Temporary Program Administrator

About the role

The Temporary Program Administrator in the Department of Psychological Sciences provides administrative and operational support to the department. The position serves as the first point of contact, assisting with walk‑in traffic, general inquiry phone calls, and emails. The ideal candidate is an adaptable, highly organized, multitasker and proactive administrative professional who thrives in a dynamic academic environment, with a proven track record of managing multi‑faceted program operations with high attention to detail and sound judgment. Responsibilities include assisting with events, making travel arrangements, maintaining calendars and department resources and databases, overseeing daily operations, and delivering direct support across core functional areas such as operational logistics, student travel arrangements, financial management, event planning, and departmental outreach and communications. This is a temporary position with an end date of January 31, 2027. The role is exclusively on‑site, requiring all duties to be performed in person at Sewall Hall (per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change).

Responsibilities

• Provide front‑office and administrative support by greeting and assisting visitors, callers, faculty, staff, and students; responding to routine inquiries; routing requests to appropriate individuals; managing incoming mail and correspondence; and maintaining accurate departmental contact and email distribution lists.
• Coordinate graduate student travel and financial support by managing travel bookings, reservations, memberships, PCard charges, and reimbursements; maintaining annual graduate travel fund allocations; monitoring expenditures to ensure compliance with approved funding limits; and communicating travel and funding updates to relevant parties.
• Support procurement and financial transactions by assisting faculty, staff, and students with purchasing and ordering needs; processing PCard expense reports, requisitions, purchase orders, and non‑standard disbursements; preparing annual blanket requisitions; obtaining vendor quotes and pricing; and ensuring transactions comply with University policies and procedures.
• Coordinate departmental meetings, calendars, and space reservations by scheduling faculty and committee meetings, student meetings, classes, lab sections, experiments, talks, and other departmental activities; maintaining departmental calendars; and coordinating room reservations and related logistical needs.
• Plan and coordinate departmental events and visitor travel by organizing on‑campus events, colloquia, faculty candidate visits, guest and speaker visits, and other departmental activities; arranging travel and reimbursements; reserving spaces; ordering food and supplies; coordinating facilities services; and managing event logistics from planning through completion.
• Maintain departmental operations, facilities, and communications by coordinating facilities requests, maintenance issues, key and access requests, and related billing; maintaining office and printing supplies and equipment; supporting faculty and student printing needs; coordinating bulk mailings; and assisting with general office operations.
• Maintain departmental information and provide administrative project support by updating and maintaining the department website, announcements, and other departmental information; conducting research and information searches as needed; assisting with special projects; and performing other administrative duties and responsibilities in support of the Department.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's Degree (in lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year‑for‑year basis).
• Experience: 1+ years experience providing administrative and operational support (in lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year‑for‑year basis).

Skills

• Ability to learn new strategies
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Data analysis skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Good organizational and time management skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Attention to detail
• Ability to develop program partnerships and funding sources
• Basic knowledge of managing budgets and developing financial plans

Qualifications

• Experience working in an institution of higher education
• Experience working with Oracle ERP system

Pay

Hiring range: $55,000 - $60,000. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.