Staff Assistant III Department of Biological Engineering

The Department of Biological Engineering at Utah State University is seeking a highly organized detail oriented Staff Assistant III to provide advanced administrative support to the department and to assist the Department Head in coordinating the launch of the new Chemical Engineering Program. This position plays a key role in day to day departmental operations as well as in high visibility program building activities such as student recruitment faculty candidate visits public outreach and program advertising with an anticipated start date of April 1 2026.

The ideal candidate is proactive professional and capable of managing multiple projects in a fast paced academic environment. This position reports directly to the Department Head and may provide guidance to student or hourly employees.

Formal evaluation of the applications will begin in early March 2026 and the search will continue until the position is filled.

Further inquiries should be made to:

Dr. Jixun Zhan

Department Head

Email:

Administrative & Office Support

• Provide administrative support for the Department of Biological Engineering.
• Perform advanced office duties including answering phones routing inquiries preparing correspondence data entry filing and document management.
• Manage departmental calendars schedule meetings coordinate conferences and support event logistics.
• Greet and assist visitors students collaborators and prospective students.
• Sort and distribute incoming mail; prepare outgoing mail and shipments.
• Maintain inventory of office supplies process orders and coordinate with university purchasing systems (e.g. EZBuy PCard workflows).
• Assist with updating website content and maintaining organized digital information.

Chemical Engineering Program Coordination

• Assist the Department Head in coordinating activities related to launching and sustaining the new Chemical Engineering program.
• Help plan and implement student recruitment efforts including outreach communications recruitment events campus visits and targeted promotional campaigns.
• Support faculty search processes including scheduling interviews preparing candidate itineraries coordinating travel arrangements and assisting with oncampus interview logistics.
• Collaborate with the marketing teams of the College of Engineering and the Department of Biological Engineering to support program advertising including developing promotional materials updating website content and coordinating social media efforts.
• Track program milestones documentation and communication related to curriculum development assessment and accreditation readiness.
• Serve as a point of contact for prospective students campus partners and community stakeholders interested in the Chemical Engineering program.

Departmental Operations & Program Support

• Provide highlevel administrative support for departmental programs training initiatives and departmentsponsored events.
• Assist faculty and students with departmental procedures forms and nonrecurring requests.
• Help maintain departmental records including student and program data meeting minutes and internal reports.
• Coordinate facilities requests and serve as a liaison with university units on operational matters.
• Conduct background research compile data and prepare materials for departmental committees or executive review.
• Support departmental communications including newsletters announcements and reports.
• Perform other duties assigned by the Department Head.

Minimum Qualifications

• Four (4) years of relevant administrative experience; OR an associate degree plus two (2) years of experience; OR a bachelors degree.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and set priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with computers and office software (e.g. Microsoft Office Suite).
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education academic departments or program coordination.
• Familiarity with university administrative systems (e.g. ServiceNow Banner EZBuy Pcard workflows).
• Experience supporting recruitment event coordination marketing or public outreach.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with faculty staff students and external partners.

Along with the online application please attach:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under Resume/CV
2. Cover letter summarizing motivation qualifications experience and career goals to be typed/pasted at the end of your application.
3. Name and contact information for 3 professional references to be entered into Candidate Profile.

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants but not necessarily occasional temperature changes. The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

The Department of Biological Engineering is home to innovative research and academic programs at the interface of biology engineering and technology. The department currently enrolls approximately 163 undergraduates 30 graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) and has 18 faculty members dedicated to advancing research and education. As the department expands to launch a new Chemical Engineering program we seek a professional who wants to contribute to a dynamic studentfocused academic environment.

For additional information on the department please consult:

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