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Administrative Assistant

Department: Information Systems & Technology Effective Date: July, 2013
Grade:

USG 6

35 hr/wk

Reports to: Executive Officer

General Accountability

Reporting to the Executive Officer, the Administrative Assistant is accountable for human resource administration, financial support, coordination of access to IST facilities and accounts, and other duties within Information Systems and Technology.

Nature and Scope

Information Systems and Technology (IST), one of the largest academic support units at the University, provides a variety of computing services to the UW community. Its 165 staff members are organized into eight functional groups, each with well-defined areas of technical responsibility.

 

IST’s Administrative Support group (one of the eight functional groups mentioned above) provides administrative and financial support within IST. The Administrative Assistant works as a team member within this unit and must have advanced computing skills in Word, Excel, SharePoint, HR’s PeopleSoft interface, Impromptu Web Reports, Request Tracker (RT), and Exchange Calendar. He/she must be adaptable to the electronic workplace as members of the Administrative Support group often assess new software and hardware to assist in analysis of usability in the University’s academic support units. The incumbent must be able to quickly develop proficiency with new applications and remain current with technology trends.

 

The incumbent must have significant administrative experience. Familiarity with the organizational structure of the campus and an understanding of UW policies and procedures are requirements of the position. He/she must have excellent organizational, communication and analytical skills. A high degree of accuracy is essential, as well as an ability to take initiative and assume responsibility for seeing tasks through to completion. Strong interpersonal skills are required in order to effectively  interact with a large and diverse departmental staff, key personnel in other departments, and external resources.

 

Statistical Data

Specific Accountabilities

Human Resource Administration

The incumbent coordinates the orientation of all new staff, including casual employees and co-op students.

 

The incumbent creates all IST job openings through the online recruitment module within the PeopleSoft system. The Administrative Assistant also monitors status of IST positions in “Position Inquiry” within the PeopleSoft system and reports any discrepancies to Human Resources.

 

The Administrative Assistant creates and maintains SharePoint sites used for the tracking of absences due to vacation, illness, emergency or bereavement. The incumbent monitors these absences and notifies managers when issues arise. In addition, he/she provides guidance to managers and staff regarding related departmental and University policies and procedures. The incumbent also ensures that all relevant parties are notified of absences and that any required medical documentation is completed. He/she distributes vacation entitlement information to staff and also provides notification when there are remaining vacation days that must be used.

 

The Administrative Assistant administers IST’s casual payroll. He/she assists new casual employees with the completion of required paperwork and ensures that they are activated in the PeopleSoft system. The incumbent may determine the hourly pay of the casual employee. The incumbent follows up with supervisors on a bi-weekly basis to confirm hours worked by the employee and, using the PeopleSoft interface, processes payment. The incumbent calculates and advises the staff member of paid time for statutory holidays.

 

The incumbent handles arrangements for all IST and project co-op students. He/she corresponds with hiring units in IST and various Faculties to provide advice on the hiring procedures and salary. This includes the procedure for hiring students eligible for the “UW Work Placement Program”. The Administrative Assistant makes arrangements to meet with the co-op student in advance of their start date and assists them with the completion of relevant paperwork (TD1, direct deposit, etc.). During the course of the contract, the incumbent follows up with the supervisor to determine if any adjustments to the contract are required.

 

In consultation with the Executive Officer, the Administrative Assistant coordinates confidential personnel matters including new appointments, leaves of absence, and terminations. The incumbent maintains confidential human resource files and tracks the casual and co-op student staffing expenditures for budgeting purposes.

 

The incumbent arranges for payment of overtime to IST staff which includes confirming that the overtime has been approved by the employee’s manager and determining the rate owed  (i.e., hourly, 1.5 times hourly, 2 times hourly). In addition, the Administrative Assistant coordinates all stipends for on-call staff. He/she maintains a list of eligible employees, records compensatory time, and processes payment on a monthly basis.

 

Financial Administration

 

The Administrative Assistant is the designated Purchasing Card Reviewer for IST. He/she verifies that all charges against Cardholders account are accurate, have supporting documentation, and are allocated to the appropriate financial account.

 

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for the creation of monthly financial reports for the Executive Officer. These reports include expenditures and commitments for the various segments of IST business (e.g., regular operating, campus software, special projects). The incumbent is responsible for preparing, monitoring, and reconciling the budget for the annual WatITis conference.

 

Facilities

The Administrative Assistant maintains control of all keys allowing access to IST space. This includes releasing authorization to co-op students, staff members, and on occasion other departments and work crews. The incumbent has signing authority on all IST keys including project rooms, Telecommunications Services, and wiring closets in other buildings.

 

Arrangements for access to secured areas of IST are coordinated by the Administrative Assistant. Arrangements for home machines for IST staff and coordination of their return to campus are also controlled by the Administrative Assistant.

 

IST Account Administration

 

The incumbent is responsible for ensuring that all IST staff (clients) have access to the computer userids and accounts they require to perform their job functions. This includes, but is not limited to, Request Tracker, security groups, calendar, email accounts, and network drives.

 

The incumbent is also responsible for ensuring that access to computing accounts is removed when a staff member terminates or their job duties change. This is essential as these clients will have access to IST resources and consume valuable disk space until the accounts are removed.

 

The incumbent runs periodic reports to determine high levels of data stored on IST email and network drive accounts. He/she notifies staff and suggests appropriate solutions for rectification. He/she also runs periodic reports to uncover accounts that have not been used in long periods of time and determines requirements. When required, the incumbent will escalate problem accounts to IST management for resolution.

 

The Administrative Assistant also controls all IST electronic mailing lists. This involves subscribing and unsubscribing users as well as reviewing email alerts when a message is refused by the mailing list. The incumbent determines the suitability of the message and if appropriate, forwards it to the group. Inappropriate messages are rejected and messages with large attachments are stored on IST web space in consultation with the sender.

 

Web Development and Maintenance

 

The incumbent is responsible for all Administrative Support web pages. It is the Administrative Assistant’s responsibility to ensure that these web sites are up to date and reflect appropriate information as well as to identify ways to enhance their usability for clients. The incumbent must have an in-depth understanding of general concepts about web site creation and maintenance.

Departmental Archivist

In consultation with the University Records Archivist, he/she identifies and coordinates the transfer of materials of archival value to the University Archives.

 

Other Varied Duties

 

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for providing other services involving administration and finance within IST. This includes ordering supplies and serving as custodian of IST’s $200 petty cash. All IST social events, retirements, and meetings of senior management will be planned and coordinated by the Administrative Assistant who will enlist others as needed.

 

 

Significant Internal Relationships:

-       Executive Officer

-       Administrative Support staff

-       Associate Provost

-       IST Directors and Management Team

-       Client Services

-       Technology Integrated Services

                      

Significant External Relationships:

-       Human Resources

-       Health Services

-       Key Control

-       Finance

-       Plant Operations

-       Creative Services

-       Co-operative Education

-       Health Services

-       Procurement

        Safety Office

 

Specific Accountabilities

Major Responsibilities:

 

              1.        Human Resource Administration:

              2.        Financial Administration:

 

3.        Facilities:

 

4.        IST Account Administration:

 

5.        Responsible for the administration and maintenance of all Administrative Support group web pages.

6.        6.              Departmental Archivist

 

Important Secondary Responsibilities:

          Other administrative duties:

 

Working Conditions