Administrative Assistant I

Position Function:

The Administrative Assistant will work to provide administrative support to the department head and administrative office. This position will initiate and coordinate the administrative functions required in effective implementation of administrative policies of the program.

Salary Grade:  11

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges.  For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile:

The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering has 22 on-campus faculty and several adjunct/affiliate faculty off-campus within research centers and government agencies, engaged in teaching, research, and extension. The department is co-administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Bagley College of Engineering and offers undergraduate (B.S.) and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) degrees in three distinct program areas: Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Agricultural Engineering Technology and Business. Within these programs, the department has over 450 undergraduates and over 50 graduate students. The J. Charles Lee Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building, includes more than 6,000 square feet of state-of-the-art instructional and research facilities and includes separate labs for sterile tissue culture, biomechanical testing, environmental and agricultural simulation or modeling studies, electronic/robotic design fabrication and testing, fiber processing, GPS/GIS, renewable bio-energy, and student computing resources. More information about the department can be found at http://www.abe.msstate.edu/.

Anticipated Appointment Date:

August 2026. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The Administrative Assistant's responsibilities chiefly fall within the following core functions, although they may perform other tasks as needed.
Administrative Support for the Department Head
Business Office Support to the Business Manager
General Staff Responsibilities

More specifically,
1. Performs a wide variety of clerical duties which could be confidential in nature; operates personal computer to perform basic to complex typing assignments to include: data entry, draft, edit, revise and print letters, tables, reports and other materials.
2. Coordinates collection of and electronic storage of data in the preparation of operating reports using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Banner.
3. Participates in the developing, planning and implementing of programs, office policies and procedures relevant to unit mission and goals.
4. Gathers data for budget preparation and inventory reports, prepares or assists in the preparation of the annual budget.
5. Maintains inventory levels of office supplies, departmental recruiting supplies, furniture and equipment and submits procurement requests as needed.
6. Coordinates the logistics of unit functions and events.
7. Answers and returns phone calls in a timely fashion while also directing calls to appropriate personnel.
8. Assists with travel claims for faculty and staff utilizing Concur and other available sources.
9. Maintains employment records for student workers and Graduate assistants including Hiring paperwork, EAFs, JLRs, PARFs, Offer letters, Tuition Remissions, Reappointments, Insurance reimbursements and cubicle assignments.
10. Submission of time sheets for payroll, leave reconciliation, and monitoring mandatory training for new hires.
11. Coordinates Advisory Board meetings.
12. Assists in the collection, preparation and production of the departmental newsletter.
13. Record keeping of incoming packages.
14. Administering card access through Total Card.
15. Provides support to Business Manager in preparing monthly reports.
16. Attends in person and online training classes offered by the University that pertain to the department.
17. Maintains departmental owned vehicle records and scheduling of usage and maintenance.
18. Coordinates scheduling of student worker and assignment of tasks.
19. Other duties as assigned by Department Head and Business Manager.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: High school diploma or GED.
Experience: Two (2) years of related experience to the duties