Job Description

Position Overview

The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research (KBS-CER) is a non-regulatory state agency and research center at the University of Kansas (KU). The unit conducts basic and applied research that addresses state, regional, national, and global environmental issues. The unit consists of multiple surface water assessment programs, the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing program, the Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory, and Monarch Watch. The unit also manages the KU Field Station composed of more than 3,500 acres in northeastern Kansas, and several service centers extending from novel expertise of researchers in the center.

This position will work closely with the center director, researchers and staff by providing service to achieve the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the research center in relationship to the overall strategic priorities of the University. The position requires strong organization, computer, and communication skills and the ability to work independently. The administrative associate will have four areas of responsibility: (1) general administrative office oversight; (2) support for administrative staff; (3) research community support; and (4) other duties as assigned.

Job Description

30% General Office Oversight

Perform or oversee the following operations:

• Serve as the initial point of contact for staff, students and public inquiries concerning administration and unit operations.
• Monitor and direct departmental emails and phone calls to appropriate personnel.
• Scanning, copying and faxing.
• Assist with deliveries and mail.
• Purchase, order and reconcile payments for administrative operations.
• Assist with event mailings and donor correspondence.
• Help with coordination of department events and associated hospitality.
• Assist the facility manager with transporting fleet vehicles for maintenance.

30% Administration Support

• Assist the director with scheduling and organizing meetings and events.
• Develop and distribute annual welcome email and resource information to new researchers, staff and students.
• Distribute email communications to the research community and collect RSVPs for meetings and events.
• Assist the assistant/associate director with budget tracking.
• Assist the communications coordinator with preparing the annual report.
• Update directories and email lists.
• Manage and track monthly invoicing for fleet vehicle mileage.
• May train and supervise student hourly hires assisting with center administration.

30% Community Support

• Assist with undergraduate student, temporary worker, post-doctoral researcher, graduate research assistants, and research and administrative position descriptions and hires.
• Assist and provide training to PIs, staff and students on administrative processes, purchasing, FITC orders, Financial Service Portal and Concur online forms and processes.
• Assist with annual internal student research awards including collecting necessary documentation from awardees and processing appropriate payments.
• Process Participant Support stipends and supporting documents.
• Process sponsorship/fellowship forms.
• Process visa documents and related materials.
• Re-communicate relevant funding opportunities to principal investigators.
• Provide assistance with sponsored project conferences, workshops and other events.
• Assist researchers with scheduling, coordination, and reimbursement or honorarium for speakers and visitors.

10% Other Duties as Assigned

Position Requirements

• Valid Driver's License.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED equivalency and two (2) years of office experience, or two (2) years of post-secondary education.
• Excellent written communication skills as evidenced by application materials.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience that required attention to detail and prioritization of tasks and deadlines as shown in application materials.
• Experience working cooperatively as part of a team, as indicated by application materials. Ability is not measurable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with FITC, FSP, Concur, OAC, and HR Pay systems as evidenced in application materials.
• Experience with university purchasing cards and policies as shown in application materials.
• Experience working in a university environment as evidenced in application materials.
• Experience with human resource policies and procedures and hiring activities as shown in application materials.
• Familiarity with university policies and procedures as evidenced in application materials.

Additional Candidate Instructions

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume.
• List of three (3) professional references.

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins Friday December 5, 2025 and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Brandy Hildreth Baranski

hildreth@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

$46,000

Application Review Begins

Friday December 5, 2025

Anticipated Start Date

Monday January 5, 2026

Job Tags

Hourly pay, Full time, Temporary work, Work at office, Remote work,

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