Job Description

The Media Lab is looking for a dynamic Administrative Assistant to join the team to provide administrative support for the Fluid Interfaces Group at 20 hours/week.  The Fluid Interfaces group is one of 25 or so research groups at the Media Lab.  Led by Prof.  Pattie Maes,  the highly interdisciplinary team explores how digital technologies might support cognitive functions such as attention,  memory,  learning,  decision making,  creativity,  communication and more. The group includes roughly 10 graduate students,  2 postdocs and several part-time undergraduates and visiting students involved in rapid prototyping,  experiments,  workshops,  seminars and conferences.

The Media Lab is currently working on a hybrid work schedule - 60% on campus in Cambridge, 40% remote.

This role is 20 hours per week,  Monday – Friday:  4 hours a day (schedule TBD)

Responsibilities

Financial (50% - 10 hours per week)

• Manage day-to-day spending for group according to Media Lab Finance and MIT procedures and compliance policy,  including but not limited to:

○ Reconciling expenses,  processing expense reimbursements,  handling complex purchase orders and contracts,  including independent contractor coordination,  monitoring timely payments,  reviewing/approving monthly Financial Review & Control (FRC) reports,  maintaining all records, invoices,  receipts,  and the like according to MIT’s record retention policy,  etc.;
○ Responsible for use of MIT Procurement and Travel credit cards for group according to Media Lab Finance and MIT procedure and compliance policy;
○ Working with financial officer to regularly review budgets and spending.

Administrative (40% - 8 hours per week)

• Scheduling and coordinating PI and group calendar,  including monitoring deadlines and important events;
•  Coordinating and facilitating communications (in-person, virtual, telephone, etc.) and meetings with collaborators,  both domestic and international;
• Coordinating travel logistics: booking travel,  arranging reservations,  and creating detailed travel itineraries,  including coordinating and processing reimbursement for travel expenses for professor and students;
• Processing purchasing reimbursements for students;
• Serving as an information resource for group members;
• Proofreading and editing documents,  such as letters of recommendation;
• Maintaining,  updating,  and ensuring group’s web pages are up to date;
• Maintaining records and contacts related to UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program),  and other affiliated staff;
• Supporting onboarding activities for new group members such as keys,  mailing lists,  etc.;
• Handling general office duties as needed and assigned.

Events (10% - 2 hours per week)

• Coordinating events: meetings,  workshops,  and conferences,  to include budget preparation and logistics such as securing space,  initiating and coordinating online conferencing,  catering set up and breakdown,  completing event work orders and registration forms,  securing suppliers, creating purchase orders, paying invoices,  ordering name badges,  tracking registration, coordinating travel and accommodation requests,  scheduling,  event materials ordering and shipping,  and supporting other event activities as needed;

o Approximately five seminars annually (up to 40 people); weekly tea for group;
o Conferences: One large annual event usually held at the Media Lab.  Attendance ranges from 50-150 people.  Responsibilities include securing caterer,  ordering supplies,  arranging filming and photography along with standard meeting tasks as noted above.  Students in the group are hands on and provide assistance.

Qualifications

Required:

• High School education or equivalent;
• Minimum 3 years of administrative,  office,  or related experience;
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a creative and diverse group of people;
• Self-starter, detail oriented,  enthusiastic problem solver;
• Strong organizational and customer service skills;
• Ability to manage competing priorities;
• Effective communicator with excellent verbal and written communications skills;
• Exercises discretion,  diplomacy,  and tact;
• Excellent computer skills including proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and Google Workspace,  and comfortable using new software.

Preferred:

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree;
• SAPgui;
• Concur;
• Dropbox;
• Experience in the education sector.

To apply, please visit  MIT's careers at  https://hr.mit.edu/careers  and search for job ID number #24044.