OPT Administrative Assistant Jobs
Administrative Assistant jobs are among the more accessible OPT roles because employers across nearly every industry need them, and the position's core functions, scheduling, correspondence, and office coordination, align with the kind of organized, detail-oriented work F-1 students often excel at. Most roles qualify under CIP codes tied to business administration, making OPT authorization straightforward.
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Description
Title: Administrative Support (Fiscal Specialist)
Position Number: 0096627T
Hiring Unit: Institutional Effectiveness Office
Location: Leeward Community College
Date Posted: November 5, 2026
Closing Date: November 20, 2026, 11:59 PM (HST)
Band: B
Salary: Salary schedules and placement information
Additional Salary Information: PBB; minimum $5,640/mo
Full Time/Part Time: Full Time
Month: 11-month
Temporary/Permanent: Temporary
Other Conditions: temporary to 09/30/27, with the possibility of extension, pending satisfactory performance, availability of funds and actual staffing requirements. To begin approximately 01/27, pending actual staffing requirements.
Duties and Responsibilities
(NOTE: ** denotes Essential Functions)
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Under general supervision and in coordination with the Principal Investigator (PI), Grants Coordinator, and the campus Fiscal Office, provide fiscal, procurement, and administrative support, including support in the maintenance of fund accounts and expenditure controls related to assigned extramural and grant-funded projects.
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Coordinates with the Business Office to establish, maintain, monitor, and reconcile assigned grant accounts and expenditure controls.
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Responsible for the preparation and maintenance of fiscal reports, budget projections, and contract management for assigned grant programs; keeps program personnel informed of current fund status and collaborates regularly to plan fund expenditures.
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Assist PIs, project teams, and the Grants Coordinator with proposal budget development, budget narratives, project financial reports, and budget-related documents, to include calculating, reviewing and applying fringe benefit costs, indirect cost rates, cost share, and other budget-related requirements for grant proposals, budget revisions, and project expenditure planning.
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Utilize University of Hawaii (UH) and related financial systems, including the online Kuali Financial System (KFS) and Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH), and other applicable systems to prepare, facilitate, and/or process procurement and fiscal documents, including purchase requisitions, purchase orders, Pcard transactions, direct payments, travel requests/completions, contracts, stipends and other related procurement and fiscal activities in compliance with federal, state, RCUH, UH Foundation (UHF), and UH policies and procedures.
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Perform monthly reconciliation of project expenditures; ensure accurate posting to accounts, monitor balances, encumbrances, payroll, and other expenditures; identify discrepancies and work with the campus Fiscal Office, project staff and other appropriate parties to resolve discrepancies.
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Monitor grant expiration dates, expenditure deadlines, procurement status, and closeout requirements.
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Provide guidance to PIs and project teams on procurement methods, fiscal procedures, documentation requirements, allowable costs, and grant-related expenditure processes for projects; improve efficiency of extramural transactions for specialized purchases; advise PIs on applicable procurement rules and regulations.
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Provide technical assistance in the procurement of goods and services, including preparing requisitions, soliciting competitive bids on SuperQUOTE, developing Request for Proposals, sole source justification, price reasonableness justifications in accordance with applicable policies, procedures and sponsor requirements.
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Responsible for preparing the contract documents for the purchase of goods and services, including repair and maintenance contracts in coordination with the campus Fiscal Office and other appropriate offices to ensure budget allowability and compliance with sponsoring agency requirements.
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Prepare and review KFS, RCUH, and other applicable purchasing, payment, personnel, and travel documents to ensure proper documentation, budget allowability, availability of funds, and compliance with UH, RCUH, sponsor, and applicable policies and procedures.
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Create, maintain, and analyze spreadsheets, tracking tools, fiscal documentation, and expenditure reports to support project teams, PIs, campus Fiscal Office, and campus leadership.
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Assist project teams with mapping expenditures to approved project activities, budget categories, timelines, deliverables, and allowable cost categories.
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Keep abreast of current University policies, procedures, regulations, directives and federal and state statutory requirements, i.e., Hawaii Revised Statutes, Hawaii Administrative Rules, and Federal Acquisition Regulations.
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Serve as liaison between Leeward CC and various system-level offices within the University of Hawaii system, including campus Fiscal Office, RCUH, UHF, and other offices as needed when projects require fiscal, procurement, personnel, facilities, connectivity, infrastructure, or compliance coordination.
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Reconcile accounts and monitor grant budget balances, procurement status, expiration dates, expenditure deadlines, and closeout requirements; provide fiscal status updates to support timely project management, and assist PIs in closeout of projects.
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Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
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Possession of a baccalaureate degree in Business, Business Administration, Accounting, or related field and 3 year(s) of progressively responsible experience with responsibilities for fiscal/procurement, budget/planning, personnel support, financial management, or financial cost accounting, or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills and abilities as indicated.
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Considerable working knowledge of principles, practices and techniques in the area of grants administration, fiscal project management, procurement, budget/planning, personnel support, or financial management as demonstrated by the broad knowledge of the full range of pertinent standard and evolving concepts, principles and methodologies.
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Considerable working knowledge and understanding of applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations and theories and systems associated with grants administration, fiscal project management, procurement, budget planning, personnel support, or financial management.
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Demonstrated ability to resolve wide ranging complex problems through the use of creative reasoning and logic to accurately determine the cause of the problems and the resolution of the problems in an effective, innovative and timely manner.
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Demonstrated ability to interpret and present information and ideas clearly and accurately in writing, verbally and by preparation of reports and other materials.
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Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team leaders and members, and individuals.
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Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer and apply word processing, spreadsheet, and financial system software.
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If applicable, for supervisory work, demonstrated ability to lead subordinates, manage work priorities and projects, and manage employee relations.
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Knowledge of policies and procedures associated with higher education institutions.
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Experience formulating budgets for competitive grant proposals, as well as projections for payroll, fringe benefits, indirect costs, cost share and other project expenditures.
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Functional knowledge of federal and state laws and higher education policies and procedures applicable to extramural contracts and grants.
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Ability to analyze financial statements, discern trends, track expenditures, and apply analytical techniques.
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Ability to meet critical deadlines, manage multiple priorities, and be flexible to ongoing changes.
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Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality.
Desirable Qualifications:
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Knowledge of administrative policies, principles, practices, and procedures of UH personnel and fiscal administration related to grant-funded staffing.
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Experience with higher education accounting systems
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Experience with KFS and RCUH systems.
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Functional knowledge of HR principles and practices as they relate to personnel support and grant-funded staffing, personnel cost tracking, fringe benefits, related indirect costs, and fiscal administration.
Application Submission:
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Cover letter explaining how you meet the minimum and desirable qualifications,
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Resume,
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Graduate and undergraduate transcript(s) showing the name of institution, degree conferred and coursework to date appropriate to the position (Copies of official transcripts are acceptable; however, original official transcripts will be required at the time of hire. Diplomas and copies will NOT be accepted). All degree(s) and/or credit(s) must be earned from regionally or nationally accredited postsecondary colleges and universities recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Transcripts issued from an institution outside the United States of America require a course-by-course analysis with an equivalency statement from an agency having membership with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc., verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. Expense of the evaluation shall be borne by the applicant.)
NOTE: Transcripts must be attached to receive credit for degree(s).
Separate documents and application materials must be submitted for each position. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. If multiple applications are received from the same candidate, only the last one will be reviewed. The application will be considered incomplete if any of the required documents/materials are not included or are unreadable. Applications lacking transcripts will be reviewed on work experience equivalency to meet minimum qualifications (MQs). MQs must be met by the closing date of the advertisement. Please REDACT references to social security numbers and birthdate on submitted documents. All requested documents/information become the property of Leeward Community College and will not be returned.
If you have not applied for a position before using NEOGOV, you will need to create an account.
Inquiries:
Leeward Community College
Human Resources Office
808-455-0326
lcchr@hawaii.edu
EEO, Clery Act, ADA
The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, including on the basis of veteran and disability status. For more information, visit: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/policies/
Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.
In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.
In accordance with Article 10 of the unit 08 collective bargaining agreement, bargaining unit members receive priority consideration for APT job vacancies. As a result, external or non BU 08 applicants may not be considered for some APT vacancies. BU 08 members with re-employment rights or priority status are responsible for informing the hiring unit of their status.
Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as an Administrative Assistant
Lead with your OPT timeline upfront
Mention your OPT authorization dates in your cover letter before employers ask. Administrative roles attract high application volumes, so removing ambiguity early signals professionalism and saves hiring managers time during screening.
Target employers with STEM-adjacent admin roles
Tech, research, and healthcare organizations often hire administrative staff under STEM departments. These roles may support OPT STEM extension eligibility, giving you up to three additional years of work authorization beyond standard OPT.
Highlight software proficiency prominently
Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and scheduling platforms like Calendly are baseline expectations. Listing specific tools you've used, along with proficiency level, helps your resume pass applicant tracking systems and stand out to office managers.
Frame internship experience as professional admin work
Academic internships involving scheduling, communications, or event coordination translate directly to administrative assistant duties. Reframe these experiences using industry language to close any perceived gap between student work and professional experience.
Focus on mid-sized companies over large enterprises
Mid-sized companies often have less bureaucratic hiring processes and more flexibility around OPT sponsorship decisions. A direct conversation with a hiring manager carries more weight than navigating a large company's rigid HR compliance structure.
Be ready to explain your 60-day grace period if applicable
If you're in the 60-day grace period between jobs, prepare a clear, factual explanation for recruiters. Demonstrating you understand your own status confidently reassures employers who are unfamiliar with OPT transition rules.
Administrative Assistant OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Administrative Assistant jobs qualify for OPT work authorization?
Yes, most Administrative Assistant roles qualify for OPT if your degree field relates to business administration, communications, or a relevant discipline. USCIS requires that the job be directly related to your major area of study. Roles under business operations or office management departments typically satisfy this requirement, though your DSO should confirm the specific CIP code alignment for your situation.
Can an Administrative Assistant role qualify for OPT STEM extension?
It depends on the employer and how the role is classified. If the position is housed within a STEM department, such as an administrative coordinator role at a technology or research company, and your underlying degree is in a STEM field, it may qualify. The employer must also be enrolled in E-Verify. This is worth discussing with your DSO before accepting an offer.
How do I find Administrative Assistant jobs that are open to OPT students?
Migrate Mate lists Administrative Assistant roles from employers who are open to hiring OPT students, so you're not spending time filtering out positions that won't consider your work authorization. Searching a general job board often means sifting through hundreds of listings with no visibility into sponsorship willingness, which wastes time you may not have if your OPT clock is running.
What happens to my OPT if I'm laid off from an Administrative Assistant job?
You enter a 60-day grace period from your last day of employment. During this window, you can search for a new qualifying position, but you cannot work. If you secure a new job, your employer reports the change through your DSO and SEVP portal. If you don't find employment within 60 days, you must depart the U.S. or transition to another valid visa status.
Do Administrative Assistant roles require employers to file anything with USCIS?
No. OPT is authorized by USCIS in advance and attached to your EAD card. Unlike H-1B visa, your employer doesn't need to file a petition or pay government fees to hire you on OPT. They simply verify your EAD as part of standard Form I-9 employment eligibility verification. This makes OPT hires administratively simple for employers, which is a genuine advantage when pitching yourself to hiring managers.