University of Pennsylvania Hiring for Administrative Coordinator – Communication Neuroscience Lab at Annenberg School for Communication Full Time

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job TitleAdministrative Coordinator – Communication Neuroscience LabJob Profile TitleAdministrative CoordinatorJob Description SummaryThe Communication Neuroscience Lab (CNLab) in the Annenberg School of Communication is looking for an Administrative Coordinator. Working closely with the Senior Lab Manager, the Administrative Coordinator will help plan labwide meetings and teambuilding events, assist with travel arrangements for the lab’s Director, prepare for project-specific meetings and reports, and support the day-to-day operations of the lab as a whole.Job Description

The Communication Neuroscience Lab in the Annenberg School of Communication is an interdisciplinary group of 15+ researchers who focus on catalyzing communication that increases human health and happiness and reduces human suffering by gaining insight into how people coordinate, bond, and influence one another. Our current research projects span different fields, such as climate communication and action, health communication, and social psychology.

We believe that our science is better with a diverse team. We embrace and encourage our lab members’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our lab members who they are.

Part of having a large, diverse team means we need someone responsible for tracking large amounts of organizational information, staying on top of multiple tasks at once, and planning in advance to make sure things run smoothly. Our ideal coordinator has a strong eye for detail, a desire to support team cohesion by planning organizational and social activities, and an eagerness to gain administrative experience while facilitating meaningful research in a supportive, cross-functional team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Working closely with the Senior Lab Manager, the Administrative Coordinator will:

• Provide overall support to the lab’s Director, Dr. Emily Falk, which may include: managing busy schedules, making travel arrangements, and copy-editing and formatting formal documents like recommendation letters and grant submissions.

• Coordinate with team members and external collaborators to organize lab-wide or project-related meetings. This may involve managing shared calendars, scheduling meetings, sending reminders, drafting agendas, taking notes, and assisting with progress reports.

• Serve as the initial lab contact person by answering incoming emails to the lab, directing inquiries to appropriate lab members, and drafting various communications to outside individuals, such as collaborators, funders, prospective students, and local community members.

• Plan and coordinate lab social and team-building events, which can involve coordinating catering, making reservations, ordering or picking up supplies, and preparing activities. We are passionate about making time for joy, and you can help make it happen!

• Document financial transactions including (but not limited to) travel reimbursements, payments to vendors, and purchases for the lab.

• Enter information on incoming and graduating lab members, ongoing projects, and new publications into existing systems/databases. Use this information to update the lab website, craft posts for lab social media accounts, Dr. Falk’s CV, grant reports, and our annual center report to the Dean of ASC.

• Assist with onboarding and offboarding of lab members, and coordinating with other departments to ensure access to facilities, technology, documentation, and other resources.

• Depending on the interests and previous experiences of the coordinator, this position also has the potential to include other administrative parts of the research process, such as: updating study documentation, testing surveys, IRB management, and tracking participant payment. (Note: Experience with/interest in experimental research is a welcome bonus, but not a requirement for application.)

IMPORTANT: Please submit your resumé/CV AND fill out this Qualtrics Survey for your application to be considered complete. Cover letters are recommended but not required.

Qualifications:

Note: We don’t expect you to come in knowing everything! We do our best to foster a supportive environment and provide hands-on training for every part of the job. Our hope is for candidates who enjoy using and developing systems to keep things organized and, ideally, have a knack for catching little details that others might miss.

Required:

• BA/BS with at least 1-2 years of related experience or H.S. Diploma or GED Required with at least 5-7 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience providing administrative support

• Comfort using Google Suite Applications (e.g., Calendar, Docs, Sheets)

• Superb attention to detail

• Highly organized, responsible, and reliable

• Excellent with time management (balancing multiple tasks at once, prioritizing, and holding oneself accountable to meet deadlines)

• Ability to work independently, as well as in a team

• Strong interpersonal skills, including both written and oral communication

• Willingness to learn how to use new online tools and software for scheduling, productivity, management, social media, and/or research

Strongly Preferred:

Past experience…

• providing administrative support in a college, university, or other research-intensive settings

• with calendar management (e.g., as an executive assistant) or group scheduling with a team of 10+

• with tracking information with spreadsheets, databases, and/or project management software

• Someone who…

• is proactive (identifies and addresses potential future challenges before they arise)

• self-identifies as “a planner”

Would Be Great:

• Highly experienced with using one or more Google Suite Applications (e.g., setting up filters and message templates/canned messages in Gmail, using appointment slots and repeating events in Google Calendar, using formulas, content validation, and conditional formatting in Google Sheets [or Microsoft Excel], using Theme Builder in Google Slides [or Slide Master in Microsoft Powerpoint])

• Experience with:

• Travel and expense report tools like Concur

• Notion (or other project management software), Slack, RedCAP, Qualtrics, Box/Dropbox, Paperpile (or other citation management platforms), and/or Adobe Acrobat

• Event planning (e.g., scheduling, arranging catering, making reservations for large groups)

• Experimental research, especially research with human participants

• Running online studies through recruitment platforms such as mTurk or Prolific

• Citation management or IRB management

Job Location – City, StatePhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaDepartment / SchoolAnnenberg School for CommunicationPay Range$20.45 – $25.00 Hourly RateSalary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile. Affirmative Action Statement
Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.Special Requirements
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn’s exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you’ll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay