Supervisor, Administrative Services

Kimberly Killelea

Kimberly Killelea Spotlight

Over the years, Exponent has provided me with the work-life balance needed to be present in my children's educational and extra-curricular activities, while still growing personally and professionally. 

Our Admins are the Core of Each Office 

I worked in Boston in the financial services industry as an office administrator before starting my career at Exponent.  As a full-time working mother of two, I appreciated the benefits of working closer to home and began my search for a new position. Finally, after two years of working with my recruiter, I accepted an offer as an Administrative Assistant II with Exponent. 

I have now been with Exponent for over 17 years.  

I was promoted to supervisor, Administrative Services in October 2021. This was a new position and an unexpected opportunity for career advancement. I am thankful that my leadership skills and overall commitment to the firm and the admin team were recognized. This new role has allowed me to share my years of knowledge and experience with our administrative team as well as our corporate staff and consultants.   

I believe in empowering our administrative professionals with the skills and knowledge to assist in building working relationships with their colleagues.   

Over the years, Exponent has provided me with the work-life balance needed to be present in my children's educational and extra-curricular activities, while still growing personally and professionally.

A Day in The Life 

These days, I occasionally work from home. I enjoy and appreciate the flexibility, but have discovered that I prefer to be in the office in the midst of all the activity and collaboration.  

Every day is different. It keeps work interesting.  

My current role is unique and multi-faceted. In addition to my supervisory role, I support consultants on a variety of projects. My daily responsibilities include all aspects of project coordination and administration as well as executive support to several principals. One day I may be organizing office events, editing reports, and training a new hire, while another day I may be scheduling travel arrangements, managing calendars, or assisting an admin with a complex task. The variety keeps my work exciting, and I'm always available to assist our consultants and administrative team.      

We have over 70 administrative professionals at Exponent! In addition to providing administrative and project support to the consultants, the admins are involved in all aspects necessary to keep our offices running. Whether we're sharing instructions on how to implement a new process or asking a question on how to best do a task, we're always in communication and working as a team. It is important to stay on top of new processes, technology, maintain open communication, and expect the unexpected. 

Strong problem-solving skills and adaptability will help you succeed here. 

Our Inclusive Culture 

I admire the breadth and depth of my colleagues' expertise and the multidisciplinary teams formed to assist our clients. However, what I enjoy the most is when our staff connects during the social moments when we gather — whether it's an ice cream social, happy hour, our holiday party, which includes office trivia, or a charitable fundraising event. This downtime allows us to connect on a more personal level and supports our belonging and inclusion in the workplace. 

For me, it is the people that make Exponent great.

My colleagues have initiated many activities that have become a tradition. Several co-workers will grill lunch for the staff. We host a very competitive gingerbread house competition. We have an active softball team, a favorite restaurant for lunch, and you may find all of us wearing flannel shirts on Fridays. Our office participates in the Greenway challenge, an adventure race with road running, trail running, road biking, mountain biking, and kayaking legs. The Natick office has participated for the last seven years, and our two teams placed 1st and 3rd in 2022.  

There are many opportunities to get plugged into the company through your interests. And everyone is welcome. 

Over the past 17 years, our office has grown from 35 employees to over 115!  Our extended families have also grown. I enjoy seeing families at our Exponent events and seeing my colleagues' children at different stages of their lives. For me, it is the people that make Exponent great.