Senior Project Specialist

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly organized, dependable, and detail-oriented Senior Project Specialist to provide administrative, operational, and project support for an institute focused on addiction science, public health, research, and community engagement.

This position will support institute leadership and staff with calendar management, scheduling, travel coordination, purchasing, financial reconciliation, office operations, meetings, events, communications, and special projects. The ideal candidate is professional, responsive, resourceful, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced academic, research, and healthcare-related environment.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong attention to detail, sound judgment, initiative, discretion, and the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, trainees, community partners, external collaborators, and other university stakeholders.

Compensation and Schedule

• Pay rate: $30.00 per hour
  

• Work schedule: 37.5 hours per week
  

• Standard hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday
  

• Lunch: One-half-hour lunch
  

• Work arrangement: Hybrid; onsite and remote days are determined by departmental needs and may change
  

• Candidates must remain flexible and adhere to the department’s assigned schedule.
  

• The department will not provide a laptop. Candidates must provide their own personal laptop when working remotely and bring it onsite as required so the organization’s IT team can install or secure the necessary access.

Key Responsibilities

Executive and Administrative Support

• Provide high-level administrative and operational support to institute leadership and staff.
  

• Manage calendars, schedule appointments and meetings, coordinate availability, and send reminders and follow-up communications.
  

• Coordinate complex scheduling involving faculty, university leadership, students, community partners, external collaborators, and other stakeholders.
  

• Organize and respond to routine correspondence, track requests, and follow up on outstanding items.
  

• Prepare documents, correspondence, presentations, spreadsheets, reports, and other administrative materials.
  

• Maintain calendars, contact lists, shared files, administrative records, and organizational systems.
  

• Handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
  

• Provide general administrative support and assistance with special projects as assigned.

Travel and Reconciliation

• Coordinate domestic and occasional international travel arrangements, including airfare, hotels, ground transportation, registrations, itineraries, and supporting documentation.
  

• Assist with travel reimbursements and related reconciliation in accordance with applicable policies and procedures.
  

• Gather and organize receipts, invoices, approvals, and other required documentation.
  

• Track travel-related deadlines and resolve routine discrepancies as needed.

Meeting, Program, and Event Support

• Provide administrative and logistical support for meetings, educational activities, webinars, retreats, speaker events, community activities, and other programs.
  

• Schedule meetings and reserve conference rooms or other meeting spaces.
  

• Prepare and distribute meeting invitations, agendas, virtual meeting links, materials, and supporting documents.
  

• Assist with room reservations, catering, parking, audiovisual requests, registration lists, meeting materials, and other event logistics.
  

• Coordinate communications with speakers, attendees, faculty, students, community partners, and other participants.
  

• Attend meetings and events as needed to take notes, prepare minutes, document action items, and support follow-up.
  

• Assist with onsite preparation, registration or check-in, materials, refreshments, and post-event organization.
  

• Maintain accurate records and documentation related to meetings, programs, and events.

Office Operations

• Support the day-to-day operation, organization, and appearance of the institute’s office.
  

• Monitor office supply inventory and place orders as needed.
  

• Maintain shared office, kitchen, conference room, and common-use supplies.
  

• Monitor and replenish coffee, beverages, snacks, refreshments, and hospitality supplies.
  

• Receive, organize, and distribute deliveries, mail, supplies, and other materials.
  

• Prepare meeting rooms and common areas before meetings and restore them afterward.
  

• Coordinate with facilities, information technology, building management, and other service departments regarding routine office needs.
  

• Assist with maintaining office equipment and coordinating service, repair, or replacement.
  

• Help ensure the office remains organized, professional, functional, and welcoming.

Purchasing and Financial Administration

• Assist with purchasing, invoices, reimbursements, corporate card reconciliation, and other routine financial processes.
  

• Coordinate purchases for office supplies, equipment, meetings, catering, events, and other institute needs.
  

• Maintain accurate records of receipts, invoices, approvals, and supporting documentation.
  

• Enter, organize, and track financial information and documentation.
  

• Work with institute and university financial personnel to ensure transactions are submitted accurately and on time.
  

• Assist with gathering information and documentation for financial reconciliation, reporting, and audits.
  

• Follow established purchasing and financial procedures and escalate issues when appropriate.

Project and Program Coordination

• Support the planning, coordination, and execution of administrative projects and institute initiatives.
  

• Track project tasks, deadlines, deliverables, meeting outcomes, and follow-up items.
  

• Assist with preparing project materials, status updates, presentations, reports, and other documentation.
  

• Coordinate information and communications among internal teams and external partners.
  

• Help identify routine administrative needs, anticipate potential issues, and recommend practical solutions.
  

• Maintain well-organized project files and ensure information is current and accessible to authorized team members.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. A degree in public health or a related field is preferred but not required.
  

• At least two years of related professional experience.
  

• Strong organizational, prioritization, and time-management skills.
  

• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
  

• Ability to manage multiple administrative tasks, deadlines, calendars, and competing priorities.
  

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  

• Professional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with faculty, staff, students, university leadership, community organizations, and external partners.
  

• Ability to work independently, follow established procedures, exercise sound judgment, and ask questions when appropriate.
  

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
  

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, Zoom, and other commonly used administrative platforms.
  

• Ability to work onsite and remotely in accordance with departmental scheduling requirements.
  

• Ability to provide and use a personal laptop for remote work, subject to required organizational IT access and security procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in project coordination, administrative support, office operations, executive support, or a related field.
  

• Experience managing calendars, coordinating meetings, and arranging travel.
  

• Experience supporting meetings, events, webinars, educational programs, or community activities.
  

• Experience with purchasing, reimbursements, invoices, credit card reconciliation, or similar financial processes.
  

• Experience working in a university, academic, research, healthcare, public health, or nonprofit environment.
  

• Experience supporting research projects or familiarity with pre-award and/or post-award grant administration.
  

• Familiarity with Canva, WordPress, social media platforms, or Adobe Creative Cloud.
  

• Ability to take initiative, anticipate administrative needs, and work collaboratively as part of a team.
  

• Willingness to provide hands-on support for office operations, meetings, events, and institute activities.

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