Office Manager

Summary:

Effective July 1, 2025, the Department of Biology (https://biology.vcu.edu/) and VCU Life Sciences (https://lifesciences.vcu.edu/) will merge to form the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability (SLSS), to be housed within the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences (https://chs.vcu.edu/). SLSS includes more than 60 full-time faculty and 14 staff supporting undergraduate and graduate programs in Biology, Bioinformatics, Environmental Studies, and Integrative Life Sciences. We are currently recruiting key staff to support the operations of this new academic unit, including for the position of Office Manager . This position will be responsible for office operations and administration, access management, faculty assistance, and academic support.

The VCU job series for this position is Senior Administrative Coordinator in the General Administration job family. For more information, please see the VCU Human Resources’ Job Family and Salary Ranges site at https://insidehr.vcu.edu/guidelines/compensation/job-families-and-salary-ranges/.

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VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will add your military years of service to our leave plan. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

Job-Specific Duties

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Office Operations and Administration (50%)
Incumbent will oversee the day-to-day operations of the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability administrative office to ensure efficiency and productivity. Manages office equipment, including processing copy jobs, ordering supplies, and coordinating maintenance for printers and copiers within departmental budgets. Serves as the primary point of contact for submitting and tracking facility and IT service tickets for office-related issues, such as network connectivity or lightning repairs, ensuring timely resolution with minimal supervision. Maintains organized digital and physical filing systems for departmental records, contracts, and correspondence. Prepares and distributes communications such as memos or meeting agendas, as directed by leadership. Attends departmental meetings, serving as scribe when needed. Proactively assess office needs, implements technology and administrative best practices to streamline workflows, and provides feedback to supervisors on office and departmental status. Supports records coordinator and managing internal records.

Proxy Card and Access Management (20%)
Administers the proxy card system for secure access to the Trani Life Science building, office spaces, meeting rooms, laboratory areas, and other non-laboratory areas managed by the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability. Issues, activates, and deactivates proxy cards for faculty, staff, and approved visitors, ensuring compliance with university security policies. Maintains a digital database to track proxy card assignments, access levels, and activity logs for audits and reporting. Coordinates with campus security, facilities, the Building Manager, and the Assistant Building Manager to ensure seamless access control without overlapping job-related responsibilities. Manages requests for locking and unlocking internal and external building doors as needed, maintaining a secure environment.

Faculty Assistance and Academic Support (20%)
Provides administrative support to the faculty for non-lab-related academic activities. Manages and supervises test keys and graded work left in the office, ensuring compliance with student privacy laws (e.g., FERPA). Format, type, and copy course materials, such as syllabi and exams, for faculty in a timely manner. Proctor student assessments and exams as needed. Maintains departmental bulletin boards by posting relevant information for undergraduate students, including scholarships, jobs, research opportunities, workshops, and seminars. Handles approximately 25 Federal Express shipments per month and transcribes or prepares documents for faculty as requested. Answers basic questions about courses, elevating complex inquiries to the appropriate instructor. Assist in coordinating responses to emergencies in lecture areas (excluding labs, which are managed by the Building Manager and Assistant Building Manager), following university protocols.

Miscellaneous Duties (10%)
Performs additional administrative tasks as assigned to support the department’s instructional and operational mission. Examples include assisting with onboarding new office staff, coordinating mail distribution, or supporting university-wide administrative initiatives. Demonstrates flexibility to meet evolving departmental needs while maintaining a professional and welcoming office environment.