Administrative Assistant Senior

Administrative Professional

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) Administrative Core, supporting the Center for Political Studies (CPS), Population Studies Center (PSC), and Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD), is seeking a highly organized, customer-focused administrative professional to provide comprehensive administrative support.

This position supports a wide variety of center operations, including seminars, conferences, meetings, training programs, procurement, travel, financial transactions, and general office administration. The successful candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, manage multiple priorities, and deliver exceptional customer service to faculty, staff, students, postdoctoral fellows, and visitors.

This position is part of the Administrative Core and will also provide dedicated support to the Research Center for Group Dynamics and the PSC Training Program.

Administrative & Office Operations

• Serve as the primary reception and administrative contact for assigned centers by answering phones, greeting visitors, maintaining office supplies, and coordinating center communications.
• Manage center email distribution lists, mailing lists, and other communication tools.
• Provide general administrative support to faculty, staff, students, trainees, and visitors.

Procurement & Financial Administration

• Coordinate procurement activities for faculty, staff, students, and research teams while ensuring compliance with University policies, sponsor requirements, and procurement best practices as required within a sponsored research environment.
• Initiate and prepare purchasing documentation and requests, obtain competitive bids when required, coordinate use of strategic suppliers, and complete sole source justifications as appropriate.
• Process travel and business expense reimbursements and maintain accurate financial records and tracking.

Meetings, Events & Travel

• Plan and coordinate seminars, conferences, workshops, retreats, committee meetings, training activities, and other center events.
• Arrange travel for faculty, staff, students, trainees, and visitors, including itineraries and complex meeting schedules.
• Coordinate meeting logistics, agendas, registrations, catering, and event communications.

Additional Senior-Level Responsibilities

Senior-level staff may also:

• Process facilities requests, building access, key requests, office moves, and space-related activities.
• Support financial reconciliation, project/grant administration, fund corrections, and financial data tracking.
• Provide backup support for temporary employee timekeeping and payroll processes.
• Assist with administrative support for research projects, faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows as workload permits.

Additional duties may include mail distribution, shipping and receiving, hosting visitors, and other administrative support as assigned.

Intermediate Administrative Assistant

• High school diploma or equivalent and 2+ years of administrative support experience.
• Experience scheduling meetings, coordinating events, arranging travel, or supporting office operations.
• Experience with purchasing, expense reimbursements, or other administrative processes.
• Strong customer service, communication, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Google Workspace (Calendar, Docs, Forms).
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines with attention to detail.

Senior Administrative Assistant

• High school diploma or equivalent and 4+ years of progressively responsible administrative experience.
• Experience independently coordinating meetings, events, travel, purchasing, and expense reimbursements.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and customer service skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and provide excellent support to faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Experience maintaining accurate records, tracking expenses, and following established policies and procedures with particular expertise in a sponsored research environment and its heightened focus on regulatory requirements.

Intermediate

• Experience in a university sponsored research-intentive office environment, with familiarity to research compliance and regulatory requirements
• Familiarity with travel and expense reimbursement processes.
• Experience supporting faculty, students, and/or sponsored project teams.

Senior

• Experience in higher education, research administration, or a sponsored research environment.
• Familiarity with University procurement, travel, and financial systems.
• Experience with budget tracking, account reconciliation, or financial reporting.
• Experience supporting facilities, office operations, or timekeeping processes.

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect…