Overview

The salary range for this position is $19.00 per hour and is non-negotiable. 

FUNCTION OF THE UNIT

The Institute for Behavioral and Community Health (IBACH) is a non-profit research institute under the auspices of San Diego State University Research Foundation in San Diego, California. It is home to an active group of researchers, research professionals and trainees working alongside organizational partners to improve the quality of life of all residents. Our mission is to build the evidence-base of modifiable determinants of health disparities, and in collaboration with our partners, develop evidence-based interventions to address these determinants to reduce health disparities through community-engaged research projects aimed to prevent chronic diseases and other health and quality-of-life behaviors and outcomes. We use these opportunities to train the next generation of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Our projects are grant funded through the National Institutes of Health and operated under the direction of SDSU faculty in partnership with research staff and students. We aim to hire an Administrative Assistant who can advance the health of diverse communities by supporting us in day-to-day operations of multiple ongoing projects.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Administrative Assistant will be part of the administrative team for two IBACH projects: Fe en Accion and SDSU-UCSD Cancer Research and Education to Advance Health Equity (CREATE) Partnership. Under immediate supervision, this individual will perform general office support work of average difficulty for multiple research projects. The admin assistant will support faculty and staff with administrative tasks, follow up on tasks to ensure deadlines are met, support the planning and implementation of meetings and other events, coordinate intake and reporting requirements of personnel and volunteers, organize work and documents to ensure consistent performance, and conduct all activities in accordance with SDSU Research Foundation policies and procedures.

Faith in Action /Fe en Acción is a promotora-led health and exercise intervention for Latina women implemented in collaboration with 32 churches throughout San Diego County. The current study is testing the effectiveness, implementation, and sustainment of enhanced versions of the intervention in comparison with a standard version.

CREATE is a partnership between SDSU and UCSD Moores Cancer Center that aims to advance cancer health equity in underserved communities throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. CREATE coordinates programs to support cancer research, develop cancer research training for future researchers, and provide tools and resources to community efforts to address cancer disparities.

This is a hybrid position with 50-75% of weekly activities in-person at our offices in Kearny Mesa and additional in-person expectations to support special events at SDSU campus, UCSD, and other locations. Our programs operate during normal business hours, but the position will require occasional evening or weekend hours to attend and support program events and functions. Infrequent opportunities to travel to Imperial County or out-of-state locations for meetings and conferences may arise.

Responsibilities

SPECIFIC DUTIES

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for but not limited to:

COORDINATION OF MEETINGS AND EVENTS (40-45%)

• Schedule and set up meetings and conferences
  • Solicit attendees for availability
  • Reserve conference or meeting rooms at IBACH or off site
  • Send meeting confirmations (date, time, location) to attendees
  • Send meeting reminders to attendees—7 days and 2 days before
• Attend team and investigator meetings as requested to record minutes; compile, transcribe, and distribute minutes of meetings
• Make travel arrangements for faculty and staff
  • Reserve hotel, flight, and other transportation (e.g. to/from airport)
  • Arrange payment for travel, lodging, and conference registration/fees
  • Reconcile expenditures (advance closeout or reimbursement) following travel
• Assist in institute wide special events
  • Prepare and maintain checklists and protocols to ensure smooth implementation of events
  • Coordinate room reservation, catering ordering, communication with speakers and vendors, travel arrangements for outside guests, etc.
• Maintain good rapport with diverse teams and partners (investigators, staff/faculty, community stakeholders, Advisory Board, etc.) during communication and coordination of meetings

SUPPORTING STUDENT RESEARCH ASSISTANTS AND STAFF (20-25%)

• Coordinate intake and reporting requirements for personnel and volunteers (complete onboarding paperwork and get relevant signatures, ensure eRA Commons IDs are set up and required training is completed)
• Provide incoming staff and interns with an orientation to the project including the location of equipment (printers, fax, copier, etc.), suite layout, faculty and staff introductions, general office policies/procedures, and project-specific workflows and expectations.
• Coordinate and maintain records for staff/students, office space, telephones, and office keys
  • Update email/phone directories and provide updated directories to faculty, staff, interns
  • Maintain database with records of volunteers and personnel
  • Arrange for the repair and maintenance of office and computer equipment (e.g. facilities requests, IT requests)
  • Arrange for new phone numbers, keys/access cards, for new personnel
• Serve as the teams’ first point of contact for troubleshooting general office and clerical challenges such as file access, software compatibility, and document submission
• Connect staff and students with appropriate parties as needed for IT support, payroll questions,
• The administrative assistant is often the first face that students interact with when working on our projects and helps to provide a welcoming environment for new team members to feel comfortable asking questions

ORDERING AND PURCHASING (15-20%)

• Maintain inventory of equipment and supplies (office supplies, participant incentives, project materials) and make purchases as needed
  • Research prices and purchase office furniture and supplies
• Create and modify documents and forms (e.g. journal vouchers, reimbursements, reports, memos, letters) using software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and/or Adobe
  • Complete paperwork
  • Draft justifications for expenditures
  • Obtain necessary signatures and approvals

GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE AND HOSPITALITY (10-15%)

• Perform general clerical duties to include but not limited to copying, faxing, mailing, and filing
• File and retrieve organizational documents, records, and reports
• Assist with all aspects of general office support coordination
• Maintain calendar to coordinate work flow and meetings
• Interact with faculty, staff, students, vendors, and visitors
  • Sign for and distribute delivered packages
  • Answer telephones and transfer to appropriate staff member
  • Receive visitors and screen to control interruptions
• Support staff in assigned project-based work
  • Correspondence with staff and community partners, including reserving rooms on site
  • Translation of documents and/or content for dissemination to Spanish speaking community
• Maintain group email account and respond to or forward inquiries as relevant

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS ASSIGNED 5%

Qualifications

Knowledge and Abilities

• Ability to establish and maintain good rapport and cooperative working relationships with coworkers; ability to interact effectively with a variety of personalities and backgrounds in a multidisciplinary team and community
• Attention to Detail
• Experience with and sensitivity to diverse communities
• Knowledge of computer software programs such as Microsoft Office Suite; EndNote; Adobe
• Ability to function effectively in a project team setting
• Ability to exercise considerable judgment and problem solve
• Ability to write well to include clear and concise reports and correspondence
• Ability to carry out assignments independently within established deadlines and parameters
• Access to reliable transportation to facilitate travel to meetings at local sites such as UCSD and SDSU campus, as well as occasional travel to sites in San Diego and/or Imperial Counties.

MINIMUM EDUCATION

• High school diploma or equivalent

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE

• Previous experience in an office or administrative environment

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIAL SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• Two years of progressively responsible experience in technical or administrative
• Prior experience at an academic research institution
• Bilingual Spanish & English (written and spoken) preferred

ADDITIONAL APPLICANT INFORMATION

• Candidate must reside in California or live in a commutable distance from SDSU at time of hire.
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results (including a criminal record check).
• San Diego State University Research Foundation is an EEO/AA/Disability/Vets/Title IX Employer.