Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Advancement

NOTE TO APPLICANT: Some positions require a resume, cover letter and/or other documents to be submitted with your application. Please submit these as one attachment in the My Experience section of the application under the “resume/CV” upload section. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to attach additional documents.

Job Posting Title:

Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Advancement

Job Description:

Primary Purpose:

The Executive Assistant to the Vice President (Executive Assistant) is responsible for providing a broad range of high-level, day-to-day administrative support to the Vice President for Advancement (VP) and general operational management for the Office of College Advancement (OCA). Reporting directly to the VP, the Executive Assistant must quickly gain a solid understanding of and appreciation for the overall work of the OCA and, specifically, the work of the VP.

The Executive Assistant must be someone who is highly organized, proactive, dynamic, professional, and goal-oriented, and who has very strong written and verbal communications skills coupled with a keen sense of courtesy, tact, and discretion. The Executive Assistant must have the work ethic, integrity and temperament to professionally manage work and interactions in a high-energy, diverse, and highly-visible organization. Because this person will interact with a broad array of constituencies that include trustees, the President’s Cabinet, alumni, alumni board members, students, faculty, staff and high-level donors to the College, the Executive Assistant is expected to be able to work with limited supervision and act as a leader within the Advancement Office, exercising sound judgment and discretion.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Promote an open and friendly environment that supports positive interactions, effective communication, efficient workflow, and successful outcomes, while providing support to all Advancement subunits as a direct representative of the VP.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the various functions and activities of the Advancement Office and any projects related to the VP in order to increase the VP’s efficiency and effectiveness, tracking critical projects and commitments to ensure continued progress, consistent follow through and timely completion.
• Strategically manage the VP’s calendar to ensure that all necessary meetings are scheduled with an eye toward how they relate to key initiatives, that the necessary steps can be taken to meet deadlines, and that sufficient time is allocated to complete projects on time and prepare effectively for upcoming meetings, events, or travel.
• Coordinate, schedule, and participate in all necessary meetings and ensure agendas, minutes, and support documents are prepared.
• Manage the VP’s major gift donor portfolio to ensure that priority relationships are being developed, maintained and enhanced.
• Coordinate travel arrangement for the VP strategically and effectively, ensuring that the VP maintains an ongoing schedule of local, regional, and national visits with various constituents (e.g. donors, perspective donors, trustees, past trustees, alumni, and parents, and that relationships are being managed effectively, that ongoing communications and meetings are occurring and that all necessary follow up is completed on time.
• Respond to and interact with constituents in person, writing (including electronic communication) and by phone to answer or re-direct questions, provide information, and facilitate important and time-critical communication to and from the VP.
• Compose, edit, and proofread documents that may vary in scope and complexity (e.g. donor correspondence, acknowledgment letters, white papers, proposals, policies, etc.), and assist in preparing and editing presentations (primarily in MS PowerPoint).
• Oversee the preparation of materials related to Board of Trustees’ Committee meetings—primarily Advancement Committee—including agendas, presentations, minutes, reports, and other required follow up items.
• Assist the VP with managing and coordinating ongoing communications (including planning, updates, and announcements) from the VP’s Office to the Advancement Team, the President’s Cabinet, the Campus Community, the Board of Trustees and Trustee Committees (specifically the Advancement Committee) and others.
• Independently and collaboratively work on and coordinate various projects and process improvement initiatives; analyze current practices and procedures; conduct research; recommend changes or new approaches; prepare a variety of documents related to projects such as reports, policies, analyses, flow charts, and spreadsheets.
• Provide administrative support for the weekly OCA Leadership Team meetings including scheduling, agenda preparation, minutes, etc.
• Manage the bi-monthly OCA All Staff Meetings including scheduling, preparing discussion items and presentations, coordinating with guest speakers, etc.
• In the VP’s absence, ensure that requests for action or information are handled directly, relayed to appropriate staff member(s) or departments, or communicated to the VP directly.
• Act as a backup for managing departmental purchase cards and handling administrative functions related to the VP’s office, including expense reports, purchase card transactions, check requests, etc.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Positive attitude and strong work ethic, possessing a high degree of personal integrity.
• Demonstrated strong organizational, project management, time management, and multi-tasking skills, with the ability to meet deadlines in a busy, high-paced environment, while always exercising a high degree of independent judgment, tact and discretion.
• Possesses strong interpersonal skills that include courtesy, patience, diplomacy, the ability to adapt communication style to a constituent, and the ability to remain calm and poised in challenging and difficult situations.
• Ability to work collaboratively, creatively, and selflessly as a member of a senior leadership team to contribute to the success of individual projects and the overall success of the division.
• Strong strategic, analytic, problem solving, critical thinking and research skills, with a proven ability to overcome obstacles, find creative solutions, and make thoughtful decisions.
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to the climate and culture of the campus, while also developing a thorough knowledge of procedures, policies, and processes.
• Ability to work with a broad and diverse campus community, preferably in an academic setting that includes administrators, faculty, students and staff.
• Ability to work directly with an external consumer-based constituency, preferably in a higher education or nonprofit setting that includes alumni, donors, board members and volunteers.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing, with a strong knowledge of proper formats, grammar and punctuation, as well as the ability to edit, proofread and ensure a high degree of quality control.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency and skills in a variety of computer programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated ability to compose/draft original written correspondence and documents such as policy documents, reports, memos, agendas and letters.
• Knowledge of office management methods, procedures and techniques that include financial recordkeeping, budgeting and purchasing procedures.

Required Qualification and Experience:

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Experience: Minimum of three years of increasingly responsible executive-level administrative experience, preferably in a higher education or nonprofit institute that includes managing a variety of assignments in varying degrees of complexity with efficiency and thoroughness. Experience should include providing direct support to a mid- to upper-level manager of an organization or business unit within an organization. Experience in a fundraising environment is a plus.

Licenses/Certificates: Possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and driving record acceptable to the College’s automobile insurance carrier.

Other

Hours: The regular office hours of this position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours may vary due to the needs of the College or department and occasional evening and weekend hours may be required.

Classification & Status: This is a full-time, 12-months per year, benefits-eligible, exempt position.

Salary:

The anticipated starting salary range is $70,000 – $75,000 annual. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

Reports to: Vice President of Advancement.

Regular employment at the College is for no specified period of time; conditions and status of employment (hours, pay, title, duties, etc.) are subject to change at any time. Employees, and likewise the College, are free to end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without notice or cause, unless otherwise prohibited by law.

This job description defines the essential or fundamental job duties of the employment position. It is assumed that the employee hired for this position can perform the essential functions of the position without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health and safety of the employee or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Harvey Mudd College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will be given consideration for employment without regard to age, race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, protected veteran’s status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any staff position at Harvey Mudd College you must apply for each position for which you believe you are qualified. 

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