Administrative Specialist III

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

22h

About The Position

The Administrative Specialist III is responsible for the day-to-day management of administrative functions in the Department of Physics within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This position leads the coordination of operations across HR, finance, and academic processes. Working closely with the Department Chair, this role ensures compliance with university policies, promotes effective internal workflows, and serves as liaison to offices across campus. The Department of Physics is a large, research-intensive academic unit with over 300 employees and significant external research activity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and five years of appropriate experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

Strong knowledge of UF administrative systems and processes, including myUFL, UFIRST, and Enterprise Analytics.
Demonstrated ability to lead, supervise, and coach administrative teams in a higher education environment.
Experience managing HR processes, budgeting, and faculty affairs in an academic department.
Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to track multiple concurrent projects and deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting formal correspondence, procedures, or reports.
Ability to interpret and apply complex policies or regulations at the department level.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and Outlook, and comfort learning new systems.
Familiarity with academic cycles, teaching assignments, and graduate student appointment processes.
Experience coordinating department-level responses for accreditation, annual reports, or space management.
Commitment to maintaining confidentiality, professionalism, and collegiality in a dynamic academic setting.
Ability to foster a collaborative and respectful workplace culture that supports both individual accountability and teamwork.

Responsibilities

Directly supervise fiscal and academic support staff, holding regular team meetings and one-on-one check-ins.
Review duties, workloads, and performance across the TEAMS and USPS staff; reassign responsibilities and provide training as needed.
Coordinate departmental staff policies and maintain documentation; advise faculty and staff on university, college, and department procedures.
Manage staff work arrangements, including remote schedules, office assignments, and awards/recognitions.
Oversee onboarding/offboarding and ensure proper training for new or transitioning employees.
Supervise the graduate and undergraduate administrative ensuring compliance.
Develop and maintain administrative calendars and workflows for recurring processes such as FARs, annual reports, budget planning, and academic appointments.
Help maintain academic calendars and ensure program deadlines are met.
Coordinate responses to college and university data requests, including space reporting, inventory, teaching assignments, and faculty activity.
Maintain, recommend, and update internal administrative procedures.
Serve as departmental liaison to key campus offices including the Dean’s Office, Provost, Registrar, and Graduate School.
Coordinate logistics for departmental events, reviews, and meetings as needed.
Oversight of payroll and financial data, coordinates with the Department Chair and fiscal staff to monitor reports and address issues.
Assist with annual space verification and asset inventory submissions.
Coordinates employment lifecycle actions for faculty, staff, OPS, and student employees in partnership with CLAS HR/SSC and UF units, ensuring timely processing and compliance.
Coordinates departmental payroll processes, including paylist review, distribution processing, retroactive actions, and emergency check requests as needed.
Coordinates time and leave processes, including facilitating approvals and resolving issues with employees and supervisors.
Coordinates effort reporting activities and documentation; drafts/maintains Faculty Activity Reports (FAR) and effort related materials using the department rubric and established processes.
Assists the Department Chair with faculty affairs administration as needed (e.g., annual evaluations and related process coordination), ensuring deadlines and documentation requirements are met.
Maintains appropriate unit administrative records and tracking logs related to HR and payroll processes.
Serves as the department DSA, including maintaining appropriate access/permissions and coordinating DSA-related processes in accordance with UF requirements.
Coordinate and compile department responses to internal or external reporting requests including accreditation, program review, and audits.
Assist in monitoring compliance with university policies related to HR, finance, space, and faculty affairs.
Maintain records of reporting deadlines and ensure timely submission of required data to the college or central offices.
Monitor and ensure staff compliance with institutional policies.
Assist the Chair in problem-solving on personnel, fiscal, and resource-related matters for faculty and researchers.
Collaborate with the Chair and Accountant to prepare annual and summer budget requests; assist in financial reconciliation.
Support Chair in executing faculty affairs processes including tenure and promotion, program review, faculty searches, and internal governance.
Support the Chair and faculty with processes related to instructor workload, course evaluation summaries, and credentialing documentation.
Coordinate departmental participation in college or campus-wide initiatives and respond to ad hoc administrative projects.
Serve as a reviewer or secondary approver for major fiscal actions in myUFL and assist with internal reviews of expenditures, budget projections, and carryforward.