interpersonal skills, maintaining positive relationships with staff, visitors, and residents

• Excellent judgment and problem-solving abilities

• Effective time management, capable of handling multiple projects and meeting deadlines

• Self-motivated, with a track record of taking initiative and completing tasks with minimum supervision

Preferred Qualifications

• One year experience in Procurement.

• Prior experience using systems and applications common to the University of Texas at Austin business operations

• Knowledge of the UT policies and procedures

• Experience with planning, budgeting, and executing small to mid-sized events, including vendor coordination

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three-year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver's license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident.

Salary Range

$42,000+ depending on qualifications and experience

Working Conditions

• Position is located at McDonald Observatory, Ft. Davis, Texas. If you do not live in the surrounding areas, you will need to relocate.

• May work in all weather conditions and extreme temperatures. McDonald Observatory is located at approximately 6900 ft. above sea level. Environmental conditions can be unpredictable; temperatures can range from -10˚F and +95˚F. Inclement winter weather can be expected, which requires comfortable driving in wintry conditions on mountain grades.

• Working at a desk and computer for extended periods, including repetitive use of a keyboard

• Use of manual dexterity

• Occasional climbing of stairs and ladders

• Occasional heavy lifting and moving 10+ lbs

• Occasional work around electrical, mechanical hazards, and heavy equipment

• May work in all weather conditions

Work Shift

• Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Occasional work after hours

• Occasional weekends

Required Materials

    •    Letter of interest

    •    Resume/CV

    •    Three work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply. You will be allowed to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you can multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu, and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page, and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.