Behind every well-run team is someone who sees what’s coming before anyone asks.
The Administrative Assistant III, JMCRS will support the senior leaders of Animal Operations and Administration in Bar Harbor at the site level and be the trusted point of contact for the site management team. The role also supports initiatives on other campuses and requires a high degree of flexibility.
This is a highly visible and collaborative position where professionalism, discretion and the ability to anticipate needs makes everyone around you more effective. This administrative assistant will be able to absorb information, manage ad-hoc requests with ease, have strong time-management and interpersonal skills.
You’ll work with a wide range of people, from executives to senior and mid-level leaders to administrative and operations staff, plus internal and external partners with many different interests and needs. You’ll be trusted with sensitive financial, personnel, and institutional information, and handle it with care. Creativity, initiative, autonomy, and professionalism are all part of the job, and so is the satisfaction of keeping a lot of moving pieces on track.
This role is full time and onsite at our Bar Harbor, ME location.
What you’ll do
Support senior leadership
- Serve as the primary contact for the senior leader of the JMCRS Animal Program and for the site management team
- Assist with the extended workflow of animal operations management and other coordination
- Anticipate the needs of the senior-level team members you support and stay a step ahead
Reports, presentations, and correspondence
- Gather and assemble information from a wide variety of sources in response to department initiatives
- Compile that information into clear reports and presentations, delivered on time for review
- Respond professionally to routine and non-routine correspondence, including executive-level writing
- Schedule meetings and prepare agendas
Travel, visitors, and events
- Arrange travel and prepare itineraries as requested, with extended support for senior managers visiting or traveling
- Schedule and host visitors, and manage special events in collaboration with the site team on multiple campuses
- Help to plan and orchestrate facility-wide events, including meetings, workshops, luncheons, and more
- Book conference rooms and build detailed itineraries
Projects and vendors
- Manage projects as needed, including working with vendors on site needs
- Collaborate on a variety of special projects as they come up
Day-to-day office administration
- Maintain sensitive files with care and confidentiality
- Answer and direct incoming phone calls
- Set up video meetings
- Process and approve travel and expense reports and expenditures for reimbursement
What you’ll bring
Education and experience
- High school diploma or GED; bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a closely related field is preferred
- 4+ years of prior administrative experience
Skills and abilities
- Writing skills strong enough to compose complex, executive-level correspondence, with experience in a role where business writing was a major responsibility. Writing samples may be requested during the interview process.
- Strong proficiency with the Microsoft and Apple office applications is a must, specifically the Microsoft Office Suite including Word, PowerPoint &, Excel. Experience with SharePoint, Lawson, Concur, Zoom and is preferred, plus the peripheral devices and applications of a modern office
- Proven success managing multiple projects to completion with demanding deadlines and changing priorities
- Excellent project and event management skills, and the ability to work collaboratively and lead projects of JAX-wide importance
- Clear written and verbal communication with people across a wide range of disciplines and levels of sophistication
- Strong multitasking skills, with focus and professionalism, and the flexibility and adaptability to handle shifting priorities
- Independent initiative, good judgment, and sound decision-making
- A positive, team-player demeanor in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent organization and accuracy with details
- Discretion, judgment, tact, and diplomacy in a high-profile environment
- The ability to build relationships and networks across the Laboratory
Pay range
Pay Range: $23.64 - $39.58 hourly
Applications:
Please provide both an updated professional resume and a cover letter
About JAX:
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.
EEO Statement:
The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.
About JAX:
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California, New York, Florida), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.
EEO Statement:
The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.
Skills Required
- High school diploma or GED
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or a closely related field
- 4+ years of prior administrative experience
- Strong executive-level business writing skills
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
- Experience with SharePoint, Lawson, Concur, and Zoom
- Experience managing multiple projects to completion under demanding deadlines and changing priorities
- Excellent project and event management skills
- Ability to collaborate and lead projects of organization-wide importance
- Clear written and verbal communication skills
- Strong multitasking, flexibility, and adaptability
- Independent initiative, good judgment, and sound decision-making
- Positive, team-oriented demeanor in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent organization and attention to detail
- Discretion, judgment, tact, and diplomacy
- Ability to build relationships and networks across the laboratory
The Jackson Laboratory Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about The Jackson Laboratory and has not been reviewed or approved by The Jackson Laboratory.
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Retirement Support — Retirement contributions up to 10% and employer‑paid life and disability insurance indicate robust long‑term financial support. The retirement program is positioned as a standout element of the total package.
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Healthcare Strength — Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, fertility benefits, FSAs, EAP access, and onsite fitness centers point to strong healthcare support. These offerings contribute to a well‑rounded, reliable benefits foundation.
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Pay Growth & Progression — Entry‑level operations roles advertise site‑specific starting pay with regularly scheduled increases. Publicly posted entry rates and promised regular increases can help satisfaction early on.
The Jackson Laboratory Insights
What We Do
Cancer. Diabetes. Alzheimer’s. Heart Disease. Parkinson’s. The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) leads the search to cure diseases rooted in our DNA. Founded in 1929, we are an NCI-designated Cancer Center since 1983 and an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit research organization with over 90 years of experience in genetics and genomics research. JAX blends the brightest minds with state-of-the-art resources to accelerate discovery. Areas of Discovery (75+ Principal Investigators, >250 Ph.D.s, M.D.s, and D.V.M.s): • Cancer: We are a National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center focusing on cancer initiation, progression, prevention and therapies. • Developmental/reproductive biology: birth defects, Down syndrome, osteoporosis, fertility • Immunology: HIV-AIDS, anemia, autoimmunity, cancer immunology, immune disorders, lupus, transplant rejection • Metabolic diseases: atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, microbiome • Neurobiology: blindness, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, deafness, epilepsy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, neurodegenerative diseases • Neurobehavioral disorders: autism, addiction, depression Supporting Global Research: • The JAX Mouse Repository and Scientific Services are among the premier resources available for biomedical research. Committed to Education: • Summer Student Program (undergrad & high school) • Teaching the Genome Generation Short Course • Ph.D. programs: U. Maine, Tufts University and U. Connecticut • Courses, Conferences and Workshops








