Administrative Assistant

Penn State University•Ferguson Township, PA

25d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is seeking an Administrative Assistant – Senior Support to provide advanced administrative and financial support. This position supports faculty and departmental operations by processing transactions, monitoring budgets, supporting research accounts, and serving as a key liaison with the College Research Office and Financial Hubs. The successful candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities while working both independently and collaboratively.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented and able to work effectively and independently; but also comfortable, competent, and experienced working directly with faculty/staff collaborators.
Specific competencies critical to success include: excellent verbal and written communication skills; organizational skills & an excellent attention to detail; a team-oriented, collaborative approach; ability to work in a fast-paced environment; and ability to build strong professional relationships.
Associate Degree
4+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted

Nice To Haves

Experience with Penn State’s core administrative systems or similar platforms is strongly preferred, including SIMBA (Penn State’s SAP-based financial system), Workday (HRIS), PSUbuy (SAP-based procurement platform), Microsoft Office Suite, eSteward (gifts and endowments), and ServiceNow (incident tracking).

Responsibilities

Collect, verify, and submit financial documentation (invoices, receipts, travel forms, payment requests, etc.) to the appropriate financial hub for processing.
Initiate and track transactions in SIMBA, Workday, PSUbuy, and ServiceNow.
Serve as liaison with financial hubs and the Research Office to resolve issues and ensure compliance with university and sponsor policies at both college and university level.
Monitor budgets, grant end dates, and matching funds; run SIMBA and Workday reports, including negative balance reports.
Prepare financial projections and assist faculty with questions related to their accounts.
Navigate eSteward to pull student scholarship eligibility to determine best utilization of awarding funds; submit awards for disbursement; adjust, cancel or re-award as needed.
Approve labor distribution plans and effort certifications; serve as a Workday proxy for pay‑related actions.
Provide backup to administrative manager and other staff to support key departmental operations such as facilities, scheduling, searches, department events, and promotion and tenure processes.
Contribute to process improvement by identifying workflow issues and sharing feedback.

Benefits

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.
In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time.
One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

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