Administrative Associate – College of Communication and Information - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a welcoming, professional presence and administrative anchor of the College of Communication and Information (CCI) Office of the Dean. A significant portion of this role is dedicated to hands-on office coordination, ensuring the physical workspace remains tidy, organized, fully stocked, and operational. As the Administrative Associate, this individual is the first person visitors meet upon arrival, making a naturally warm, organized, and proactive demeanor essential to creating a polished, helpful environment for students, faculty, and guests. Beyond managing these physical space needs and front-desk duties, this role handles critical behind-the-scenes and cross-functional operations like P-card reconciliations, purchasing, and essential logistical support for college events, while also assisting with confidential faculty and academic personnel processes. This position is ideal for an eager, detail-oriented professional who thrives on problem-solving, is excited to master new university software, and wants to play a key role in supporting the overall mission of CCI.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
2 to 3 years of progressive administrative, office management, or fiscal support experience in a fast-paced professional environment.
An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be substituted for the required experience (e.g. a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field may substitute for the required years of experience.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) and the ability to quickly master new technologies, institutional ERP systems, and digital collaboration tools.
Superior customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to navigate complex inquiries and direct stakeholders with professionalism and resourcefulness.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, with a proven ability to independently prioritize tasks, anticipate upcoming needs, and meet time-sensitive deadlines with minimal supervision.
Ability to interact effectively with a diverse group of individuals while maintaining a highly collaborative, team-oriented approach.
Demonstrated initiative and proactive problem-solving skills, with a strong capacity to troubleshoot challenges, identify process improvements, and seek out learning opportunities independently.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree
Demonstrated experience processing financial transactions, managing purchases, or reconciling accounts (such as procurement cards, travel expenses, or invoices) with high attention to detail.
Experience working within an academic or higher education environment, particularly supporting executive-level leadership.
Advanced proficiency in, or the ability to quickly master, UTK administrative systems—including DASH (the university's Oracle-based cloud ERP) and Banner.
Ability to independently explore and utilize training resources to troubleshoot system errors and optimize daily workflows.
A strong foundational understanding of higher education practices and administrative structures, paired with a proactive mindset to anticipate the operational needs of an executive academic suite.

Responsibilities

Provides superior front-line customer service and reception support for the Office of the Dean; greets clients, manages drop-ins, screens inquiries, and directs individuals to appropriate personnel or departments.
Manages general reception and communication workflows, including answering phone calls, returning missed messages, monitoring voicemails, and sorting, prioritizing, and distributing physical and electronic mail for the office.
Monitors the professional appearance of the Dean’s suite and common areas, ensuring spaces remain orderly, organized, and adequately stocked.
Manages the inventory, procurement, and replenishment of office supplies and refreshments, including off-site travel to local retailers to purchase and restock items.
Manages the scheduling and reservation calendar for the Dean’s Conference Room.
Performs weekly walkthroughs of the suite and building to identify facilities or custodial needs; submits work requests to campus facilities for trash removal, deep cleaning, or maintenance, and proactively tracks them to completion.
Delivers clerical support to the Dean and executive staff, including copying, filing, scanning, preparing correspondence, and assembling meeting materials.
Develops, updates, and maintains desk manuals and standard operating procedures for front desk operations, reception workflows, and suite coverage.
Manages the procurement process and coordinates college-level supply ordering with a high degree of accuracy, ensuring all purchases align strictly with college and university guidelines.
Performs meticulous monthly reconciliation of university procurement cards (P-cards); proactively pursues missing documentation, verifies receipt accuracy, and ensures every transaction is fully compliant with university policy.
Executes accounts payable functions, including invoice entry, vendor payments, and processing reimbursements, maintaining strict attention to detail to ensure all invoice amounts, account codes, and vendor information are verified and entered correctly before submission.
Prepares, submits, and reconciles all travel entries and expense reports within the Dean’s office, ensuring error-free submissions and timely follow-up on outstanding approvals.
Takes personal initiative to identify, locate, and utilize university training resources to maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date working knowledge of university fiscal policies, procedures, and ERP systems.
Delivers essential day-of logistical support for college-wide events, coordinating set-up, registration/check-in, and tear-down workflows.
Provides direct administrative assistance to the Executive Assistant, including the creation of name badges, certificates, and marketing materials.
Proactively coordinates all planning phases for staff lunches and Dean’s Advisory Council meetings; coordinates scheduling, anticipates catering needs, secures room reservations early, and ensures set-up and clean-up logistics are executed flawlessly.
Tracks and manages the inventory of event supplies, college promotional items, and swag; ensures all event materials are returned, organized, and properly stored.
Proactively coordinates and manages administrative operations for the Associate Dean for Faculty Development, anticipating needs and ensuring strict, confidential compliance with the Faculty Handbook regarding faculty-related matters.
Coordinates timelines, schedules materials review, and tracks deadlines for the tenure, promotion, and reappointment (TPR) processes in alignment with Provost Office requirements.
Coordinates and schedules annual evaluation processes for college faculty; maintains highly confidential records, tracking spreadsheets, and databases.
Assists with planning faculty development initiatives (such as New Faculty Orientation), maintaining project files, and monitoring program milestones.
Serves as a backup to the HR Associate during periods of high volume, assisting with routine HR transactions such as processing personnel changes, initiating additional payments, and maintaining general personnel records.
Demonstrates flexibility and a collaborative team spirit by executing other administrative, operational, or financial duties as assigned by leadership to support the evolving needs and mission of the Office of the Dean.
Independently identifies operational gaps or logistical needs and takes proactive ownership to solve them or escalate them to the appropriate team member.