Administrative Support Assistant I

San Diego State University is a prominent educational institution seeking an Administrative Support Assistant I to join their team. The role involves providing general office support for NIH-grant-funded research projects, ensuring smooth operations and coordination among faculty, staff, and volunteers. Responsibilities 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 Coordinate intake and reporting requirements for personnel and volunteers (complete onboarding paperwork and get relevant signatures, ensure eRA Commons IDs are set up) 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, etc. for new personnel Assist students in 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 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 Perform general clerical duties to include but not limited to copying, faxing, mailing, and filing File and retried 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 Skills High school diploma or equivalent Previous experience in an office or administrative environment Prior experience in an administrative role Prior experience at an academic research institution Bilingual Spanish & English (written and spoken) preferred Company Overview San Diego State University is a public institution offering diverse educational experiences. It is a sub-organization of California State University. It was founded in 1897, and is headquartered in San Diego, California, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is Company H1B Sponsorship San Diego State University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 37 in 2025, 19 in 2024, 24 in 2023, 25 in 2022, 17 in 2021, 11 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.