Principal Administrative Coordinator
Employer: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory · Location: Richland, Washington · Posting: PNL-11789 · Type: Full-Time · Pay: $35-$50/hr
Duties
Overview At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget. Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus. The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges. Our more than 1,700 staff support the Department of Energy (DOE), delivering on key DOE mission areas including: modernizing our nation’s power grid to maintain a reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient electricity delivery infrastructure; research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system; and resolving complex issues in nuclear science, energy, and environmental management. The Program Development Office within the Energy and Environment Directorate evaluates emerging national, regional, and state energy and environmental priorities, policies, and programs to make sure our mission strategy, and science and technology efforts align with our sponsors’ needs and are focused on the most impactful outcomes. Responsibilities This position provides comprehensive, high-level support to the Director of the Energy Innovation Sector and team in the Program Development Office (PDO) of the Energy & Environment Directorate (EED). The PDO team works to understand complex sponsor (e.g., Department of Energy) requirements and how those requirements impact PNNL’s mission objectives. With that understanding, they formulate strategy, and implementation plans to match PNNL’s unique capabilities with our sponsors’ mission needs. This valuable insight from our sponsors is used to inform and shape Lab internal investments and strategy. The Principal Administrative Coordinator provides administrative support to the Director and team in the PDO office in their research and program management activities and serves as the primary point of contact for activities and actions required to manage the Sector office, including visits, frequent travel, and a variety of engagements and review/approval actions. This position requires the ability to multi-task, prioritize, and organize work under tight deadlines and changing priorities. In addition, this position is part of a team of administrators responsible for coordinating all administrative support for the Program Development Office. The individual in this position will perform a variety of administrative and office support activities. Duties include but are not limited to managing schedules, email, and travel; planning and coordinating external visits; creating spreadsheets and presentations; and tracking actions. Additional responsibilities may include developing required documentation and responding to questions from internal and external stakeholders. Primary duties for this position include direct support to the Director consisting of: Strategic Partnership: Serves as a strategic partner by anticipating organizational needs, proactively identifying opportunities for improvement, and taking initiative to drive actions that strengthen executive alignment, increase operational efficiency, and advance organizational goals. Confidentiality & Integrity: Demonstrates the highest level of discretion and trusted judgment in stewarding sensitive and confidential information, ensuring absolute integrity in handling materials and decisions. Task & Deadline Management: Managing tasks, action items and deadlines to ensure timely completion while staying responsive to rapidly evolving needs. Travel Coordination: Arranging travel which often includes frequent in-travel disruptions, troubleshooting and coordination with the in-house travel representatives. Handles all aspects of the travel management process, including submission of travel requests, coordinating domestic and foreign travel arrangements, completing expense reports. Meeting & Materials Preparation: Assist with preparation and review of materials for meetings, presentations, reports, and other documents. Event & Visitor Support: Assisting, planning and execution of hosting visitors, interviewees, onsite workshops, seminars and other related events. Email & Calendar Management: Triaging Director’s email along with managing a complex calendar schedule. Team Collaboration: Effectively partnering with the PDO administrative team to balance workloads across the Sectors. Process Improvement: Strategically partner to recommend process improvements and innovations for the Directorate or Sector. Executive-Level Communication: Provide effective, executive-level communication within PNNL, including laboratory leadership, directorate colleagues, and external stakeholders. Relationship Management: Maintain effective working relationships with administrative counterparts across PNNL, and DOE sponsors, among other organizations, as appropriate. Operational Workflow Management: Independently manages routine to complex business issues, exercising sound judgment, navigating ambiguity, and demonstrating strong follow‑through and attention to detail while advising, monitoring, and coordinating activities across the organization. The position is for on-site support in the Richland office, and the preferred candidate would need to be onsite at least 4-days a week. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications: High school diploma/GED and 12 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment -OR- AA degree or higher and 10 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment. Experience in planning meetings and coordinating travel Preferred Qualifications: Experience supporting a director-level or senior manager. Advanced calendar management experience. Manage day-to-day administrative processes associated with office and team coordination with little to no supervisory input. Demonstrated ability to multi-task, prioritize and organize work under tight deadlines and changing priorities. Ability to use good judgment to take initiative in facilitating programs, policies and procedures. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, especially Power Point and Word, internal software, and internal lab business systems. Utilize data and applications to assimilate sector reports and information needs. Ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally with a diverse population, including high level managers and clients. Extensive working knowledge of departmental and Lab policies, procedures and practices. Acts as a liaison for his or her manager in the coordination of business activities such as responding to correspondence on behalf of the Director and being the “face” of the Sector. Must possess the ability to recognize and adhere to diverse requirements, meet critical deadlines and work to resolve issues in a timely manner. The ability to take initiative and work independently without constant supervision. This includes making decisions, responding to correspondences on behalf of the Director, and interacting with various levels of leadership both internally and externally. Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment Not applicable. Additional Information Not Applicable. Testing Designated Position This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP). About PNNL Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them! At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs. Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at careers@pnnl.gov . Drug Free Workplace PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn. Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws. For foreign national candidates: If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential. Mandatory Requirements Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications: High school diploma/GED and 12 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment -OR- AA degree or higher and 10 years of relevant experience in an administrative environment. Experience in planning meetings and coordinating travel Preferred Qualifications: Experience supporting a director-level or senior manager. Advanced calendar management experience. Manage day-to-day administrative processes associated with office and team coordination with little to no supervisory input. Demonstrated ability to multi-task, prioritize and organize work under tight deadlines and changing priorities. Ability to use good judgment to take initiative in facilitating programs, policies and procedures. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, especially Power Point and Word, internal software, and internal lab business systems. Utilize data and applications to assimilate sector reports and information needs. Ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally with a diverse population, including high level managers and clients. Extensive working knowledge of departmental and Lab policies, procedures and practices. Acts as a liaison for his or her manager in the coordination of business activities such as responding to correspondence on behalf of the Director and being the “face” of the Sector. Must possess the ability to recognize and adhere to diverse requirements, meet critical deadlines and work to resolve issues in a timely manner. The ability to take initiative and work independently without constant supervision. This includes making decisions, responding to correspondences on behalf of the Director, and interacting with various levels of leadership both internally and externally.
Compensation
Minimum Salary USD $34.57/Hr. Maximum Salary USD $50.10/Hr.