Program Specialist Senior

Oak Ridge Associated Universities•Oak Ridge, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Program Specialist Senior monitors and supports peer review and other scientific meeting activities to ensure project tasks are completed on time, within budget parameters, and meets quality expectations and requirements. This role involves planning and scheduling workflow, adapting project management plans, assigning tasks, coordinating team activities, and ensuring deadlines and project milestones are met. The specialist will also monitor project costs, assist with administrative issues, and communicate status and support needs to management. Establishing meeting requirements, making arrangements, and consulting with technology teams, event planners, and research services are key aspects of the role. Collaboration with ORAU support organizations for purchasing and processing travel and honoraria payments is also required. When onsite, the specialist ensures hotel, meeting, and equipment arrangements meet contract specifications. The role provides on-site and/or virtual administrative and task lead assistance for reviews, workshops, and scientific meetings, ensuring accuracy of information in systems like PeerNet. Maintaining knowledge of virtual technologies and tools, including facilitation support, is essential. The specialist will prepare and review correspondence, provide virtual event support, communicate expectations for virtual events, and host virtual events, managing various functionalities. Project status reports will be prepared, and expense reports will be reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Input into performance evaluations may be requested, and recommendations for administrative process improvements are encouraged. The role requires knowledge of business processes, comfort in providing direct customer support, and contributing to customer relationship building. Engaging with reviewers and providing proactive customer service and consultation are also important.

Requirements

High school diploma and 4-6 years of job-related experience.
An equivalent combination of education and experience requiring similar knowledge, skills, abilities, and performing duties as described may be substituted for the minimum requirements.
Must fully understand applicable Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education (ORISE) policies and procedures including procurement, travel, and financial accounting.
Must be able to speak and write in a clear, concise fashion and translate procedural and administrative documents into day-to-day operations.
Must be able to work with world class research reviewers in a courteous and informative manner.
Must have general familiarity with Zoom, Cvent, Novi, and PeerNet tools.
Must have strong communication skills as virtual events rely highly on auditory only and require staff assigned to be comfortable and confident to speak up, speak clearly, and share information.
Must have strong time management skills as virtual meetings require clear management of time to ensure breaks are taken and time zones respected.
Must be proficient with using evolving Microsoft Office and program-specific technology tools to perform current and emerging work processes.
Must have advanced Microsoft Word skills.
Must have strong proofing skills and have light editing skills.
Must have knowledge of state, DOE, and federal research communities to communicate with world class researchers about reviews on complex, technical proposals.
Must also understand and be able to administer intraweb systems that will be used as part of the review process.
Must be able to arrange and coordinate travel logistics and payment of honoraria.
Must have virtual conferencing tool experience to include facilitation and support of large virtual events.
Experience in meeting deadlines, both long-term and (more frequently) short-term.

Nice To Haves

Strong virtual event tool skills are preferred such as the ability to create breakouts and navigate breakouts; ability to manage on screen timers with virtual backgrounds; ability to assist attendees with mute/unmute, screen sharing, camera sharing; ability to bring attendees to and from waiting rooms; and the ability to manage audience by muting, turning off camera, and removing users.

Responsibilities

Plans and schedules workflow for each assigned activity.
Adapts project management plan (PMP) template for activities establishing sequence and lead time for tasks.
Assigns tasks to team members where appropriate.
Coordinates and monitors team assignments and activities.
Ensures that deadlines and project milestones are met.
Monitors project costs and expenditures.
Assists with resolving administrative issues.
Communicates activity status and needs for support to management.
Establishes meeting requirements and other meeting arrangements to ensure completeness and appropriateness.
Consults with technology team, event planners and research services, where necessary.
Works collaboratively with ORAU support organizations on purchasing and processing travel and honoraria payments.
When onsite, ensures hotel meeting and equipment arrangements are within contract specifications.
Provides on-site and/or virtual administrative and/or task lead assistance for reviews, workshops, and other scientific meetings.
Ensures information entered into PeerNet or other web-based review system is accurate and complete.
Maintains knowledge and experience with virtual technologies/tools to include facilitation support as needed.
Prepares and reviews correspondence, to include travel letters and letters for manager's signature, to reviewers, sponsors, and others required by the peer and merit review process as directed by project and group managers.
Provides virtual event support requiring familiarity with virtual tools (Zoom, Cvent, Novi, etc.).
Communicates information, expectations, and schedules for virtual events to customers and attendees, co-hosts, and at times for smaller events.
Hosts virtual events including breakouts, managing timers, the use of virtual backgrounds, sharing screen, muting/unmuting attendees, sharing video, and use of waiting room.
Prepares project status reports for the project manager, sponsor, and others.
Reviews expense reports (ERs) for accuracy and completeness prior to submission to Project Manager for approval.
Provides input into performance evaluations for team members as requested.
Recommends and implement changes in administrative processes and procedures.
Engages with reviewers on a regular basis.
Provides proactive customer service and consultation.
Assists with resolving issues as needed.