Program Administrator (Hybrid)

Program Administrator (Hybrid)

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 23 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

The Program Administrator will support two special initiatives in the Stanford University Department of Psychology focused on social impact. At 50% FTE, the position will work with Stanford SPARQ, an existing research center affiliated with the department, to provide more specialized program support as the center grows and scales and also fulfill new functions for which the center has not yet had an administrative specialist. At 50% FTE, the position will also work with the Infrastructure Program, a new program within the department, that provides resources for conducting psychological intervention research addressing real-world problems to support the program’s administration, coordinate, and implement and improve processes and systems.

About Stanford SPARQ and the position

Stanford SPARQ is a behavioral science “do tank” affiliated with the Psychology Department at Stanford University. We build research-driven partnerships with industry leaders and change makers to combat bias, reduce disparities, and drive culture change. As the center grows, it is developing a need for greater and more specialized administrative support.

The Program Administrator will work closely with SPARQ’s leadership (Faculty Co-Directors Drs. Jennifer Eberhardt and Hazel Markus and Executive Director Dr. MarYam Hamedani) and research/program staff to enhance the center’s administration, coordinate and improve processes and systems, and take on duties that the existing team has been attempting to cover to date.  The position will have a dual reporting relationship to the Executive Director of SPARQ and the Faculty Director of Infrastructure.

The position will:

·       Serve as the point person for coordinating the center’s administrative needs with the department and enhancing that support with more specialized, responsive, and timely services.

·       Finance and research administration: Serve as the liaison between the center and the department’s finance office; support the finance office and center in providing timely and on-demand financial planning and analysis. This will include helping to maintain SPARQ’s center wide operational budget, forecast, and labor schedules on a regular basis and run scenarios as needed; maintaining budgets and projections for individual funds (e.g., grants, gifts, unrestricted accounts) on a regular basis; and maintaining a schedule for internal and external grant submissions, reports, and no-cost extensions and helping ensure that they are submitted in a timely way. It will also include setting up, negotiating, and managing contracts, vendors and suppliers, and payment and invoice processing (including tracking and follow up).

·       Human resources: Serve as a liaison between the center and the department’s human resource office; support the center in coordinating recruitment and hiring for research and program staff, student staff, and temporary positions; providing administrative support for job search processes, including communicating with applicants, collecting and organizing applications, coordinating with the hiring committee, and scheduling and supporting interviews.

·       Student services: Serve as a liaison between the center and the department’s student services office (in particular, for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars). Provide support for the recruitment, selecting, and onboarding of the center’s pilot postdoctoral fellows program for the social area. Manage the appointment process for postdoctoral scholars, including visas for international scholars.

·       Systems and processes: Collaborate with center leadership and the core team on improving SPARQ’s systems, processes, and policies to improve program and project management, research collaboration, accountability, and ensure data security, particularly as the center grows and scales. This may require learning new software like Smartsheet or helping to set up and maintain new resources or databases.

·       Event planning and coordination: Support the center’s event needs, from smaller periodic events (e.g., annual retreat) to regular internal events (e.g., SPARQhub series) to large external events (e.g., large conferences with external partners and policy makers). This could also grow to include an executive education program for private and public sector leaders and other regular programmatic activities.

·       Communications: Update and maintain mailing lists; may assist the Executive Director and other staff on maintaining communications assets (e.g., website updates) or special projects (e.g., website redesign, tool development, promotion campaign).

·       Oversee purchasing and reimbursements, upkeep and maintenance of equipment, upkeep and maintenance of space. Ensures compliance with departmental and university policies.

About the Infrastructure Program and the position

The Infrastructure Program provides financial support and additional resources for conducting psychological intervention research addressing real-world problems to faculty members in the Psychology Department at Stanford University.

The Program Administrator will work closely with the Infrastructure Program’s leadership team, Faculty Director (currently: Dr. Alia Crum) and committee members (currently: Drs. Greg Walton, Jamil Zaki, Sylvia Kreibig, and MarYam Hamedani) to support the program’s administration, coordinate, and implement and improve processes and systems.

The position will:

●      Manage research awards:

○      Distribute requests for proposals and submission deadline(s) once each year

○      Manages the programs’ communications between applicants, awardees, and leadership, webpage listing.

○      Receives and evaluates applications for Infrastructure grants program.

○      Manage research awards budget/spending/accounting

○      Compiles slide deck of research documentation of awardees and oversees contributions to wiki to build resources.

○      Maintain list of current and past awards to faculty/PIs, amounts awarded, topic, and any outstanding tasks of faculty/PI; track project status from award to completion

●      Manage resources/maintain wiki:

○      Manage resources and maintain the Infrastructure’s Wiki: top-down supervision of structure, identify needs, perform updates, solicit new contributions.

○      Oversee Wiki submissions of Infrastructure awardees.

○      May include some website content support.

●      Connect crossworlds

○      Enable synergistic effects among disparate projects in Psychology Department by knowing of ongoing research topics in different labs in different areas through knowledge from application system (research topics)

○      Connect researchers with available resources listed in wiki from prior researchers who might have used similar methods or tools

●      Budget & finance related tasks

○      Manage budget: Develop and manage the infrastructure’s budget, working closely with the leadership, to ensure objectives are met; monitor budget performance, track expenditures, and provide regular reports to the steering team.

○      Manage contracts: Prepare, review, and manage contracts, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and legal requirements; negotiate contract terms and conditions, and collaborate with legal counsel when necessary; maintain a centralized system for storing and tracking contracts.

○      Process payments: Process and oversee payments to vendors, suppliers, and contractors in a timely and accurate manner; ensure invoices are properly reviewed, approved, and processed according to established procedures; reconcile financial transactions and maintain detailed records.

○      Process reimbursements: Administer reimbursement procedures for awardees, including expense report review, approval, and disbursement of funds; verify receipts and expenses for compliance with project policies; resolve reimbursement-related inquiries and issues.

○      Manage vendor relationships: Maintain strong and professional relationships with vendors, suppliers, and service providers; track vendor performance, ensuring they meet contractual obligations and service level agreements; negotiate favorable terms and conditions to optimize cost savings.

This is a 100% FTE continuing, non-exempt position. This position will be based on the Stanford campus and will be considered for an option of telecommuting (hybrid of working on-site and off-site), subject to operational need.

CORE DUTIES:

• Act on behalf of the supervisor, department manager, or chair in regards to establishing priorities and identifying and resolving problems that are administrative in nature.
• Oversee and/or perform duties associated with scheduling, organizing, and operating complex conferences, seminars, and events, including arranging with vendors for services, overseeing the production and distribution of materials, administering logistics, and managing event within budget.
• Compose and draft documents and correspondence for presentations, course handouts, grants, conferences, seminars, and reports; perform substantial editing and fact checking. Create, maintain, modify, and/or ensure accuracy of content in various unit documents, displays, reports, brochures, social media, and/or websites.
• Plan and schedule calendar(s) with limited consultation, resolve calendaring conflicts, and arrange travel in compliance with unit, university, and sponsor policies.
• Create complex reports and spreadsheets which may utilize specialized software and systems.
• Oversee and/or process a variety of complex financial transactions; produce, monitor, and reconcile budget statements; research, identify, and resolve discrepancies. May assist with capital or special equipment requests and/or vendor selection.
• Coordinate and monitor routine maintenance services completion. Plan and coordinate office moves and/or minor renovation projects.
• May lead staff or supervise day-to-day work of student and/or temporary workers, including scheduling, assigning, and prioritizing workloads, setting appropriate deadlines, reviewing work for quality and timeliness, and providing performance review input.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

High school diploma and four years of administrative experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Advanced computer skills and demonstrated experience with office software and email applications.
• Demonstrated success in following through and completing projects.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task, and assign work to others.
• Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects.
• Ability to routinely and independently exercise sound judgment in making decisions.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS*:

• Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks.
• Frequently sitting.
• Occasionally stand/walk, reach/work above shoulders, grasp lightly/fine manipulation, grasp forcefully, use a telephone, sort/file paperwork or parts, lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 10 pounds.
• Rarely twist/bend/stoop/squat, kneel/crawl.
• - Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

WORK STANDARDS:

• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu .

The expected pay range for this position is $33.17 to $43.75 per hour. 

Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website (https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards ) provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

Why Stanford is for You

Imagine a world without search engines or social platforms. Consider lives saved through first-ever organ transplants and research to cure illnesses. Stanford University has revolutionized the way we live and enrich the world. Supporting this mission is our diverse and dedicated 17,000 staff. We seek talent driven to impact the future of our legacy. Our culture and unique perks  empower you with:

• Freedom to grow. We offer career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or audit a course. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or global leader speak.
• A caring culture. We provide superb retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources.
• A healthier you. Climb our rock wall, or choose from hundreds of health or fitness classes at our world-class exercise facilities. We also provide excellent health care benefits.
• Discovery and fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums.
• Enviable resources. Enjoy free commuter programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts and more

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classifications and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned. 

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact Stanford University Human Resources at [email protected]. For all other inquiries, please submit a contact form .

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.