PROGRAM OPERATIONS SPECIALIST
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Full-time
Management
Posted on May 24, 2019
Req #: | 166800 |
Department: | COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING |
Job Location: | Seattle Campus |
Posting Date: | 04/19/2019 |
Closing Info: | Open Until Filled |
Salary: | Salary is commensurate with experience and education |
Shift: | First Shift |
Notes: |
As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here.
For information about the College of Engineering Diversity & Access, please visit our site. |
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. All of which has allowed the UW to be nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” for five consecutive years.
The College of Engineering has an outstanding opportunity for a Program Operations Specialist. This position serves as the business manager and senior-level administrative support for the College of Engineering (CoE) Office of Diversity & Access (D&A), providing operations leadership and managing the office’s fiscal, operational, and hiring responsibilities. This position is responsible for the day-to-day program logistics and the long-term operations planning of programming administered by the College of Engineering office of Diversity & Access. This position is responsible for developing and managing the rhythm of business for D&A.
The program operations specialist reports to the Associate Dean of Diversity & Access and works closely with D&A Director(s) and Assistant Directors. This position will also help supervise the D&A Program Coordinator.
This position serves in a variety of administrative roles and must demonstrate effective communication, administrative judgment, and innovative ability. As an effective team player who is easily accessible and contributes to the success of CoE D&A, this position must utilize deep knowledge of program activities to create and implement policies and procedures that increase efficiencies and allow for program growth and additional capacity for the Associate Dean of Diversity & Access. The person in this position must have the ability to act independently and responsibly, given general direction from the Associate Dean and the constraints of the University policies and procedures. This position is responsible for establishing and maintaining policies and procedures for CoE D&A in all administrative areas. The program operations specialist leads administrative and operational activities and establishes and maintains project timelines.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Program Management and Operations
• Developing, interpreting and implementing institutional and organizational policies, procedures and operations;
• Participating in strategic planning for CoE D&A, including preparing various budget scenarios and multi-year program calendars, including various program events, seminars, and workshops;
• Working with D&A Directors/Assistant Directors to develop and plan program activities;
• Navigating between big-picture, strategic issues, along with more tactical and procedural issues;
• Identifying potential program issues or conflicts before they become problems of significance, and identifying potential solutions;
• Attending programmatic leadership team/advisory board meetings and other meetings;
• Developing procedures and protocols for new programming; documenting and disseminating procedures;
• Establishing and maintaining collaborative and cooperative relationships within CoE D&A, as well as with the Colleges, UW offices, and outside institutions;
• Cultivating a deep knowledge of the activities of all programs and services operated by CoE D&A, including STARS, MSEP, SEEEDS, Math Academy, WiSE, and more;
• Onboarding, training, and supervising D&A program coordinator in collaboration with Associate Dean
Fiscal Management
The program operations specialist is responsible for overseeing and managing the day-to-day financial operations as well as the long-term financial planning of D&A by:
• Managing financial resources. This position must exercise independent judgment maximize resources and make fiscal recommendations to the Associate Dean of D&A;
• Establishing financial management policies and providing regular financial reporting to the Associate Dean and Program Director/Assistant Directors, including financial analyses and/or cost projections as requested;
• Managing D&A budgets and grant-funded program budgets, including monitoring different budget lifecycles (biennium, fiscal year, grant year, etc.). Budgets include funds from the provost, colleges, endowments, gifts, and grants.
• Maintaining spreadsheets that track budgets and forecast budget projections; communicating details with program leadership through monthly budget meetings;
• Monitoring compliance with institutional policies and applicable laws and regulations of the federal government, state or other research project sponsors. Demonstrating a high level of expertise in developing and maintaining processes that ensure compliance within the department, minimizing risk and non-compliance.
• Managing Grant and Contract Certification Reports (GCCR), Faculty Effort Certifications (FEC), and cost share for all D&A grant budgets;
• Maintaining budget files with appropriate program receipts;
• Collaborating with UW’s Office of Sponsored Programs Office and UW’s Grant & Contract Accounting Office to open, close, and maintain all D&A budgets;
• Assisting staff with purchasing, reimbursements, and payroll matters
• Reconciling all D&A budgets monthly;
• Reconciling D&A’s ProCards monthly;
• Acting as liaison between D&A and central services units, such as Payroll, Grants and Contracts Accounting, Purchasing, and Travel offices
• Conducting analysis of overhead costs associated with expenditures charged to matching fund budgets
• Tracking budget and sub-budget expiration dates, liquidating and closing
• Providing staff distribution information to College of Engineering’s payroll office;
• Completing other fiscal duties as assigned.
HR Management
• Working with COE HR to process all HR related documentation and appointments in D&A; this also includes processing relevant paperwork such as new employee on boarding, re appointments, exiting paperwork;
• Writing D&A job descriptions and disseminate descriptions to appropriate offices, departments, and listservs;
• Assisting with communicating employment decisions with candidates;
• Approving hourly employee time sheets;
Communications and Marketing
• In collaboration with Directors and Associate Directors; updating and maintaining CoE D&A and other grant-funded programs public relations materials including promotional materials, banners, postcards, one-pagers, info sheets;
• Creating and maintaining documents which provide summary information about programmatic impact;
• Managing program reporting, including collecting program data from D&A Directors/Assistant Directors and developing annual report;
• Managing website updates. Coordinating with COE web development team and D&A Directors/Assistant Directors to regularly maintain and update websites;
• Creating and distributing event email announcements, reminders, and other correspondence;
Grants Management
The program operations specialist acts as the grant proposal coordinator for D&A. Duties include:
• Creating budgets, budget justifications, biosketches, current and pending documents, data management plans, and other grant-related documents;
• Creating and managing UW eGC1s through the UW SAGE system;
• Uploading documents into relevant grant online interfaces such as NSF Fastlane or Research.gov;
• Liaising between D&A, UW’s Office of Sponsored Programs Office and UW’s Grant & Contract Accounting Office;
• Regularly reviewing and communicating grant guideline changes to the D&A team.
• Managing transfer of funding from parent budgets to sub-budgets through TRANSPASUs and UW’s Grant Tracker system;
• Assisting with proposal writing and editing and grant report writing and submissions;
Managing subcontract set-up, payment, and closure through UW’s Grant Tracker system and UW’s Office of Sponsored Programs Office
REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree in business, management, marketing or related field;
• Three years of experience working in a professional, customer-oriented environment required;
• Must be able to use word processing, spreadsheet, web-editing, and database software, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and Google Drive functions.
• Must be able to communicate professionally, efficiently, and effectively by email and orally with department chairs, industry leaders, staff, faculty, and other program participants and stakeholders.
• Must have ability to research and/or problem-solve unfamiliar procedures on an expedited basis.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks on a frequent basis.
• Ability to interact well with persons of diverse backgrounds and at all levels of the university and the community.
• Ability to plan, organize, and implement meetings as required
• Ability to identify and synthesize relevant information via programs, individuals, organizations and the web, and present newly gathered information to a wide variety of stakeholders in various formats.
• Demonstrated ability and organizational proficiency in project management, including the ability to prioritize work in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated capacity to achieve superior results working independently and as a team member in high-pressure situations.
• Demonstrated concern for and focus on high-quality customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills and demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, diplomatically, and effectively.
• Creativity and a strong sense of aesthetics.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Creative Suite (experience with InDesign required).
• Demonstrated ability to work professionally with diverse populations and multiple constituencies (e.g., faculty, staff, alumni, friends, visitors, students, the media, and volunteers).
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE
• M.A. or M.S. degree
• Experience using UW on-line systems, including MyFD, Workday, SAGE, JPMorgan, and others
• Knowledge of UW travel procedures or willingness to learn
• Previous experience working with diverse populations of students, staff, and faculty.
• Experience working in higher education and familiarity with the University of Washington.
WORKING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
• This position requires a flexible schedule, as the workload and event times vary considerably. High-quality work is required in a fast-paced setting under deadline pressure.
• Cubicle/open workspace environment, which may result in additional or higher levels of noise and visual distractions.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
The University of Washington is a leader in environmental stewardship & sustainability, and committed to becoming climate neutral.
The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 / 206-543-6452 (tty) or dso@uw.edu.