The Wooten Company is seeking a Project Assistant to join our team Hickory, NC Regional Office! 

Who are you? You are someone who loves to work in a team-oriented environment and helps others.  You’re a dependable, detail-oriented professional with a positive attitude and a willingness to help as priorities and deadlines shift. You bring experience working with project documentation to include permit packages, specifications, and bid calculations.  You have strong administrative operations skills and expertise in navigating and working within Microsoft Office 365 — especially managing Outlook calendars for multiple people—and the ability to keep documents and schedules organized. A high school diploma or equivalent and a valid North Carolina driver’s license are required. 

What will you be doing?  You’ll assist with funding applications and construction document review and processing, coordinate lunch pickups for Lunch and Learns, and attend design team meetings every other week to review project workload. You’ll help keep the office running smoothly by welcoming visitors, managing calendars, processing mail, maintaining files, scanning engineering drawings, and receiving supplies.  

Who will you be working with? Reporting to Regional Office Manager and Western Division Lead.  You can expect to work with engineering and design professionals, supporting their administrative and project needs. You’ll also interact with clients and customers to support funding assistance and construction document coordination. 

Where will you be working? You’ll work on-site in our Hickory, NC office, providing hands-on support to the local team while coordinating remotely with the other Project Assistant's. This position offers a reduced full-time schedule of at least 30 hours per week, with the potential for a 40-hour schedule depending on the candidate and team's needs. 

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS 

• Administer EBS claims procedures and prepare and submit claims. 
• Write, prepare, and submit federal grant applications in accordance with program requirements and deadlines. 
• Attend project progress meetings and communicate with municipal managers regarding project activities. 
• Track construction costs, schedules, and key milestones across multiple active projects. 
• Prepare cost summaries as needed. 
• Support the Regional Manager and the engineering team with construction administration, including preparing change orders and addenda, reviewing payment requests, and coordinating permitting. 
• Report to the Regional Manager with a dotted line to the Division Lead and Lead Administrator to keep them informed of project progress, upcoming deadlines, and issues that require their attention. 

GENERAL FUNCTIONS 

• Greet visitors to the office 
• Handle mail – open, date stamp, scan, name scan, email copy to remote Project Assistant, distribute originals in-office (if applicable), and file originals 
• Filing – hard copy filing as required 
• Scanning – drawings (typically 24” x 36”) on the plotter as required 
• Place and receive Supply orders, documents as received on packing slip, put supplies away.  
• Maintain established supply levels in an orderly manner. 
• Assist with office employee events, including monthly celebrations, and holiday events. 
• Coordinate and pick up lunches for in-office Lunch and Learns, and other office meetings. Ensure conference rooms are ready for scheduled meetings.  
• Provide direct assistance to the office manager with vendors including but not limited to vending/coffee, cleaning crew, and landscape.  
• Other office responsibilities are as needed.  

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• High school diploma or equivalent 
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (O365) applications (Outlook, Excel, Word) 
• Multi-person O365 Outlook Calendar Management 
• Demonstrated proficiency in federal grant writing and application preparation. (Nice To Have – Not Required) 
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines. 
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and follow assignments through completion. 
• Ability to manage time-sensitive grant submissions while maintaining day-to-day construction and project responsibilities. 
• Valid NC Driver’s License 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES 

• Familiarity with basic office operations 
• Positive Disposition 
• Flexibility to assist as deadlines require 
• Dependability 
• Attention to Detail 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

While in the office, this is a partially sedentary role, and some job duties may require the ability to bend or stand, as necessary. This position requires sufficient hand/eye coordination and dexterity in the use of fingers, limbs, or body to perform semiskilled repetitive movements such as drafting, data entry and/or use of other office equipment or supplies; must be able to perceive forms and colors; may require the ability to operate motor vehicles. Tasks may involve frequent walking, standing, lifting, and carrying objects up to 50 pounds.  

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.   

ABOUT THE WOOTEN COMPANY 

We are a multi-disciplinary firm dedicated to providing engineering, geomatics and architectural services to municipalities, counties, water and sewer authorities, educational institutions, and private industries across the Carolinas. 

We provide our clients with consulting for civil/environmental engineering, mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering, architecture, and GIS/surveying services. These departments work together with our team of funding specialists to provide financing assistance for many local government projects, and we pride ourselves on having helped raise over $600 million in grants and loans for infrastructure improvements and community enhancements.? 

As communities across North and South Carolina face ever changing environmental and economic challenges, we remain dedicated to providing and improving the infrastructure necessary to remain one of the country's best places to live, work, and raise a family. 

The Wooten Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or sexual orientation. 

Job Type: Full-Time Reduced Hours, non-exempt 

Recruiting Agencies, Please Note 

The Wooten Company will not accept unsolicited assistance from recruiting/search agencies for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by recruiting or search agencies to any employee at The Wooten Company via email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search/recruitment agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of The Wooten Company. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by The Wooten Company because of the referral or through other means.