Human Resources Assistant, Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science: UTIA

This position is to help facilitate and oversee the administrative, clerical and financial human resources related operations of the department assuring policy and procedural compliance while supporting all faculty, staff and students. They perform a wide range of moderate to high level administrative duties that frequently require specialized knowledge, experience and abilities.

They handle all onboarding/offboarding processes and procedures, Promotion and Tenure, assist the faculty program leaders as the graduate student coordinator, serve as the focal point for several administrative support duties, including space survey, department head calendar management and other various duties as assigned.

• Human Resources and Payroll Support

+ Support the full employee lifecycle for faculty, staff, students, graduate assistants, temporary employees, and other employee groups, including hiring, onboarding, personnel and assignment changes, supplemental pay, labor distribution changes, and separations.

+ Coordinate biweekly payroll time-entry processes, distribute approvals, review payroll reports, identify errors, and help resolve payroll, leave, and benefits questions.

+ Serve as a key departmental resource for employees and supervisors on recruitment, payroll, leave, university policies, benefits, and other HR processes, working closely with the department head, business manager, and university human resources.

+ Support recruitment by preparing job advertisements and offer letters, posting positions, participating in search kickoff meetings, dispositioning candidates, and maintaining required search records.

+ Coordinate onboarding in applicable university systems and help ensure new employees have a timely, accurate, and welcoming start.

+ Serve as the department liaison for international employment matters, including coordination with the Center for Global Engagement on F-1, J-1, H-1B, permanent residency, and related requirements.

+ Prepare routine and ad hoc workforce reports for department leadership and maintain tracking tools for student and temporary employees, supervisors, wages, payroll distributions, funding opportunities, and teaching appointments.

+ Maintain accurate and confidential personnel, payroll, award, fellowship, scholarship, and other HR records in accordance with university records-retention requirements.

+ Coordinate departmental compliance activities related to UTIA Minors on Campus, risk-management reporting for work-related injuries, student fee waivers for employees’ children, and other assigned HR requirements.

Support equitable and consistent hiring practices by maintaining workforce and wage information for student, research, technical, internship, and temporary roles.

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• Administrative and Academic Support

+ Provide high-level administrative support to the department head and faculty, including calendar management, appointment scheduling, correspondence, document preparation, and coordination with visitors, researchers, students, and other stakeholders.

+ Support promotion and tenure processes by preparing and distributing materials, managing information in Interfolio or related systems, and attending promotion and tenure meetings.

+ Partner with faculty program coordinators to enter and maintain teaching timetables each semester and coordinate required updates with appropriate university offices.

+ Coordinate the department’s annual space survey, maintain room assignments, and manage related space records.

+ Draft, proofread, and edit departmental communications, including internal memoranda, graduate assistantship and temporary employee offer letters, welcome letters, and general notices.

+ Manage department parking passes, key-service requests, electronic and printed directories, and communication groups while maintaining accurate records.

+ Help maintain current information on department SharePoint sites.

Assist the department head with documentation, data collection, and reporting for academic program reviews, accreditation activities, faculty votes, and other special projects.

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• Graduate Student Coordination

+ Serve as a welcoming first point of contact for graduate students and help resolve questions involving tuition and fee waivers, registration, payroll, insurance, and other program matters.

+ Coordinate with faculty to estimate the cost of incoming graduate students and confirm that appropriate funding is available before appointments are processed.

+ Guide incoming graduate students through onboarding from initial appointment through timely first payroll, including coordination for domestic and international students.

+ Review incoming student information in SLATE or related systems as directed by the department’s graduate program leadership.

+ Create and maintain graduate student records, including thesis titles, committee membership, anticipated graduation dates, payroll distributions, funding opportunities, and teaching appointments.

+ Process required documentation for defenses and graduation, reserve rooms for defenses and committee meetings, and correspond with prospective students as directed by faculty.

+ Stay current on Graduate School policies and procedures and communicate relevant updates to BESS faculty, staff, and students.

Coordinate with Student Health Services, the Bursar’s Office, and other university offices regarding tuition and fee waivers for incoming and outgoing graduate assistants.

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• Department Operations and Team Support

+ Help evaluate and improve departmental administrative and clerical procedures.

+ Coordinate reservations and records for department vehicles.

+ Support department activities and employee-recognition needs, including coordinating voluntary contributions for flowers following a hospitalization or death.

+ Provide backup telephone coverage and respond to general department inquiries.

+ Cross-train on essential office functions to help ensure continuity of departmental operations.

+ Contribute to other administrative projects and responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent with 4+ years of office setting experience.

OR

• Associates Degree in Office Administration, business or other related field with 1+ year of office setting experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Basic understanding of office etiquette.
• Basic to moderate understanding of MS Office and related software.
• Moderate skills in typing, customer service, and time management.
• Ability to have proper and effective verbal and communication skills with all levels of personnel.
• Ability to multi-task and problem solve basic office needs.
• Ability and willingness to adapt and improve to change.
• Ability to stay well organized and professional.
• Basic knowledge of Adobe Acrobat and Docusign for professional signature gathering.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Experience working in an academic institution.
• Experience working at The University of Tennessee (or other UT campuses) for at least 1 year.
• Bachelor’s Degree in a field related to Human Resources and 1 year office setting experience.
• Certified Admin Professional (CAP) certification.
• Experience working with international clients.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Moderate to advance understanding of MS Office and related software.
• Excellent/advanced skills in typing, customer service, and time management.
• Prefer knowledge of University of Tennessee policy and procedures.
• Excellent and professional verbal and communication skills with all levels of personnel.
• Professional organizational skills.
• Knowledge of HCM DASH or other Oracle based ERP software.

An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered acceptable if applicable to position.

Work Location:

• Knoxville, TN
• On-Site

Compensation and Benefits:

• UT market range: MR05
• Anticipated hiring range: $21.00 / HR - $25.00 / HR (Overtime Eligible)

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Application Instructions:

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before November 6, 2026.

• Resume
• Cover Letter

About The College/Department/Division:

The Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science (BESS) is a part of the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Agriculture Campus located in Knoxville, TN serving areas in Research, Extension and Teaching. The department consists of 3 undergraduate programs and 5 graduate programs enrolling around 500+ students annually.

The 3 units of UTIA (Agricultural Research, Extension, and Herbert College of Agriculture) combine into a multi-million dollar operation that help to develop the next generation of college graduates through education, community outreach and research.

Specific topics include productive and sustainable agriculture, soil and water resource management, impacts of climate change, machines and systems for optimized performance, construction science, and fuels and value-added products from renewable resources.

The Department produces well-prepared and motivated graduates (BS through PhD), discovers new knowledge through research, and shares that knowledge by engaging with scientific communities, industries, agencies, and individuals throughout Tennessee and the world. To learn more about our department, please visit https://bess.tennessee.edu/

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities.

The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world.

It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!