Administrative Assistant

Position Title: Administrative Assistant

Work Location: Florham Park, NJ 07932: Hybrid - initially onsite Monday-Thursday while the candidate acclimates and learns the team; thereafter, Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday onsite and Monday/Friday remote

Assignment Duration: 12 Months (possible extension- performance based)

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Position Summary: The primary team supported by this role is Data Statistical Sciences (DSS) within Clinical Sciences. The group is more introverted, so the manager is looking for an assistant who is more outgoing, engaging, collaborative, and proactive in getting to know and interact with the team.

Key Responsibilities:

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  The role requires someone with strong communication skills who takes initiative to engage with the team rather than waiting for tasks to be assigned and who proactively seeks out ways to support the team.

  
  
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  The assistant will support typical day-to-day administrative activities, with a strong emphasis on calendaring, expenses, travel, and meeting support.

  
  
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  Onsite support also includes meetings and events, generally involving approximately 20-40 people.

  
  
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  The head of the department frequently visits the site, so the person may also assist the VP while onsite. Executive presence and strong communication skills are important for this support.

  
  
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  The role is fast-paced and cross-functional, and the assistant may assist other administrative assistants or leaders across the organization as needed. DSS sits within Clinical Sciences, which has approximately 2,200 employees.

  
  
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  Day-to-day administrative responsibilities should account for at least 50% of the role, while meeting and event support is approximately 10-20% on a weekly basis. Meeting/event responsibilities include finding space, sending invitations, arranging catering, and handling setup and cleanup.

  
  
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  The majority of the role involves heavy calendaring and ensuring expenses are submitted on time without needing to be reminded. The manager specifically emphasized proactive follow-up, such as proactively approaching an employee after a trip to obtain receipts and submit expenses.

  
  

Qualification & Experience:

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  2-3 years of administrative assistant experience is preferred, with demonstrated experience in calendar management, expense and travel arrangements, and meeting support.

  
  
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  Strong communication skills, an outgoing personality, initiative, proactivity, ability to reprioritize, and ability to multitask beyond typical day-to-day administrative responsibilities.

  
  
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  Experience should demonstrate the typical administrative skills expected for the role.

  
  
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  Experience supporting 2-4 people with heavy calendaring, expenses, booking trips, and booking meetings/events is strongly preferred.

  
  
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  Meeting and event support experience is preferred in addition to administrative assistant experience. A candidate whose background is primarily meeting/event-focused with less administrative experience is not preferred.

  
  
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  Executive presence and strong communication skills are beneficial for supporting the VP when the department head is onsite.

  
  
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  The manager is not degree-focused. A candidate with 2-3 years of relevant experience may be considered even with a high school diploma; experience is considered more important than the degree.

  
  
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  Candidates with approximately 5-8 years of experience may also be considered. An 8-year Executive Assistant candidate is acceptable, provided they understand that this is an Administrative Assistant position and not a Senior Admin or Executive Admin position.

  
  
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  Corporate experience is required, regardless of industry. Pharmaceutical experience is a plus but is not required. Backgrounds such as marketing or technology are considered transferable if the candidate has corporate experience.

  
  
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  Experience with large organizations is beneficial. The manager indicated that experience supporting an organization of 500+ employees would likely set a candidate up for success more than experience within a very small group, due to the fast-paced environment and amount of cross-functional communication.

  
  
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  JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America experience are considered relevant corporate backgrounds.

  
  
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  Concur is used for travel and expenses.

  
  
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  The team uses an internal system for meetings; the manager believes it is our organization SharePoint/SharePoint Access. Prior SharePoint experience would be helpful.

  
  
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  Primary software includes Concur, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

  
  
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  The majority of travel is domestic. International travel can involve multi-leg itineraries, and the team has a travel desk available for multi-leg and more difficult trips, while simple trips are handled through Concur.

  
  
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  Medical office or healthcare office administration backgrounds are not preferred because those roles may focus more on office management or patient interaction and may not provide the dedicated experience needed in calendaring, booking meetings/trips, and handling expenses.

  
  
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  Prior experience with our organization is preferred because familiarity with company products and how our organization works would be beneficial for someone supporting the team remotely.