Senior Administrative Coordinator

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget. Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus. The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges. Our more than 1,700 staff support the Department of Energy (DOE), delivering on key DOE mission areas including: modernizing our nation’s power grid to maintain a reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient electricity delivery infrastructure; research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system; and resolving complex issues in nuclear science, energy, and environmental management. The Earth Systems Science Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, provides leadership and solutions that advance Earth system opportunities for energy systems and national security. We are a multidisciplinary division connected by a shared commitment to innovate and collaborate towards solving complex problems in the dynamic Earth system. The Applied Decision Systems and Analytics Group within the Earth Systems Science Division seeks a highly motivated individual to support the team as part of our administrative staff. This role provides administrative support to scientific and engineering staff, as well as to non-staff and visitors. The position receives direction from the group leader and the division administrator. The ideal candidate shows strong customer service, teamwork, dependability, and integrity, supporting PNNL’s commitment to scientific excellence and national impact. Because close coordination, accessibility, and real-time partnership are central to the role, this position is expected to work primarily onsite, aligned with the Group Manager’s schedule and ADSA group support.

Requirements

High school diploma/GED and 8 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment -OR- AA degree or higher and 6 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment.
Experience in planning meetings and coordinating travel
Experience with effectively managing large volumes of email with a high degree of speed and accuracy in a program with extensive travel and international coordination activity.
Experience maintaining multiple calendars across time zones and anticipating scheduling needs for managers and staff
U.S. Citizenship
Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).
Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.
This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.
Mandatory Requirements: Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneNote, Teams) with the ability to format presentations and documents for the program and closely related groups.
Experience coordinating complex domestic and international travel itineraries, including familiarity with federal travel requirements and multi-destination logistics for programs with extensive global travel.
Familiarity with PNNL internal software and lab business systems (e.g., PeopleSoft, B2B, EXPENSE, PCardPro) with the ability to resolve atypical system issues.
Experience managing P-card purchases and processing procurement requests within departmental procedures.
Ability to work autonomously, managing and prioritizing multiple tasks within established procedures in a dynamic program environment.
Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to edit and draft content that may reach multiple organizations.
Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion and handle sensitive or confidential information in a security-focused environment, applying sound judgment within established protocols and escalating appropriately when issues fall outside standard procedures.
Proven ability to provide guidance and support to team members on administrative processes and procedures.
Experience working in a customer-service-oriented environment supporting staff, with the ability to impact the group and closely related groups through quality and timeliness of work.
Proficiency in identifying and resolving administrative issues and contributing to continuous process improvement within the department.
Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion and handle sensitive or confidential information in a security-focused environment, applying sound judgment within established procedures and gathering relevant information to escalate complex or ambiguous issues appropriately.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive and timely administrative support to managers, staff, and closely related groups.
Provide guidance and support to team members on administrative processes and procedures.
Work autonomously in a dynamic environment, managing and prioritizing multiple tasks within established procedures.
Manage calendars across multiple time zones, anticipating scheduling needs for managers and team leaders.
Manage large volumes of email with speed and accuracy.
Support complex domestic and international travel requests, bookings, and expense reporting.
Prepare, edit, format and maintain documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other program materials using Microsoft Office Suite.
Coordinate interviews, hiring processes, onboarding, and related documentation for new hires.
Provide responsive support for inventory management, purchasing needs and reconciling purchases in alignment with PNNL policies.
Exercise discretion with sensitive or confidential information, applying sound judgment and escalating complex or non‑standard issues appropriately.
Contribute to continuous process improvement by identifying and resolving administrative issues.
Welcome, receive, and direct visitors professionally.
Other duties as assigned