Reservations Specialist (Project Specialist-Administrative)

The USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability (WIES) seeks a detail-oriented Reservations Specialist (Project Specialist) with strong customer service skills to lead and manage all reservation planning and resource coordination for our Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island. This position is located at the WMSC and reports to the Associate Director for Business Strategy and Finance at WIES.

About the Wrigley Marine Science Center

The WMSC is a USC campus and field station advancing the understanding of the environment and sustainability. Located in a pristine environment on Santa Catalina Island, just 22 miles from Los Angeles, WMSC provides unparalleled access to both unspoiled natural systems and areas heavily affected by human activity. WMSC is equipped to support undergraduate and graduate courses, individual academic researchers, conferences, retreats, and approximately 2,500 visitors annually (15,000 visitor days).

WMSC offers wet and dry labs, sized for individual researchers or groups; a lecture hall and classrooms with A/V setup; a greenhouse and blue house; dive facilities; education support; and room and board. Getting to the island is convenient aboard the USC vessel, Miss Christi, which provides transportation to and from WMSC, plus a full-service waterfront to support research and educational activities like kayaking, snorkeling, etc. We offer full support for research diving, including access to boating and the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. Our dining hall serves three meals each day. Housing options include dorm-style rooms with shared bathrooms; one-bedroom apartments with full kitchens and living/dining spaces; and 2- and 3-bedroom cottages with full kitchens, living rooms, and dining rooms. The George and MaryLou Boone Center for Environmental Research is our premium housing option which offers a retreat facility for public- and private-sector leaders looking to develop solutions to environmental and sustainability problems. It consists of six semi-detached homes situated around a central courtyard with a view of Big Fisherman’s Cove.

Job Details

This full-time role acts as the key liaison between the WMSC and its visitors and is responsible for reserving, assigning, and prioritizing WMSC resources in support of WIES’ mission to secure a more sustainable and equitable tomorrow. The day-to-day responsibilities will involve detailed coordination with clients to identify their desired research, conference, or education outcomes, and reserve the appropriate resources at WMSC accordingly. Reservation resources at WMSC include a variety of housing options, dining plans, educational activities, laboratories, classrooms, scientific diving, vehicle and vessel use, and more. This position will work closely with key personnel to plan day trip, overnight, and semester-long visits for a variety of education and research groups throughout the year. In addition to managing reservations, this role helps provide on-site administrative coverage at WMSC, serving as a primary in-office point of contact for visiting students, faculty, researchers, and guests.

Major Responsibilities:

• Act as primary contact for WMSC reservation requests and general space inquiries

• Present reservation inquiries weekly to a review committee to assess mission alignment, operational feasibility, and resource prioritization

• Coordinate with the administrative, hospitality, laboratory, waterfront, and education departments at WMSC to ensure a client’s expected resources are available and reserved during appropriate times

• Serve as the central communication hub between departments to ensure real-time updates on reservation changes and operational impacts

• Maintain detailed event files and provide accurate reporting of activities, meals, and accommodations, including purpose of visit and emergency contact information

• Assist groups with schedule planning to achieve their educational and research goals in the field and in the lab and act as a point of contact while they are on site

• Provide client relations support and collect feedback from visiting groups to continually improve program and facility operations for efficiency and user-friendly capability

• Administer liability waivers, housing agreements, contracts, and invoices for WMSC client visits and staff housing

• Regularly assess client communications to ensure information is accurate and accessible to visiting groups, taking feedback from individual departments to improve information flow

• Assist with housing assignments and roommate pairing as needed for semester-long courses

• Own and continuously improve the departmental reservations and billing database, including reporting, data integrity, and process enhancements

• Researches and identifies client or beneficiary needs and recommends program modifications or creation of new programs and services. Assists in the design and delivery of programs, services and special events.

• Provides historical data and projections for use in developing resource and annual reporting to inform pricing and marketing efforts

• Provide on-site administrative coverage in the WMSC office, respond to guest and visitor inquiries, and address real-time logistical or scheduling needs in coordination with campus departments

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education

• 2 years of experience in event planning, program/project management, or hotel/travel reservations

• Demonstrated excellence in customer service, organizational planning, logistics coordination, problem solving, database management, process improvement, and written and verbal communication

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a related field

• 3 years of experience in event planning, program/project management, or hotel/travel reservations

• Experience working in higher education, research institutions, field stations, hospitality operations, or remote environments

• Experience with MySQL, Postgres, and/or Microsoft Access databases

• Knowledge of the Southern California area, including Catalina Island

• Skills in analysis, program assessment/evaluation, conceptualization and user experience design, marketing, and public speaking/presentations

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. Some weekend and evening hours may be required. This position is eligible for overtime.

Location: Wrigley Marine Science Center, Two Harbors (Catalina Island), CA.

Housing and Living Arrangements on Catalina Island: This position is eligible for private housing in Two Harbors starting at $532/month (trash and sewer utilities included).

In the town of Two Harbors there is a small general store, restaurant/bar, dive shop, snack shack, bed and breakfast, etc. It is a small town with a tight-knit community. USC employees carpool to work (USC's campus is two miles from Two Harbors) each day. Lunch is available each day in the dining hall, or employees can take the carpool home for their lunch break.

USC has a boat that employees and their guests can ride for no charge. The USC vessel has departure times from SCMI in San Pedro several days each week. To check the boat schedule, please visit Catalina Express also has a public charter to the island for additional transportation needs.

Salary range: $30-$34, hourly rate depending on experience; generous benefits package, including health insurance, a retirement account, life insurance, tuition benefits, and a wide range of discounts. The university invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year to provide these benefits, and they represent an important and substantial part of your overall compensation package. For more details on USC Benefits and Perks, visit: employees.usc.edu/benefits-perks.

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 alignment, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

About the Wrigley Institute

The mission of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability is to inspire global environmental solutions through frontier research and education. Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, one of the nation’s premier research universities, we also have a satellite campus on California’s beautiful Santa Catalina Island. Through education, research, and engagement, we train the next generation of environmental leaders, develop original solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems, and encourage nonpartisan action for sustainability and environmental justice.

WIES is part of USC’s oldest and largest school, the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and a key player in the university’s high-profile sustainability initiatives. We are home to:

• Dornsife’s Environmental Studies academic program, which grants both undergraduate and graduate degrees;

• The Wrigley Marine Science Center, our Catalina Island research base;

• The USC Hyperbaric Chamber, which serves the Southern California dive community;

• USC Sea Grant, which conducts research and outreach on the urban ocean;

• Research centers on Earth & Environmental Systems, Applied Environmental Solutions, and Social Transformation; and

• Signature public events that bring together business leaders, policy makers, activists, and scholars for conversations of consequence on the environment and sustainability

A job with the Wrigley Institute is an opportunity to help solve one of the most important challenges of our era. Join us to help create a more sustainable future!

Position is eligible for USC benefits and is open until filled.

To support the well-being of our faculty and staff, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of perks to help protect their and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.