Temporary Administrative Specialist: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - UTK

Position Details 

• Location: Knoxville, TN

• Onsite – Min H. Kao Building 

• Position Pay Rate/Range: $18/hour / MR04

• Hours: 8-5pm, M-F

• Duration of Temporary Assignment: 1-6 months

Job Description 

The Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, invites applications for a temporary full-time Administrative Associate I / Receptionist. The purpose of this position is to provide administrative support for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  The position is responsible for duties pertaining to front office administration and support of the Online program coordinator in addition to general student support.   The position also provides backup to other administrative personnel in the front office and assists in supporting the Department Head, Chief of Staff, and Business Managers in clerical tasks.

Front Desk Administration:

• Coordinate and manage Business Office Mail.

• Check in visitors for scheduled appointments.

• Assist faculty, students, and office visitors with inquiries.

• Assist and coordinate Textbooks for faculty.

• Manage inventory, initiate supply orders, and stock office supplies and break rooms items. 

• Oversee swag inventory management.

• Create and approve conference room reservations. 

• Distribute one-day parking passes to visitors when needed.

• Download several reports including 14-day report, graduation report, and RIF.

• Update phone lists.

• Manage the eecsinfo email.

• Building/space access support

Online Master Program Student Support:

• Assist MSCS students with inquiries and information requested about the on-line programs.

• Serve as a liaison between students and enrollment advisors. 

• Maintain updated enrollment data

• Generate regular reports pertaining to the on-line master’s programs

• Assist with tracking inventory for on-line programs

• Generate weekly course rosters for the student coaches.

• Send welcome emails via Slate to depositors explaining the course enrollment process.

• Utilize proper storage methods for repository of forms from admissions to candidacy for on-line students.

General EECS Student Support

• Update advisors for graduate students in Banner.

• Serves as a backup to Student Services Associate/Business Manager for Fellowship tracking in conjunction with the Associate Dept Head.

• Serves as a backup to Student Services Associate/Business Manager with scholarship tracking, award notifications, and input into university systems.

Required Qualifications

• Education: High school diploma or GED
• 1 year of administrative experience

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment with faculty, staff, and students.  Knowledge of Microsoft Office and other appropriate administrative/office software.  Willingness and ability to work on special projects when needed.  Professional communication skills as well as confidence in interacting with high-level stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: High school diploma or GED

• Experience: 2 years of administrative experience supporting a business office or higher education setting

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge of UTK policies and procedures.  Ability to maintain focus with frequent interruptions.

Information about the Department

The Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) is in the midst of an unprecedented period of growth and success, including adding over 30 new faculty at all levels to the college over 4 years as part of ambitious hiring campaigns led by Chancellor Donde Plowman and Dean Matthew Mench. The college has set records in research expenditures, enrollment, incoming student GPA, intellectual property development, and USNWR rank in the past three years. Key partnerships with Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL)  through the University of Tennessee Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UTORII) and Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) that manages the Y-12 National Security Complex have created an expanded opportunity space for faculty and students in the region.  New facilities include the state-of-the art Zeanah Engineering Complex, the University of Tennessee Manufacturing and Design Enterprise (TN-MADE) facility, and the Innovation South building that houses UTK’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF), a National Prototype Research Center (NSPC) as part of a partnership with CNS Y-12 under construction, and new facilities for the Biomedical Engineering department and a quantum foundry in planning stages. 

TCE currently has 213 tenure/tenure track and over 80 non-tenure track faculty in its nine academic departments and offers 11 undergraduate, 16 MS, and 15 PhD/DE degree programs. Affiliated with TCE and located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, the UT Space Institute is a hub of aerospace and defense research. The college is also home to eight research centers and three interdisciplinary institutes. With approximately 4,800 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, the college sits 28th among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report graduate rankings. Faculty in the college have won 33 early career awards (NSF, DOE, DARPA, AFOSR, AHA, and Sloan) since 2016. In FY25, the college had annual research expenditures of $113.9M.

EECS at UTK has 50 full-time T/TT faculty members, three members of the National Academy of Engineering Fellows, 15 IEEE Fellows, 15 NSF/DOE CAREER awardees, and 19 ranked in World’s Top 2% Scientists as compiled by Stanford. The department has a growing enrollment of more than 1000 undergraduate and more than 450 graduate students across the three majors of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science. In addition, the department offers undergraduate minors in computer science, cybersecurity, datacenter technology and management, and machine learning. Successful faculty candidates will be expected to contribute to the continued growth and excellence of EECS.