Administrative Coordinator

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to enhance discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. We have an immediate opening for an Administrative Coordinator.

As the Administrative Coordinator, you will coordinate logistical arrangements for meetings and conferences for IPAC and its centers such as the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) and projects such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Events vary in size and scope from a few dozen participants to events with 300 in-person attendees and up to 1,000 remote participants. You will report to the IPAC Facilities Coordinator and work closely with IPAC Projects, the NExScI Science Affairs team, the IPAC Administrative team and the IPAC Communications and Education team to ensure successful IPAC meetings, workshops, and exhibits at conferences.

You will coordinate the procurement process for IPAC’s Data Center. IPAC purchases general purpose computing, data storage, networking equipment, and other infrastructure for the data center, as well as maintenance and support agreements.

Essential Job Duties

Your role as the Administrative Coordinator at IPAC will be to support the coordination of events hosted by IPAC centers and projects and manage vendor relationships. In this role, you will:

• Provide logistical support for meetings, workshops, and conferences hosted by IPAC, including arranging conference venues on the Caltech campus and at local hotels, and contract negotiation for meeting space and sleeping room blocks, audiovisual and internet support, and refreshments. During key meetings you will sometimes need to support off-hours.
• Participate in external events such as meetings of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS). This will require some travel to in-person events.
• Manage IPAC and NExScI exhibit booths at conferences, including reservations, shipping, staff scheduling, setup, and return of materials.
• Manage vendor relationships, obtain quotes for equipment and maintenance, and maintain a library of equipment quotes.
• Manage maintenance and support agreements, including tracking expiration dates and updating the equipment tracking database, and initiate renewal discussions with users and owners of supported equipment.
• Complete procurement forms such as procurement summary and sales tax forms, and work with the IPAC Finance Team to submit orders to Caltech Procurement.
• Coordinate returns, exchanges, and resolutions of product issues.

Basic Qualifications

If you have the following skills, then we want to hear about your interest in joining our team:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, with at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency with Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Experience with purchasing, acquiring quotes, and vendor negotiations.
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to multi-task
• Ability to set priorities and exercise sound judgment.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy in work
• Ability to work efficiently as part of a highly integrated team.

Preferred Qualifications

These are a set of skills and experiences which will add to your ability to contribute to the roles and responsibilities of the position. The following might give you a head-start here, but even if these do not describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you:

• Experience with facilitating remote or hybrid meetings via Zoom or similar software.
• Demonstrated ability to work with scientists, staff, and vendors.
• Familiarity with databases.
• Experience with data center purchases (servers, storage, and networking).

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Complete applications submitted by June 14, 2024, will receive full consideration, although review of applications will continue until a suitable candidate has been identified.

People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and the casual, employee-centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long-term careers and positive relationships. Caltech’s benefits program offers a quality, competitive benefits package that is affordable for you and the Institute. We also offer a 403(b) defined contribution plan to eligible staff as well as a Voluntary Retirement Savings (TDA) Plan. IPAC staff have access to the Institute’s facilities, including the athletic center, libraries, on-site daycare, professional development and enrichment classes, and Athenaeum club membership.