Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Administrative Coordinator

Energy & Utilities
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • High school diploma/GED with 12 years relevant administrative experience -OR- AA degree with 10 years relevant experience
  • Experience supporting executive-level management preferred
  • A minimum of three years PNNL administrative experience desired
  • Bachelor's degree is a plus
  • Proven record of managing complex administrative tasks effectively

Responsibilities

  • Serve as a strategic partner, proactively identifying opportunities for improvement
  • Ensure confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive information
  • Manage division files and recommend process improvements
  • Handle complex calendar, travel, and scheduling issues independently
  • Assist with preparation of meetings, reports, and events
  • Lead and support the administrative team in workflow management
  • Coordinate activities and collaborate with administrative counterparts across divisions

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance options including medical, dental, and vision
  • Robust telehealth care and mental health benefits
  • Generous paid time off including up to 120 vacation hours and 10 paid holidays per year
  • Tuition assistance and relocation benefits
  • Retirement plans including company-funded pension and 401(k) savings with match
  • Backup childcare and legal benefits
Full Job Description
Overview

The Energy Processes and Materials Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, creates and delivers real world solutions that support the Department of Energy's goals for national energy security. We deliver new technologies that connect fundamental science to applications in areas such as energy storage, advanced materials manufacturing, applied catalysis, advanced separations, biomass conversions, carbon capture and utilization, and hydrogen production and storage. We employ a systems perspective that includes discovery, technology development, and scale-up as well as economic, regulatory, and market acceptance issues necessary for successful technology commercialization.

Responsibilities

Join our team as the administrator for the Energy Processes and Materials Division, providing direct support to the Director and working with and leading the division administrative team to coordinate all administrative support within the Division.

The Energy Processes and Materials Division includes over 250 scientists, engineers, postdoctoral researchers, and support staff. The Division Administrator will manage the division office, including being a leader of the division's administrative team, and partnering with the Division Director in their management activities.

Primary duties for this position include:
  • 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.
  • Process Management and Improvement: Strategically partner to manage and recommend process improvements and innovations for the Division and Directorate including division files, SharePoint sites, materials, staff development files, and other confidential records.
  • Operational Workflow Management: Independently manages routine to complex business issues, handles complex email/calendars/travel/schedules, exercising sound judgment, navigating ambiguity, and demonstrating strong follow-through and attention to detail while advising, monitoring, and coordinating activities across the organization.
  • Elevate Division and Director with: Assisting in preparation for meetings, presentations, internal and external reports, reviews, weekly division newsletter, and other documents; assist with hosting visitors, interviewees, onsite workshops, seminars and other related events
  • Onboarding new staff; manage office space and equipment inventory
  • Effectively lead the administrative team by providing training and support, and assisting with balancing workloads across the team
  • Partner with administrative counterparts across EED and PNNL, and other organizations, as appropriate.

Additional competencies include but are not limited to:
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse population, including high level managers and sponsors.
  • Effective use of AI tools.
  • Extensive working knowledge of division and PNNL policies, procedures and practices.
  • Demonstrated ability to prioritize and organize work under tight deadlines and changing priorities.
  • Use experience and good judgment to take initiative in facilitating programs, policies and procedures.
  • Deal professionally with sensitive and confidential matters and materials.
  • Manage day-to-day administrative processes associated with office and team coordination with little to no supervisory input.
  • Ability to provide oversight, guidance, and training to less senior or new staff when necessary.
  • Demonstrated experience with standard office equipment, including MS Office Suite
  • Demonstrated ability to anticipate potential issues and recommend solutions as well as identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
  • Exceptional discretion and good judgement

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 or Executive level manager strongly preferred.
  • A minimum of three years of PNNL administrative experience.
  • Bachelor's degree
  • A record of effectively performing complex administrative tasks with competing priorities; tracking and initiating actions efficiently and appropriately for a wide diversity of assignments; and working effectively in a dynamic, demanding, and sensitive environment.
  • Experience in planning meetings, coordinating travel and formatting presentations.
  • Experience base should clearly demonstrate high proficiency in office management, administrative skills, attention to detail, responsiveness, organization, work prioritization, judgement, discretion, conflict resolution, hosting senior visitors, and independent action and follow-through.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to positively interact and team with a wide variety of staff and sponsors are crucial to this position.
  • The ability to handle confidential information is essential to success.

Testing Designated Position

This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP).

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

Click Here For Rockstar Rewards

Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual's relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $34.57/Hr.
Maximum Salary

USD $50.10/Hr.

About Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory that conducts research and development in areas including energy, environment, and national security. PNNL is operated by Battelle Memorial Institute and is located in Richland, Washington. The laboratory was established in 1965 as the Battelle Northwest Laboratory and was renamed to its current name in 1997. PNNL has a staff of over 4,000 scientists, engineers, and support staff, and has an annual budget of over $1 billion. The laboratory has been involved in a number of high-profile projects, including the development of the first artificial heart and the cleanup of the Hanford Site, a decommissioned nuclear production complex.
Learn more about Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Size
5,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1965

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