Principal Administrative Coordinator

About the role

Join our team as the administrator for the Energy Processes and Materials Division, providing direct support to the Director and working with and leading the division administrative team to coordinate all administrative support within the Division. The Energy Processes and Materials Division includes over 250 scientists, engineers, postdoctoral researchers, and support staff. The Division Administrator will manage the division office, including being a leader of the division’s administrative team, and partnering with the Division Director in their management activities.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Partnership: Serves as a strategic partner by anticipating organizational needs, proactively identifying opportunities for improvement, and taking initiative to drive actions that strengthen executive alignment, increase operational efficiency, and advance organizational goals.
• Confidentiality & Integrity: Demonstrates the highest level of discretion and trusted judgment in stewarding sensitive and confidential information, ensuring absolute integrity in handling materials and decisions.
• Process Management and Improvement: Strategically partner to manage and recommend process improvements and innovations for the Division and Directorate including division files, SharePoint sites, materials, staff development files, and other confidential records.
• Operational Workflow Management: Independently manages routine to complex business issues, handles complex email/calendars/travel/schedules, exercising sound judgment, navigating ambiguity, and demonstrating strong follow-through and attention to detail while advising, monitoring, and coordinating activities across the organization.
• Elevate Division and Director with:
  • Assisting in preparation for meetings, presentations, internal and external reports, reviews, weekly division newsletter, and other documents.
  • Assisting with hosting visitors, interviewees, onsite workshops, seminars, and other related events.
  • Onboarding new staff; manage office space and equipment inventory.
  • Effectively leading the administrative team by providing training and support, and assisting with balancing workloads across the team.
  • Partnering with administrative counterparts across EED and PNNL, and other organizations, as appropriate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse population, including high-level managers and sponsors.
• Effective use of AI tools.
• Extensive working knowledge of division and PNNL policies, procedures, and practices.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and organize work under tight deadlines and changing priorities.
• Use experience and good judgment to take initiative in facilitating programs, policies, and procedures.
• Deal professionally with sensitive and confidential matters and materials.
• Manage day-to-day administrative processes associated with office and team coordination with little to no supervisory input.
• Ability to provide oversight, guidance, and training to less senior or new staff when necessary.
• Demonstrated experience with standard office equipment, including MS Office Suite.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate potential issues and recommend solutions as well as identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Exceptional discretion and good judgment.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • High school diploma/GED and 12 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment, or
  • AA degree or higher and 10 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment.
  • Experience in planning meetings and coordinating travel.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience supporting a director or Executive-level manager strongly preferred.
  • A minimum of three years of PNNL administrative experience.
  • Bachelor’s degree.
  • A record of effectively performing complex administrative tasks with competing priorities; tracking and initiating actions efficiently and appropriately for a wide diversity of assignments; and working effectively in a dynamic, demanding, and sensitive environment.
  • Experience in planning meetings, coordinating travel, and formatting presentations.
  • Experience base should clearly demonstrate high proficiency in office management, administrative skills, attention to detail, responsiveness, organization, work prioritization, judgment, discretion, conflict resolution, hosting senior visitors, and independent action and follow-through.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to positively interact and team with a wide variety of staff and sponsors are crucial to this position.
  • The ability to handle confidential information is essential to success.

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges. Our more than 1,700 staff support the Department of Energy (DOE), delivering on key DOE mission areas including modernizing our nation’s power grid, advancing renewable energy and efficiency technologies, and resolving complex issues in nuclear science, energy, and environmental management.

The Energy Processes and Materials Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, creates and delivers real-world solutions that support the Department of Energy’s goals for national energy security. We deliver new technologies that connect fundamental science to applications in areas such as energy storage, advanced materials manufacturing, applied catalysis, advanced separations, biomass conversions, carbon capture and utilization, and hydrogen production and storage.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Robust telehealth care options and several mental health benefits.
• Free wellness coaching, health savings account, and flexible spending accounts.
• Basic life insurance and disability insurance.
• Employee assistance program and business travel insurance.
• Tuition assistance and relocation support.
• Backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support.
• Company-funded pension plan and 401(k) savings plan with company match.
• Up to 120 vacation hours per year and ten paid holidays.