Travel Administrator
Gemini Observatory
Summary
The Travel Administrator is responsible for administering, coordinating, and managing NOIRLab's travel programs. The Travel Administrator will research, schedule, and coordinate travel and services for employees, committee members, guests, and contractors. They will ensure that reservations for air travel, car rentals, and overnight accommodations are accurate and communicated in a timely manner to the traveler.
Job description
Essential Functions
- Provide support to NOIRLab staff members, committee members, guests, and contractors to provide mutually agreeable, cost-effective, compliant travel arrangements, including airfare, hotel bookings, and car rentals
- Provide continuing support to the traveler throughout the travel arrangement process
- Ensure compliance with federal travel regulations outlined in OMB Uniform Guidance and terms and conditions as applicable to NOIRLab travelers and as required by AURA Policies, and the NSF
- Develop, maintain, and provide reports on all items related to travel, including flight costs, arrival and departure times, lodging, and other reports as requested.
- Draft, maintain, and update standard operating procedures for flight and lodging processes, including travel expense reports and guidelines.
- Update the NOIRLab Travel Resources web pages as needed to maintain current information, including current security-related travel guidelines as necessary
- Assist staff with travel advance requests
- Thoroughly review all Travel Expense Reports
- Collaborate with colleagues, internal and external agencies, and all NOIRLab locations in service improvement initiatives
- Ensure that services are provided in a consistent, high-quality manner by responding to questions and concerns raised via email and instant messaging platforms.
Requirements
- High School graduate required; bachelor's degree preferred
- At least two years of experience in a position with similar duties and responsibilities, and working knowledge of geography and time zones
- Experience with SAP Concur or other web-based Travel Management Software
- Experience with Reqless
- Intermediate knowledge of Uniform Guidance, Federal Travel Regulations, and FAR
- Intermediate knowledge of travel booking and airport city codes
- Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Gmail, and Confluence
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills to effectively work with clients, employees, and vendors
- Ability to maintain consistent performance and availability in a fast-paced environment
- A cooperative attitude and a positive demeanor
- Excellent telephone etiquette
- Ability to manage competing demands and ensure important issues are handled along with emergency or urgent issues
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle sensitive situations with poise and responsibility
- Ability to recognize the difference between urgent and important matters
- Excellent customer service skills and commitment to resolving daily logistical issues
- Ability to make decisions with minimal direction and supervision
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships with all parties involved
- A high level of discretion, confidentiality, and judgment
- Accuracy and attention to detail
Preferences
- Experience working with Travelport Apollo or Sabre GDS
- Experience with Carina, Fatima, and Deltek Costpoint
- Bachelor's Degree
Requirements
- High School graduate required; bachelor's degree preferred
- At least two years of experience in a position with similar duties and responsibilities, and working knowledge of geography and time zones
- Experience with SAP Concur or other web-based Travel Management Software
- Experience with Reqless
- Intermediate knowledge of Uniform Guidance, Federal Travel Regulations, and FAR
- Intermediate knowledge of travel booking and airport city codes
- Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Gmail, and Confluence
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills to effectively work with clients, employees, and vendors
- Ability to maintain consistent performance and availability in a fast-paced environment
- A cooperative attitude and a positive demeanor
- Excellent telephone etiquette
- Ability to manage competing demands and ensure important issues are handled along with emergency or urgent issues
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle sensitive situations with poise and responsibility
- Ability to recognize the difference between urgent and important matters
- Excellent customer service skills and commitment to resolving daily logistical issues
- Ability to make decisions with minimal direction and supervision
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships with all parties involved
- A high level of discretion, confidentiality, and judgment
- Accuracy and attention to detail
Benefits
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan contributions
Company overview
Gemini Observatory is an international astronomical research facility operating twin 8.1-meter optical/infrared telescopes located at two premier observing sites on Earth. The observatory consists of Gemini North on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and Gemini South on Cerro Pachón, Chile, providing comprehensive coverage of both northern and southern skies. Established in 1999, Gemini is owned and operated by an international consortium including the United States National Science Foundation (providing approximately 70% of funding), Canada's National Research Council, CONICYT of Chile, MCTI of Brazil, MCTIP of Argentina, and Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) manages operations through a cooperative agreement with NSF. Gemini Observatory specializes in advanced optical and infrared astronomy, employing cutting-edge technologies such as adaptive optics, laser guide stars, and multi-conjugate adaptive optics systems. The facility supports research across diverse astronomical domains including exoplanet studies, star formation, galaxy dynamics, supermassive black holes, and cosmology. With 171 full-time equivalent employees distributed between both sites, Gemini provides astronomers worldwide with forefront access to state-of-the-art instrumentation for imaging and spectroscopy, enabling groundbreaking discoveries about the universe's structure and evolution.