Office Manager - Animal Care Program

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

16d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the direction of the Office Administrator, this role provides support to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (OVCRI), the Animal Care Program (ACP), the Office of Animal Research Compliance (OARC), and the Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The position specializes in purchasing and payments, requiring initiative, good judgment, and in-depth knowledge of the program and university policy and procedure to complete essential daily tasks. This role serves as the first point of contact for the ACP and OARC offices, handling administrative and business functions, including front office support and coordination of various departmental activities.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Two (2) years (24 months) of work experience comparable to the third level of this series.
Knowledge of Campus and University policies and procedures as well as the ability to establish working relationships with staff within the ACP, OVCRI, campus administrators and external colleagues.
Works independently on day-to-day responsibilities and obtaining information from all relevant sources to make sound decisions on behalf of the ACP.
Organize, plan, and prioritize own work that allows for efficient operations within the ACP.
Experienced in all Microsoft programs (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.) to be successful in calendaring, correspondence, spreadsheets, tracking, etc.
Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
Proven ability to maintain confidentiality and ensure discretion.
Excellent time management skills including the ability to prioritize work.
Exceptional interpersonal skills, including tact, diplomacy, and effective conflict resolution skills.
Possession of a strong work ethic.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with university systems such as iBuy, Banner, Outlook, and Emburse.
Experience with TCard/PCard transaction processing.
Working knowledge of University purchasing and payments policy and procedures.

Responsibilities

Purchasing and payments coordinator for 7 ACP facilities across campus.
Unit expert and resource for purchasing, payment, and reimbursement, keeping the unit informed on policy changes and deadlines.
Provide ibuy and emburse training to department staff.
Develops and manages internal order forms.
Create and manage unit’s vendor accounts and keep the unit’s vendor accounts list up to date.
Manage the unit’s purchasing email inbox, replying on behalf of the program.
Develop and maintain vendor relationships as the department’s primary payment and procurement contact.
Reviews and approves all purchase order invoices submitted by vendor to the department for payment in ibuy, as well as works with vendors to resolve invoices issues.
Process purchasing, payment, and reimbursement transactions utilizing banner, ibuy, p-card, t-card, and emburse.
Takes initiative to obtain quotes/cost estimates to ensure best price and quality, working with staff and vendors to ensure all requirements are met.
Monitor SPO balance and activity and keep Assistant Director informed of status to ensure purchasing and payments that rely on these SPOs are uninterrupted.
Identifies orders with outstanding invoices (over 45 days) and reviews outstanding invoices weekly, taking necessary action to ensure payments are issued and processed in a timely manner.
Develops and manages essential tracking and informational spreadsheets used by Assistant Director of Business and Finance, and Office Administrator.
Coordinate, process, and manage animal orders and transfers for seven ACP facilities across campus using the ACP App, as well as ordering by phone, email, and online.
Review and process requests, maintain accurate order status updates, communicate with researchers, veterinarians, and facility personnel, address questions and concerns, and manage the unit's animal order email inbox, replying on behalf of the program.
Coordinate travel arrangements for staff, including planning flights, overnight accommodation, registration details, etc.
Manage, modify, and closes purchase orders as needed.
Accounts for complete documentation when purchases are made: Including receipts, Banner documents, order forms, and P Card Expense reports.
Resolves backordered and missing items, and missing packing slips for closure.
Is the first point of contact for the office. Greet and assist walk-ins.
Answers phones and uses independent judgment in triaging urgency of calls; takes Animal Medical Report calls and disseminates to have clinical staff check on the welfare of animals; schedule and obtain signatures of customers when picking up pharmaceuticals.
Receive & distribute mail, packages, and documents from transport pouches. Separate and sort incoming documents and process as needed.
Processes shipments for office and staff.
Opens and closes the office.
Provides general clerical support to staff as needed.
Assist Director of OARC with the coordination of IACUC committee meetings.
Parking coordination, including space rentals and code distribution.
Manages office supply stock and replenishes as necessary. Places orders with document services for printed materials.
Coordinate shared departmental calendars.
Coordinate departmental events.
Reserves vehicles and/or conference rooms upon request.
Maintains front office equipment i.e., printer, shredder, etc.
Update databases for various office functions (i.e. animal care staff training records).
Files and sorts documents in established alphabetical, chronological, and numerical systems.
Manages office filing system, creating and maintaining folders and files for the office and other staff.
Maintains office procedures manual (hard copy & electronic).
Backup to Office Administrator.
Serving as the receptionist for the OVCRI units located on the second floor of 1901 S. First Street.
Management of OVCRI controlled meeting space on the second floor.
Serving as the facilities point of contact on the second floor.
Other duties as assigned.