OPERATIONS PROJECT ANALYST
The Education Insights Center (EdInsights) is a self-supporting unit of Sac State. Established in 2001 as the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy and renamed in 2015, EdInsights works to inform and improve policymaking and practice for K-12 education, community colleges, and public universities through three strands: policy research, program evaluation, and capacity building. EdInsights’ location in the state capital provides ready access to policy makers and educators and a unique opportunity to participate in and influence public discourse on education policy and practice. EdInsights receives financial support from philanthropic foundations, the federal government (through competitive grants/contracts processes), the State of California, postsecondary system offices and institutions, and non-profit organizations. EdInsights’ work has been used in legislative processes and cited widely in policy-oriented publications and the media. The three strands of work EdInsights’ recent policy research projects include studies of: the implementation of the Common Core State Standards; policies and practices that enable student transfer between California’s community colleges and California State Universities; state higher education policy development; and cross-system educational partnerships. EdInsights’ program evaluations assess policies and practices that support cycles of continuous improvement and help people understand the effects of public and philanthropic investments on institutional change. Its capacity-building work helps systems, regions, partnerships, and institutions work together effectively, assess the results of their work, and support students as they cross systems.
UEI offers an excellent benefits package which includes:
- UEI contribution to a TIAA retirement plan after one year of service
- Paid Vacation Time – based on schedule
- Paid Sick Time – based on schedule
- Paid Holidays – 13 paid holidays per year including paid time off the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day as the CSUS campus is closed plus 1 personal day
- Excellent medical benefits – 100% employer paid medical & dental for employee-only coverage and low cost for family coverage
Apply online at http://ueijobs.com by 7/23/2021.
Pay Rate: $22.41-$33.61 per hour
Position Overview:
The position is responsible for supporting the administrative and operational health of EdInsights and providing project management for the center’s projects. This position may also assist with research tasks, including data collection and management, and basic analysis. EdInsights and its projects are fast-moving and constantly shifting; consequently, the position must independently manage the rapidly changing environment. This position will work closely with EdInsights staff and directors.
The position reports directly to and receives general supervision from the Finance and Operations Director and also receives direction from project directors related to project management and research tasks. The position provides work direction to graduate and undergraduate student assistants and administrative support assistants. The position may also receive direction from EdInsights Executive Director.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Oversees front office operations including EdInsights phones, mail, email, office equipment, and troubleshooting/support for EdInsights staff, including submitting Information Resources and Technology (IRT) and Facilities service tickets. Coordinates office visits to EdInsights, including preparing parking permits, maps, and directions. Makes supply and equipment purchases including researching options, pricing, and product reviews. Identifies and researches vendors for office and project service needs. Maintains accurate inventories of these items. Works with project directors, Finance and Operations Director, and sponsors on proposal development, and with the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (ORIED) on the campus proposal approval process. Assists with and prepares proposal approval forms (PAFs), ensuring all materials for both processes are complete and meet sponsor and university requirements and guidelines. Oversees processes through completion.
Coordinates with sponsors, staff, and University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI) to execute contracts/grants and any subsequent amendments as new projects are funded and existing projects require changes. Analyst is responsible for ensuring compliance with grant/contract requirements, including program reporting, deliverables and deadlines, travel guidelines, data rights, and document retention. Gathers information on project and expense statuses from project directors and Finance Analyst to submit progress and final reports to sponsor. Uses the principles of Project Management and Project Management software like Trello to track project activities, ensuring efficient operations and due dates and deliverables are met and recorded. May assist with preparing/writing various written reports. Responsible for maintaining all records and proper documentation of deliverables, personnel forms, etc. as required by UEI, the university, EdInsights and its projects, with a focus on the audit/retention requirements of the contracts, UEI, and the university. Oversees the planning, scheduling, and execution of meetings and events as needed by project directors, staff, and the center. Includes scheduling meetings/events via accessing staff calendars or using applications like Doodle to poll participants. Helps to create and print meeting agendas and materials and plans all aspects of logistics, including space needs (setup, A/V, and supplies), catering, and travel. Provides webinar technology support as needed for virtual meetings and events. Takes and distributes meeting notes as needed. Anticipates consultant contracting needs and works with project directors, staff, UEI, and consultants to prepare and execute contracts and amendments as needed by EdInsights. Assists project directors with analyzing and evaluating project staffing needs, projecting future staffing needs, and assisting in the development of new positions. Takes part in the hiring and supervision of administrative support assistants and student staff. Serves on or assists hiring committees, prepares and submits Human Resources and payroll-related forms and provides new staff onboarding, including workstation and computer setup, email setup, business cards, credit cards, etc.
Provides offboarding for staff departures, including equipment return, termination of access to center accounts, and ensuring completion of exit tasks for various UEI and university departments (e.g., HR, IRT, Payroll, Facilities). Ensures compliance with employment policies and procedures. Develops, updates, and documents operational processes discussing with other staff as needed. May assist with qualitative and quantitative research analysis, such as downloading and cleaning data, conducting descriptive analysis, creating data visualizations, coding qualitative data, and scheduling and coordinating research interviews and focus groups. Performs other duties as assigned to ensure the success of EdInsights and its projects.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in business, project administration, accounting, an appropriate social science discipline, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and/or work experience.
Demonstrated experience in an administrative support position. Experience scheduling, coordinating, and hosting a variety of meetings, events, and activities, including in virtual formats. Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills. Demonstrated knowledge of modern office methods, procedures, and practices, and tools including project management (such as Trello), word processing (such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs), spreadsheets (such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets), file management (such as Box or Google Drive), web conferencing (such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams), and travel expense management (such as Expensify and Concur). Ability to learn new office support technology systems, software, and processes independently and quickly. General knowledge of the budgeting, including projecting and tracking expenses to adhere to established budget. Demonstrated ability to work effectively and cooperatively with students and staff with diverse cultural backgrounds. Excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and skills to effectively function as part of a team. Demonstrated ability to clearly answer routine questions and/or refer callers/visitors to appropriate departments. Excellent command of the English language including grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Self-directed with the ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and perform work independently, function in a detail-oriented capacity, and respond effectively and with flexibility to changes in priorities and deadlines. Demonstrated ability to prioritize many different tasks, determine the relative importance of each task, complete projects accordingly, and work with deadlines and time pressure. Experience in handling confidential materials. Must pass a background check, which may include fingerprinting. Must continue to meet the established standards.
Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated experience applying the principles of Project Management in a policy research or program evaluation setting. Familiarity with data analytics software (such as SPSS, Dedoose, and Qualtrics). Experience conducting basic quantitative or qualitative research. Experience with Microsoft products including Teams, Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive, Trello, and Zoom.