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The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is a growing multi-disciplinary center studying decision making and human behavior over the life-course. We are seeking an Office Manager to run day-to-day operations, AV for meetings, and special projects and events. Job duties will include running a busy office of ~100 faculty and staff housed on the University Park campus, as well as assist with Capital Campus and offsite employee needs. Responsibilities range from on-boarding new staff, computer and software acquisition, offsite storage management, mail and delivery coordination, supply inventory and purchasing, requisition creation and invoicing, use of Workday financial report systems and Concur, staff meeting arrangements and audio/visual set up, travel arrangements and expenses. Job also entails site specific needs such as maintaining keys, facilities requests, space management, Zoom lines, office management needs, emergency planning, and the ability to clearly communicate information across sites. The CESR Office Manager will also assist Executive Director and Co-Director in center-related expense tracking, purchases, travel, and meeting arrangements as well as the monthly and annual staff meetings. This position will oversee student workers and an administrative assistant.
Position Requirements:
- Expected to work onsite 5 days per week at USC University Park Campus in Los Angeles, CA
- Expertise in software and technology; computers, phones, networks, Zoom, Workday, video and sound equipment for department meetings and seminars
- Experience in website editing and updates (Wordpress or similar)
- Event planning experience, for seminars, conferences, and team-building social gatherings
- Advanced accounting/financial management, budgeting, and reporting experience
- Public speaking/presentation skills
- Ability to multi-task with regular tasks and steady influx of new tasks throughout the day, and keep track of multiple deadlines for events and department needs
- Schedule flexibility to accommodate building requests and deliveries
- Safe lifting and sorting of supplies and other materials, up to 20 lbs.
- Experience in academic environment and Workday preferred
- At least 3 years’ experience managing an office of similar size
- New employee onboarding and providing warm hospitality for guests
- Willingness to back up admin assistant team
- Ability to create and maintain connections among multiple sub-centers within our department
Preferred Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Required Work Experience: 3 years minimum
Work Arrangement: 5 Days a week, fully onsite at University Park Campus in Los Angeles.
Compensation
The annual base salary range for this position is $85,782.45 - $87,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.
About the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR)
The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to discovering how people around the globe live, think, interact, age, invest, and make important, life-changing decisions. Our in-depth research and analysis are deepening the understanding of human behavior in a wide range of economic and social contexts. Our ultimate goal: to improve social welfare by informing and influencing decision-making in the public and private sectors. Along the way, we are leading a creative revolution in how scientists conduct social science and economic research through the use of innovative technology.
About the USC Schaeffer Institute
The USC Schaeffer Institute develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers.
Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, it houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, and the Center for Civic Society. Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on policy issues.
The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.
About the Sol Price School of Public Policy
Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.
The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.
Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.
Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum educationMinimum Experience: 3 years
Minimum Field of Expertise: Office management combined with experience in budget administration.
USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.
We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.
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If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser:
https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$150978.htmldSkills Required
- Attach a cover letter and resume to application
- Work onsite 5 days per week at USC University Park Campus in Los Angeles, CA
- Expertise with computers, phones, networks, Zoom, video and sound/AV equipment
- Experience using Workday financial reporting systems and Concur for travel and expenses
- Experience in website editing and updates (WordPress or similar)
- Event planning experience for seminars, conferences, and team-building gatherings
- Advanced accounting/financial management, budgeting, and reporting experience
- Public speaking and presentation skills
- Ability to multi-task and manage multiple deadlines
- Schedule flexibility to accommodate building requests and deliveries
- Safe lifting and sorting of supplies and materials up to 20 lbs
- At least 3 years' experience managing an office of similar size
- New employee onboarding and providing warm hospitality for guests
- Willingness to back up administrative assistant team
- Ability to create and maintain connections among multiple sub-centers within department
- Supervisory experience overseeing student workers and an administrative assistant
- Experience in an academic environment and familiarity with Workday (preferred)
- Bachelor's Degree (preferred)





