Business & Academic Operations Professional - Department of Physics & Astronomy

The Department of Physics & Astronomy in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Business & Academic Operations Professional.

About the Opportunity

This position provides high-level office management to a complex science unit, reporting directly to the Chair. The major focus for this position is on the business and personnel needs of the department, including fiscal management of State, Research Corporation, Foundation funding and external grants, providing Executive Assistance to the Department Chair, Associate Chairs, and unit Directors, coordinating workflow, supervising clerical staff and work-study students, human resources, and payroll.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Financial Responsibilities

This position will oversee the financial management and daily business operations of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. It is tasked with oversight of responsibilities necessary to successfully manage and thrive in the incentive-based, all funds, budget model for the department.
The department awards degrees in several disciplines and has a robust externally funded research agenda.
The position will provide assistance and make recommendations to the Chair in assessing and monitoring expenditures and revenues while maintaining budget control within a complex set of internal and external funding sources.
Monitors internal procedures for fiscal and administrative compliance by applying institutional, state, federal and departmental guidelines.

• Serve as the departmental financial administrator for the incentive-based, all-funds budget to include central/State, entrepreneurial, WVU research corporation, WVUIC and WVU Foundation funding.
• Serve as a member of the Chair's leadership and strategic planning committee.
• Serve as the Chair's designee in fiscal affairs.
• Assure effective financial stewardship by optimizing departmental resources.
• Develop financial information related to programmatic needs in support of the unit's annual budget request.
• Prepare, reconcile, and manage departmental financial reporting.
• Closely monitor space, FTE, headcount, and other expenditure variables which will impact the unit's budget and operating margin. Monitor enrollment, course assignments, and teaching loads, which directly affect unit budgets.
• Closely monitor earned revenue to ensure revenue meets budget demands.
• Analyze/evaluate departmental operations, trends, costs, commitments, and obligations.
• Oversee preparation of and approval process for all expenditures to include procurement, contracts, payroll, startup, summer support, summer school, Winter session/Maymester, human subject payments and other expenditure types.
• Initiate corrective action for any payroll issues.
• Identify and post account receivables to ensure College and University reports accurately reflect estimated revenue projections.
• Compile statistical data for financial reporting.
• Assist chair in preparation of salary forecasts, retention efforts, and merit pay recommendations, incorporating the market-match salary data, evaluation information, and equity, by discipline or sub-discipline.
• Prepare requests for faculty incentive salary contracts, which includes amending salary funding sources with verification of amounts and funding.
• Prepare and submit check deposits in compliance with University and State cash handling policies.
• Oversee departmental eCommerce and other electronic transfers.
• Document and provide data necessary for the preparation of institutional financial statements.
• Oversee departmental space allocation and prepares annual space audit.
• Prepare bi-annual departmental inventory audit in compliance with institutional, State and federal policies and guidelines.
• Monitor and document unrecorded assets for University financial statement inclusion.
• Manage departmental inventory control, disposal, and reporting in compliance with State and federal guidelines.
• Advise administrators and recommend courses of action.
• Serve in an advisory capacity following policies and procedures concerning personnel, purchasing, fiscal responsibilities, and College, University, and State guidelines.
• Serve as the liaison to the College business office and University level budget, finance, and business operations units.

Facilitate departmental external fund management. The incumbent will assist principal investigators with administrative and financial tasks associated with pre-award and post-award grant proposals.

Pre-Award Duties:

• Budget development/modifications.
• Coordination of grant submissions with the Office of the Dean, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and/or the WVU Foundation.
• Provides agency/university guidelines and regulations.
• Providing faculty with guidance and procedural information.

Post-Award Duties:

• Grant expenditure financial reporting.
• Grant expenditure analysis (burn rates).
• Grant expenditure adjustments.
• Ensure cost share is documented and met.
• Review (and adjust) salary expenses to reflect effort performed by award.
• Ensure effort reports are being reviewed, signed, and returned in a timely manner.
• Assist with preparation of financial reports to grantor agencies.
• Ensure grant guideline compliance.
• Advise faculty on WVU, WVU Research Corporation, and WVU Foundation policies and procedures.

Administrative Responsibilities

Main office: Oversee the daily operations of the department's main business office:

• Monitor internal procedures to ensure that all fiscal and administrative policies are consistent with institutional, state, and federal guidelines.
• Coordinate workflow of the department to ensure clear communication of appropriate tasks for staff and students.
• Manage the office in a manner that ensures all tasks are done well, while maintaining a positive work environment.
• Assist faculty and students in the application process to apply for college and university travel funds and other internal grants.
• Supervise and facilitate main office operations including telecommunications, information technology (IT), shipping and receiving, and office equipment. Has purchasing authority in Mountaineer Marketplace, state, research, and foundation Procurement Card authority for purchasing office supplies, catering services, office equipment, etc. as needed in the performance of assigned duties.
• Assists faculty and graduate students in purchasing for labs and travel. Assists new hires with obtaining Pcards and training in purchasing and reconciliation procedures.
• Coordinate department colloquium series, including invitations, promotional activities, itinerary preparation, refreshments, and travel reimbursements.
• Manage requests for copier access, supplies and maintenance.
• Assist with booking conference rooms in 25Live.
• Oversee special events, outreach, and workshops throughout year, including selecting venues, catering, registration, supplier registration, travel, agendas, and other activities, as needed.

Executive Assistant to the Department Chair: Support WVU-related work activities of the incumbent Department Chair.

• Has authority to manage and coordinate the Chair's calendar, email, and travel schedule. Screen visitors and phone calls and schedule meetings and appointments in consultation with the Chair.
• Advise chair on financial status as outlined under financial responsibilities.
• Compose routine and complex documents, including confidential correspondence, requiring knowledge of programs, procedures, and practices, for the chair's signature.
• Create and maintain listserv for email correspondence with all faculty and staff by the employee and supervisor.
• Maintain organized filing system of departmental records.
• Identify, in the Chair's absence, any items that require action and initiate such action.
• Provide general support for Chair and departmental initiatives, including performing other duties as assigned.

Associate Chairs and Directors: Provide administrative support to the Associate Chairs.

• Assist with creation and maintenance of graduate student files for 80-90 current graduate students and all new applicants for the PhD programs.
• Work closely with the Graduate Student Recruitment Committee, advising on annual tuition and fee schedules, updating the annual admission letter template, and sending offer letters. Oversee Graduate Student Visit Day and correspondence, book travel for attendees, prepare itineraries, submit supplier registration, and complete travel reimbursements. Ensure that incoming graduate students have proper visas, are on payroll on a timely basis, have necessary insurance information, and become acclimated as quickly as possible in the department.
• Assist with payroll related questions, student billing questions, refer to proper agencies, such as tax services and student health insurance.
• Work with student organizations, arranging catering for events as needed, assisting with funding requests, and acting as liaison for department events requiring student volunteers.
• Monitor the graduation process to ensure that students complete the requirements to receive their degrees. Submit graduation documents on a timely basis.
• Prepare and submit tuition waiver requests for faculty, staff and students.
• Connect graduate students with funding opportunities and prepare necessary paperwork.
• Assist with advising activities on an "as needed" basis.
• Assist with logistical support for the Kinetic Center and WVU Stem Center, as needed.

Faculty: Administrative liaison for faculty.

• Assist with payroll and benefit questions.
• Work with ISSS to prepare, process and update required documents for J-1, H-1b, and OPT visas.
• Monitor and correspond with visa holders to maintain work authorizations.
• Answer visa related questions or provide contact information.
• Assist with purchasing, from small, non-asset purchases to sole source purchases exceeding $100,000 or more. This may include supplier registration, sole source document preparation, obtaining quotes, and preparation of orders.
• Complete customs/tariff requests for payment to clear international shipments.
• Assist with preparation of purchasing and travel reports.
• Assist with personal Pcard requests and Pcard requests for graduate research assistants. Submit maintenance requests.
• Provide funding information and reports on grants, startups, and professional development.
• Submit and maintain courtesy or sponsored account requests for collaborators, fellowship recipients, and others working with faculty in the department.

Departmental Governance: Provide administrative support for faculty committees including scholarship & awards committee, social events committee, graduate student recruitment committee, faculty search committees, faculty evaluations committee, and accreditation and assessment reports committee.

• For scholarship & awards, prepare spending report for various awards and process RSAs for disbursements.
• For social events committee, source venues, prepare correspondence, submit catering, and whenever possible, attend events to monitor setup and tear down.
• Work closely with graduate student recruitment committee, including preparation of offer letters, advising on availability of funding for students beyond first year, student correspondence, and graduate student visit day.
• For faculty search committees, assist with protocols and procedures, compiling and distributing application materials, booking travel and preparing itineraries, and maintaining confidential candidate files. Prepare and process hiring forms for faculty, postdocs, research scientists, etc. Prepare and process visa documents for international hires.
• For faculty evaluations, duties include coordinating peer reviews, preparing Promotion and Tenure packets for external review, editorial review, maintenance of faculty voting records on FEC letters, compiling faculty evaluations and submitting to Eberly College, and maintaining personnel files for current and former departmental faculty, with appropriate security measures and control of access to confidential files of the department.
• For accreditation and assessment committee, duties include assistance with maintaining and providing departmental data and metrics needed to complete specific reports.
• Coordinate IT purchasing and installation with Professional Technology personnel.

Supervisory activities: Directly supervise one full-time employee and student workers.

• Develop and maintain an accurate job description for the employee.
• Oversee instructional support, event planning, social media support and administrative and other responsibilities of Academic Program Assistant II.
• Responsible for hiring, professional development, firing/disciplinary actions, and performance reviews of all office personnel, including student worker positions. Identify tasks for student workers to accomplish in the interests of the Department and supervise the completion of those tasks.
• Request posting of student worker positions.
• Ensure work is proceeding on schedule and that it meets quality/quantity standards.
• Manage the time and leave reporting system - MyTime. This includes ensuring that all leave requests and timecard punches are accurate and approved for all supervised employees.
• Participate and encourage participation in training and professional development sessions to enhance job performance.

Building Supervisor: Building supervisor for White Hall:

• Coordinate space management, inventory, and planning.
• Prepare the annual space audit.
• Complete the biennial building inventory of all building assets.
• Coordinate asset acquisition and tagging process.
• Place work orders for repairs, maintenance, and building emergencies
• Communicate building issues, potential hazards, and emergencies to UPD, faculty and staff
• Communicate and coordinate building maintenance of air and water systems with faculty and staff.
• Manage deliveries.
• Identify and process surplus inventory and disposal of non-essential items.
• Process electronic access requests and oversee electronic keycard distributions.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Requires a bachelor's degree in accounting or business-related field.
• A minimum of one (1) year of experience involving:
  • Accounting Experience
  • Complex administrative support
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to create and manage budgets.
• Demonstrated knowledge of payroll and budget regulations and policies which govern them.
• Demonstrated ability to manage an office.
• Ability to understand external grant administration and proposal development.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize basic business office software such as the Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to learn University policies and procedures.
• Ability to manage payroll & grants accounting.
• Ability to supervise.
• Ability to plan and complete both short-range and long-range projects for the supervisor.
• Highly self-directed and self-motivated with the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to create and analyze data.
• Demonstrated excellent customer service skills.

Preferred Experience

• Grants administration experience
• Supervisory experience

• Applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter with their submission.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.