Administrative Associate, McDonald Observatory

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:

Jan 02, 2024

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

MCDONALD OBSERVATORY

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Job Details:

General Note

This position provides administrative support to McDonald Observatory’s West Texas operations. The McDonald Observatory is a major astronomical research observatory located 16 miles from Fort Davis, Texas (440 miles from the UT Austin campus), and this position is located at the observatory. This position reports to the executive assistant in the Superintendent’s office and works closely with the Austin Business Office.

The University of Texas at Austin provides an outstanding benefits package to staff. For more details, please see https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits .

• Competitive health benefits (Employee premiums covered at 100%; family premiums at 50%).

• Vision, dental, life, and disability insurance options.

• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Teachers Retirement System of Texas (a defined benefit retirement plan).

• 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 position provides strong administrative support for the McDonald Observatory West Texas operations and works collaboratively with West Texas staff and the McDonald Observatory Austin Business Office.

Responsibilities

• Administrative Support. Support the administrative and clerical operations for the Superintendent and office staff. Helps with shipping and receiving packages and mail and ensures the proper recipients are contacted. Maintain site calendar. Process HR and payroll-related transactions and documents per University policies and procedures, including workers comp insurance. Coordinates site-wide university vehicle registrations and insurance. Coordinates travel for Superintendent and staff. Composes and proofreads departmental correspondence. Prepares required documentation for special events and assists with special event staffing. Provide notary services and drive UT vehicles as needed. Ensures confidentiality and maintains a professional manner with staff and the public. Performs other related functions to meet business needs as necessary, including evenings or weekend work.

• Financial. Prepares and processes payment vouchers for goods and services received at the Observatory. Receives, records, and deposits payments for the on-site residents. Assists with Pro-Card logs and reconciliations of the ProCard for staff reporting up to the Superintendent. Reconciles bank accounts, including the Imprest Funds, and serves as the petty cash custodian. Maintains and posts purchasing and payment information to the local accounting database. Reconciles Mt. Locke West Texas accounts and prepares detailed monthly reports, including appropriate use of funds. Prepares billing information and invoices for tenant facilities in consultation with the Austin Business Office.

• Compliance. Serves as a point of contact for West Texas staff regarding University policies and procedures, ensures compliance, including the Superintendent’s office, and coordinates with the Austin Business Office as appropriate. Responsible for oversite of West Texas inventory, including issuing and maintaining inventory tags, database entry, and inventory reporting.

Required Qualifications

• High school graduation or GED and at least five years of clerical experience or one year of experience at the Administrative Assistant level with a Bachelor’s Degree.

• Experience with Microsoft Office suite, including an intermediate skill level in Excel and Word.

• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with strong writing and proofreading skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Ability to interact and maintain productive working relationships with staff, visitors, and residents and maintain a positive and professional demeanor.

• Ability to assess workload and prioritize tasks while demonstrating attention to detail and accuracy to meet deadlines and manage concurrent projects in multiple areas successfully.

• Ability to learn quickly and be flexible.

• Experience taking ownership of projects and seeing them through to successful completion.

• Ability to undertake and complete tasks with minimal supervision and exhibit individual initiative in meeting the functions of the position.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using UT mainframe, Workday, and other UT applications.

• Knowledge of the UT policies and procedures.

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

• Advanced skills in the use of Microsoft Office applications.

Driving Required

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

Salary Range

$41,600 + depending on qualifications and experience

Working Conditions

• Work at a computer and in standard office conditions with repetitive keyboard use at a workstation.      

• Use of manual dexterity

• Occasional climbing of ladders

• Occasional heavy lifting and moving 10+ lbs.

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

• Occasional work after-hours

• May work in all weather conditions, including cold and dark conditions

• McDonald Observatory is located at approx. 6900 ft. above sea level.  Environmental conditions can be unpredictable; temperatures can range from -10˚F to +95˚F

• Inclement winter weather can be expected, requiring comfortable driving on mountain grades in various wintery weather conditions

Work Shift

• M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Occasional after-hours and weekends as needed and for special events

Required Materials

• Letter of interest

• Resume/CV

• Three (3) 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, and then you will be provided an option 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) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (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.