Program Assistant - Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering

The Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering in the Statler College at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Program Assistant.

About the Opportunity

This position provides support to educational, research and administrative activities of the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering (MMAE), including the Chair, Office Administrator, faculty, staff, and students as well as to the entire college in the areas of shipping and receiving and special events. This position deals with the daily functions of the Department and serves faculty, staff and students to ensure that all operations and services are performed effectively. The incumbent must initiate work independently and make decisions that involve routine and non-routine situations within established protocol, guidelines, and policies. This level of responsibility requires critical thinking, independent judgment and the ability to resolve complex situations and tasks with minimal supervision.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 15 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Serves as college shipping and receiving administrator for UPS, Fed. Ex, and DHL; Supervises and trains the student workers who are helping with these tasks: logs all packages and places them in the secure package room of the college, retrieves packages for entire college, and maintains a log of signatures.
• Schedules shipment pick-up and creates UPS shipping labels using UPS World Ship software. Runs report on as needed basis and attaches proper funding to each outgoing shipment. Schedules freight shipments over the phone through the shipping company. Submits payment for all UPS, Fed. Ex, DHL, and freight charges. Collecting all outing mail, sorting and coding mail according to WVU policies, collecting all incoming mail for MMAE faculty and staff, and distributing mail.
• Schedules and maintains logs of usage of all departmental vehicles by faculty, staff and students; ensures that vehicle mileage is reported monthly to the WVU Motorpool, and any problem related to the vehicle maintenance is reported promptly to the proper supervisor. Maintains list of all persons allowed to drive vehicles of the department according to WVU/State policy.
• Purchases research and educational supplies for the faculty through the Mountaineer Marketplace procurement system or if necessary, through other vendors requiring a PCard transaction; ensures that faculty members, other researchers, authorized students and staff members provide proper sources of funding and that the purchases are made in the most cost-effective way possible. This function will assist 32 tenure-track faculty members and 8 non-tenure track faculty members, along with student organizations/teams, on a regular basis. Submits itemized invoices and receipts as input into the MyExpense system ensuring that the proper funding is attached, and expense reports are submitted on time.
• Maintains annual renewal of academic licenses, such as SolidWorks, used for academic coursework. Orders paper for printer-copier devices in the Engineering Sciences Building.
• Support special events hosted by the department. For example, organizes the coordination and logistics of the Annual ASME/MMAE Pumpkin Drop Program. This involves developing advertising materials, producing mass mailing flyers, doing the actual mailing for over 900 letters, working with an external charity, working with student organizations, working with K-12 schools and colleges in the region register participants, mailing confirmation letters, collecting entrance fees and maintaining a database of entrants, and assisting in depositing monies collected.
• Developing and building relationships to increase recruitment initiations with all partners.
• Maintains the MMAE portion of the Statler College Inventory system, including the submission of asset acquisition forms and surplus equipment forms, by following the Property Administration Rules and Guidelines. Must be able to produce asset information for audits conducted by the University and external research sponsor.
• At the beginning of each semester, conducts an evaluation of the graduate offices to ensure that all available desks are used effectively by graduate students who actively support research or teaching activities in the department. Monitors throughout the semester the effective utilization of office spaces and desks available for graduate students. Develops recommendations to the Office.
• Administrator and the Chair for effective allocation of office spaces to graduate students.
• Works with MMAE Office Administrator or his/her designee to plan and undertake events for the department, such as seminars, faculty meetings, campus interviews of candidates selected for open faculty positions.
• Other duties as assigned, such as giving assistance to back up duties of administration staff.

Pay Grade: 12

• Associate degree.
• A minimum of six (6) months of experience involving:
  
  
  
  • Administrative and office experience in policy matters, organizational communications, in handling a variety of work assignments in an academic environment under strict timelines and confidentiality.
    
  • Familiarity with computer software, including spreadsheets, for basic office tasks such as word processing, slide presentations, desktop publishing and use of e-mail systems. Familiarity with the WVU Motorpool, as well as administrative computer systems used at WVU such as Mountaineer Marketplace, MyExpenses.
    
  • Experience in complex calendar scheduling.
  
  
  
  
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
  
• All requirements must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Communication skills: ability to communicate clearly and concisely with others, both orally and in writing, in order to exchange routine information and explain simple policies and procedures.
  
• Ability to identify critical issues, and appropriate offices or personnel with authority to address the corresponding issues.
  
• Ability to coordinate multiple tasks, determine the priority of each task, set deadlines and complete projects in a timely manner by taking action to implement solutions without the need for continual guidance. Ability to maintain composure and attention to detail in high-pressure situations.
  
• Ability to work as a team member by showing objectivity and openness, building a positive spirit, placing the success of the team above own interest, supporting everyone's efforts to succeed.
  
• Ability to deal with a diverse array of personalities in a professional, pleasant manner, and exhibit professional conduct and customer-oriented attitude in order to maintain good working relationships even under difficult situations.
  
• Ability to train and supervise student workers and Mountaineer temporary workers.
• Ability to learn University policies, procedures and policies, while interpreting and applying these policies to unique work situations.
  
• Ability to learn scientific or specialized terminology.
  
• Thorough knowledge of proper English, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.
  
• Demonstrated ability to operate various computer applications, such as email/calendar etc., printers, scanners and digital cameras, as well as utilize commercial software such as MS Office.
  
• Ability to travel on and off campus locations for meetings.
  
• Demonstrated ability to function effectively in a fast-paced office environment and collaborate with other staff members who may have different education levels, technical disciplines, and backgrounds.
  
• Ability to approach others in a tactful manner, react well under pressure, treat others with respect and consideration, accept responsibility for own actions, and follow through on commitments. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships and deal tactfully with other departments, organizations, related programs and external agencies.
  
• Demonstrated ability to treat people with respect, keep commitments, inspire the trust of others, work with integrity and ethically, and uphold organizational values.
  
• Ability to adapt to changes in the work environment and manage competing demands.
  
• Ability to make mathematical computations when necessary.
  
• Ability to work in a high level, independent support position making determinations/decisions and acting independently.
  
• Ability to operate standard office equipment.
  
• Ability to work with a wide variety of people, both internally and externally.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging working environment and actively seek candidates who bring diverse ideas, approaches and experiences.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and received an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. We value diversity among our faculty, staff and students and invite applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, genetics, disability, or Veteran status.