SBDC RISE Center Administrative Assistant

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Department:

Small Business Development Center RISE Center

Job Summary:

Coordinates day-to-day fiscal, administrative, and operational activities of a defined, program or set of funded activities. Programs are usually focused to a single purpose, may be scientific, research, educational, or service oriented, and may exist as a subset of an integrated funded program activity. Duties typically include assisting with grant planning and administration, fiscal, budgetary, and/or other associated transactions, program implementation and administration, internal and external operational/administrative liaison, program marketing, and reporting.

Job Description:

• Assists in managing the Center Director's calendar, including scheduling appointments and meetings based on guidance and established priorities.
• Serve as the first point of contact for the Center Director; screen calls, visitors, and meeting requests, redirecting matters that can be handled by others.
• Coordinate scheduling for center events, and maintain the master calendar of center activities, events, and commitments.
• Provide the Center Director with proactive alerts on upcoming tasks, meetings, deliverables, and approaching deadlines.
• Monitor the Center Director's incoming email; flag time-sensitive and high-priority items and draft routine responses for review.
• Track deadlines across grant reporting, university requirements, and program commitments.
• Prepare meeting materials, agendas, and follow-up items as directed.
• Enter and maintain client and event records in CRM accurately and on schedule.
• Review incoming CRM entries and center activity on a regular cadence; identify and alert the Center Director to anomalies such as missing records, unusual patterns, or data-quality issues.
• Assist with pulling activity summaries and reports from CRM as needed for program reporting.
• Anticipate and prepare all travel paperwork, including travel authorizations, itineraries, registrations, and reimbursement documentation in accordance with university and grant requirements.
• Handle administrative details on the Center Director's behalf, including document preparation, records, and routine correspondence.
• Research and recommend conferences, convenings, and professional events the Director should attend; manage registration and logistics for those selected.
• Serve as a liaison between the Director, the RISE Center resource leads, the broader Mississippi SBDC Network, and university offices.
• Support center events with logistics, tracking, and day-of coordination as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned by the Center Director.

Job Responsibilities:

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience supporting a senior leader, including calendar management and gate keeping.
• Strong written communication skills and attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) and comfort learning new systems, including CRM platforms.
• Demonstrated discretion and ability to maintain strict confidentiality with client, personnel, and program information.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2 years' experience
• Experience in a university, government, or grant-funded program environment, including travel and procurement processes.
• Experience with CRM data entry and data quality review Familiarity with AI productivity tools (such as Claude or similar) and willingness to use them in daily workflow.
• Experience supporting economic development, small business assistance, or client-facing advisory programs.

Substitution Statement: An equivalent combination of related experience and education may be considered for this role. Substitutions of the required experience or education will be assessed on a 1:1 substitution basis.

Education Qualifications:

Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

Relevant experience | No Experience Required | Not Required

Compensation:

$46,904.00 - $70,366.40