The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) is a central office that serves Stanford University’s 2500 postdoctoral scholars and their 890 faculty sponsors. Working with nearly 250 departmental administrators, this office is responsible for the system of record for all postdoctoral scholars, as well as compliance, benefits, and professional development.

Job Purpose

The Operations & Fellowships Assistant is a central role, supporting OPA’s operations, fellowships, and other core services. The three main areas of responsibility of this role are serving as OPA’s initial point-of contact and primary financial processor; supporting all key services within the operations team; and assisting with the management and implementation of several postdoctoral fellowships and initiatives.

OPA Point-of-Contact & Financial Processor

The Operations & Fellowships Assistant serves as the front-line face of the office, triaging incoming communications and requests via shared inboxes and Snow tickets, responding, referring, or escalating as appropriate. This role also serves as the primary approver of all financial transactions and purchases, serving as liaison between the EPS finance team, OPA staff, and the variety of postdocs who make purchases or travel through OPA funds.

Operations Services

The Operations & Fellowships Assistant is involved in many administrative areas for OPA. Some of these duty areas include reviewing and approving postdoctoral position postings; providing calendaring support for the assistant associate vice provost and associate dean; planning and managing logistics and communications for OPA-wide events, including weekly staff meetings, quarterly team retreats, quarterly admin meetings, and faculty advisory committee meetings; and processing requests for postdoc alumni, including training verification, certificate creation, and inclusion in our LinkedIn group.

Fellowship Support

The Operations & Fellowships Assistant also serves as communications and administrative support for several postdoctoral fellowships, which may include advertising, communications, application processes, data and document management, review coordination, and event planning and implementation. This role also manages the Propel Postdoctoral Scholars Program’s supplemental funding process, including making purchases and travel arrangements, tracking and processing expenses, and accurately interpreting and communicating current financial and travel policy to the scholars.

These responsibilities require excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail; communication acumen across multiple levels, including with other administrators, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars; comfort working with multiple systems; and the ability to take both direction and initiative, as the person in this role will be involved in both collaborative and independent work.

Prior experience with Stanford financial systems, PeopleSoft, and SmartSheet are a plus, but not required.

This position will be based on the Stanford campus and may be considered for a hybrid working schedule (2-3 days on-site and 2-3 days of telecommuting, subject to operational need.

Core Duties

• Respond to email, phone and SNOW ticker inquiries, determine and take appropriate action as required. Serve as a resource regarding a defined set of policies and procedures.
• Perform duties associated with scheduling, organizing, and operating conferences, seminars, and events, including recommending vendors for services, overseeing the production and distribution of materials, coordinating logistics, and serving as liaison with internal and external vendors.
• Draft and/or generate routine communications; coordinate production (formatting, copying, etc.) and dissemination of documents, such as advertisements, presentations, conference and seminar materials, complex reports, brochures, and displays.
• Plan and schedule calendar(s) based on consultation, resolve calendaring conflicts, and arrange travel in compliance with unit, university, and sponsor policies.
• Process and monitor routine financial transactions, which may include researching and resolving discrepancies.
• Maintain office supplies and equipment; obtain vendor quotations, as needed. Coordinate office moves.
• May serve as the point of contact for general maintenance, health and safety, and other facility concerns within the unit(s); report any incidents or potential safety problems to appropriate representatives. Track completion of required training.
• Maintain approved content on websites.
• May perform human resources transactional support, e.g. time cards, I9s, and/or faculty affairs support.
• May guide and train student and/or contingent workers including scheduling, assigning, and prioritizing workloads, setting appropriate deadlines, and reviewing work for quality and timeliness.

Education & Experience (Required)

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

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (Required)

• Proficient computer skills and demonstrated experience with office software and email applications.
• Demonstrated success in following through and completing routine tasks.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task.

Desired Qualifications

• Handles ambiguity well: deals confidently with unclear or changing situations
• Oriented towards problem-solving: effectively identifies and solves routine problems
• Collaborative: partners with others to achieve better results
• Independent: follows through on task completion without need for frequent reminders
• Personable: has a friendly, approachable, and outgoing style
• Manages stress well: handles interruptions and changes without losing productivity
• Continuous learner: driven to learn new skills, techniques, approaches, tools, and software
• Customer-oriented: attentive and responsive to customer (postdocs, postdoc admins, faculty, colleagues) needs
• Optimistic: expects positive outcome when facing a challenging task
• Resourceful: finds alternative solutions to overcome problems or limitations

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.

Working 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 .

This role is open to candidates anywhere in the United States.  Stanford University has five Regional Pay Structures . The compensation for this position will be based on the location of the successful candidate. The expected pay range for this position is $58,000 to $66,000 per annum.

This is a one-year fixed term position.

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.

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 classification 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.

As an organization that receives federal funding, Stanford University has a COVID-19 vaccination requirement that will apply to all university employees, including those working remotely in the United States and applicable subcontractors. To learn more about COVID policies and guidelines for Stanford University Staff, please visit https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/working-stanford/covid-19-guide/interim-policies/covid-19-vaccination-and-surveillance-testing

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 his or her job.

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.

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.  All candidates must be eligible to work and live in the U.S.