Administrative Assistant

Job Summary

Join the Physics Department as a Swampland Administrative Assistant, where you?ll play a vital role in supporting our innovative Swampland Initiative. This dynamic position offers the opportunity to work closely with world-renowned faculty and contribute to groundbreaking research and academic activities. The Department of Physics at Harvard is large and diverse in its research interests. With 10 Nobel Prize winners to its credit, the distinguished faculty of today engages in teaching and research that spans the discipline and defines its borders, and as a result Harvard is consistently one of the top-ranked physics departments in the nation.

As a key member of our administrative team, the Swampland Administrative Assistant will be responsible for managing a diverse range of functions, including coordinating a robust visitors program, organizing numerous high-profile events, and providing comprehensive financial and administrative support to a vibrant research group. If you have previous experience providing direct support, are a team player with outstanding customer service skills, and a ?no job is too small? approach, we encourage you to apply and become an integral part of our mission to advance scientific discovery.

Why This Role:

• Work closely with brilliant minds in the Physics Department, providing high-level administrative and financial support.
• Take charge of managing multiple events every year and oversee a robust visitors program that is crucial to our mission.
• Coordinate complex international and local travel arrangements for distinguished visitors, sharpening your logistics and planning skills.
• From financial reporting to website management, your days will be varied and stimulating.
• While part of a small group, you will still be a member of a larger team within the Physics Department.

Position Description

Administrative Support

• Deliver high-level administrative support to a dynamic and complex research group, ensuring seamless operations across complex projects.
• Coordinate intricate travel arrangements for 2-3 visiting scholars weekly, ensuring a seamless experience and adherence to academic schedules.
• Strategically plan and manage detailed itineraries for high-profile academic visitors.
• Organize meetings, seminars, and events, maintain detailed calendars, and provide timely updates to group websites
• Manage the appointment process for research scholars, postdocs, and students; liaise with the Research Scholar Coordinator on appointments and visa requests to ensure compliance with university policies.
• Draft, edit, and refine correspondence on behalf of the PI to advance research initiatives, strengthen partnerships, and enhance academic impact.
• Coordinate workspace assignments and maintain general spaces and office areas, ensuring an organized, efficient, and productive environment for research.

Research Administration, Finance, and Purchasing

• Acts as a policy advisor to the group by providing clear guidance on departmental and university policies.
• Works closely with the Physics Research Administrative team on grant proposals by managing budget justifications, personnel allocations, and progress reports. Maintains publication records, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and enhancing the PI?s visibility in the research community.
• Compiles, submits, and tracks progress and final reports related to sponsored funding.
• Monitors budgets, tracks expenditures, and provides insightful financial reports; creates and maintains spreadsheets to ensure financial accuracy and resource allocation.
• Manages all local financial transactions, including reimbursements, corporate card and Pcard expenses, and PCard usage; assists group members, ensuring consistent and responsible use of funds.
• Resolves billing issues to streamline accounting and improve vendor relations.
• Manages purchasing for the group, ensuring timely procurement and accuracy; serving as the primary approver within the Harvard financial systems.
• Conducts routine audits to guarantee compliance with internal and external financial regulations.

Website Management and Technical Support

• Develops and maintains faculty websites, ensuring information is up to date, engaging, and aligned with PI?s vision.
• Draft and edit reports, letters of recommendation, course materials, and correspondence, perhaps by using technical programs such as LaTex, MATLAB, and Mathematica to ensure precision.
• Coordinates technology needs with Harvard IT (HUIT, managing inventory and maintenance schedules to keep equipment updated and functional.

Document Administration

• Composes and edits a range of written materials with minimal guidance from the PI, aligning documents with academic and federal standards.

· Develops and maintains methods for organization of information including files, databases, and other systems as they pertain to the complicated nature of each research PI?s group

Events Management

• Coordinates detailed site visits for visiting scholars and postdoctoral candidates. Manages logistics from travel to catering, creating a welcoming and well-organized experience.
• Organizes weekly group meetings, seminars and events, and large-scale conferences, taking charge of every aspect from planning to execution.
• Executes high-impact, international conferences by selecting venues, managing vendors, and handling logistics, showcasing the department?s commitment to global research collaboration.
• Provides dedicated administrative support for special projects at the PI?s direction, contributing to a wide array of research and academic initiatives.