Program Specialist Senior

Overview

Appointment Type:
Full-Time Regular (FTR)

Location:
Oak Ridge, TN

* Salary Range: $23.44 - $32.60

PURPOSE
:

The Program Specialist Senior monitors and supports peer review and other scientific meeting activities to ensure project tasks are completed on time, within budget parameters, and meets quality expectations and requirements.

• Plans and schedules workflow for each assigned activity. Adapts project management plan (PMP) template for activities establishing sequence and lead time for tasks. Assigns tasks to team members where appropriate. Coordinates and monitors team assignments and activities.
• Ensures that deadlines and project milestones are met. Monitors project costs and expenditures. Assists with resolving administrative issues. Communicates activity status and needs for support to management.
• Establishes meeting requirements and other meeting arrangements to ensure completeness and appropriateness. Consults with technology team, event planners and research services, where necessary.
• Works collaboratively with ORAU support organizations on purchasing and processing travel and honoraria payments. When onsite, ensures hotel meeting and equipment arrangements are within contract specifications.
• Provides on-site and/or virtual administrative and/or task lead assistance for reviews, workshops, and other scientific meetings.
• Ensures information entered into Peer Net or other web-based review system is accurate and complete.
• Maintains knowledge and experience with virtual technologies/tools to include facilitation support as needed.
• Prepares and reviews correspondence, to include travel letters and letters for manager's signature, to reviewers, sponsors, and others required by the peer and merit review process as directed by project and group managers.
• Provides virtual event support requiring familiarity with virtual tools (Zoom, Cvent, Novi, etc.). Communicates information, expectations, and schedules for virtual events to customers and attendees, co-hosts, and at times for smaller events.
• Hosts virtual events including breakouts, managing timers, the use of virtual backgrounds, sharing screen, muting/unmuting attendees, sharing video, and use of waiting room.
• Prepares project status reports for the project manager, sponsor, and others.
• Reviews expense reports (ERs) for accuracy and completeness prior to submission to Project Manager for approval.
• Provides input into performance evaluations for team members as requested.
• Recommends and implement changes in administrative processes and procedures. Knowledgeable of business/processes; comfortable engaging and providing direct customer support.
• Contributes to building relationships with customers.
• Engages with reviewers on a regular basis. Provides proactive customer service and consultation. Assists with resolving issues as needed.

High school diploma and 4-6 years of job-related experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience requiring similar knowledge, skills, abilities, and performing duties as described may be substituted for the minimum requirements.

• The Program Specialist Senior (PSS) must interact frequently with scientists and engineers across the national scientific community as well as have some contact with program sponsors. The PSS must fully understand applicable Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education (ORISE) policies and procedures including procurement, travel, and financial accounting. The PSS must be able to speak and write in a clear, concise fashion and translate procedural and administrative documents into day-to-day operations.
  
  The PSS must be able to work with world class research reviewers in a courteous and informative manner.
• Strong virtual event tool skills are preferred such as the ability to create breakouts and navigate breakouts; ability to manage on screen timers with virtual backgrounds; ability to assist attendees with mute/unmute, screen sharing, camera sharing; ability to bring attendees to and from waiting rooms; and the ability to manage audience by muting, turning off camera, and removing users. The PSS must have general familiarity with Zoom, Cvent, Novi, and Peer Net tools.
• Must have strong communication skills as virtual events rely highly on auditory only and require staff assigned to be comfortable and confident to speak up, speak clearly, and share information.
• Must have strong time management skills as virtual meetings require clear management of time to ensure breaks are taken and time zones respected.
• Must be proficient with using evolving Microsoft Office and program-specific technology tools to perform current and emerging work processes.
• Must have advanced Microsoft Word skills. Must have strong proofing skills and have light editing skills.
• Must have knowledge of state, DOE, and federal research communities to communicate with world class researchers about reviews on complex, technical proposals. Must also understand and be able…