Administrative Associate - Office of Research, Innovation & Economic Development - UTK

The Administrative Associate II within the Division of Research Administration Support Services (DRASS) team in the Office of Research, Innovation, & Economic Development (ORIED), at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), provides operational and financial administrative support for the work of the 80+ people within DRA, and coordinates closely with the rest of the team in support of ORIED personnel. DRASS takes a shared services approach to supporting the operational and financial needs of the division, and the team has the flexibility to refocus support to respond to current and emerging needs and priorities.

This position also serves as the primary archivist for digitizing and managing SPA award information previously stored in physical folders.

• Compile and organize supporting documentation required for invoicing and audits (e.g., purchase support, travel receipts/backup, service documentation). Ensure files are complete, clearly labeled and ordered in accordance with sponsor requirements, and provided within required timelines. Maintain proficiency with various DASH modules where source documents reside.
• Electronically submit invoices and financial reports to sponsors during peak periods and/or when the primary employee is absent to ensure deadlines are met and cash flow is optimized.
• Review all incoming audit requests with the Fiscal Assurance Manager to assign tasks and deadlines necessary for effective project management.
• Create and maintain a shared inventory of all audits, award details, findings, responses, corrective action, and key personnel involved.
• Coordinate with faculty, departmental financial personnel, and the SPA team to collect all required records set forth in the audit request. Create a shared digital site to compile and organize these documents.
• Coordinate with departments to ensure corrective action responses are received timely, reviewed by the Fiscal Assurance Officers for appropriateness, and submitted to the auditor by deadline.
• Assist Fiscal Assurance Officers with planning, organizing, and performing departmental reviews to support and encourage compliance in high-risk areas such as effort certification, subrecipient monitoring, and cost transfers.
• Prepare, modify, and maintain oversight of CANVAS, monitor quizzes and initiate the awarding of certificates when all modules are completed and passed.
• Maintain an inventory of internal control questionnaires and other relevant institutional records to streamline audit responses and promote consistency.

• Generate and maintain data validation reports which include, but are not limited to, setup validation reports, labor distribution error reports, and task end date mismatch reports. These reports must be analyzed daily/weekly to monitor data quality across key functions. Coordinate with the award set-up team to ensure account errors are corrected in a timely manner. Departments will not be able to post expenses to awards otherwise.
• Assist with daily management of multiple central e-mail accounts: spa, spa awards, sfc, spa compliance, and FMC-AR to ensure incoming items are routed accurately and timely.
• Update PI information in DASH utilizing the TDX ticketing system in proper format to facilitate mass updates.
• Update grant administrator information in DASH utilizing the TDX ticketing system in proper format to facilitate mass updates.
• Maintain master bookkeeper data to support automated account notification process.
• Administer sponsor portals to facilitate SPA user privileges.
• Coordinate with the Communications team to update the SPA website to ensure information is current.
• Prepare training materials (e.g., slide decks, quick guides, checklists, and process documentation) and manage Q&A during training sessions, ensuring participants receive clear guidance and follow up resources.
• Produce metrics and status reports (e.g., backlog volume, missing documentation trends, audit readiness checklists).
• Create and maintain standard operating procedures for validation processes to promote audit readiness.
• Manage digital records and document lifecycle processes, ensuring compliant organization, storage, archiving, retention, and secure disposition.
• Maintain and enforce recordkeeping systems and standards across SharePoint, Teams, and shared drives, including structure, metadata, version control, and data quality.
• Support users and operations through quality assurance, training materials, and guidance,…