Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice President of Advancement


R04352

The Executive Assistant will provide organizational and administrative support of a confidential nature to the Office of the Vice President. The Executive Assistant will anticipate the needs of the VP with respect to the college's fundraising efforts with the highest level donors, Board of Trustees and alumnae/i, while proactively problem solve and/or independently handle issues. The Executive Assistant will act as liaison with internal colleagues and external partners, providing an integral component of the VP's relationship management, while promoting a culture of inclusion and responsiveness through customer-centric support. This position requires keen interpersonal skills and exceptional judgment to facilitate collaboration and communication among diverse groups while exercising discretion and judgment with respect to confidential employee relations and related confidential documentation.

This highly visible role is critical to the function and success of the Advancement strategy, and is relied upon for guidance regarding university standards with respect to schedules, correspondence, policies, guidelines, budget and operating costs within the division. The Executive Assistant will serve as the first point of contact for all inquiries and will support calendar coordination, event and meeting preparation, data maintenance, and day-to-day operations.

The ideal candidate will maintain a strong customer focus, foster mutual respect, support Simmons College's commitment to diversity, practice and promote teamwork, perform independently, maintain confidentiality, adhere to high standards of personal conduct and maintain and enhance professional/job competency.

Essential Functions
1. Provide proactive and independent support to the Office of the Vice President including:

Assist the senior team to develop and organize the division goals and strategy;

Demonstrate an understanding of Simmons' mission and how it is supported by the goals of Advancement;

Assist senior team with staffing processes, procedures and best practices;

Assist in the creation and maintenance of the Advancement operating budget;

Assist staff members overseeing operating costs and budgets;

Management of staff Performance Evaluation process;

Serve as a reliable resource to prospects, donors, volunteers, internal and external VIPs and Advancement colleagues on routine matters and/or in the absence of the VP, including college-wide activities, to best represent the standards and priorities of the institution for all constituent contacts;

Collaborate effectively with peers across the College to assist VP in interfacing with deans, vice presidents, college presidents, and other key partners;

Maintain awareness of all projects and active prospect/donor relationships on which VP is working;

Demonstrate leadership as the senior Administrative Assistant within the administrative team;

Strategize on and coordinate any projects requiring the division's administrative resources;

Oversee office management functions and responsible for day-to-day operations functions;

When needed, deliver training, orientation and procedural information to division employees.

2. Administrative Operations & Projects

Oversee complex scheduling of VP's calendar, using judgment to prioritize and commit leadership time for meetings, appointments and travel based on an in-depth understanding of the office's priorities and needs, providing prompts for meeting timelines and deadlines;

Coordinate meeting logistics including location reservations, catering and equipment;

Prepare meeting materials and presentations;

Draft and distribute meeting agendas;

Attend meetings and take meeting minutes as requested;

Manage travel arrangements to sometimes include the Deans, Provost, and/or President;

Preparation for donor visits and travel to include travel itineraries and visit briefings

Schedule donor visits;

Maintain a high level of organization and assist the VP in maintaining a high level of organization;

Organize and maintain all facets of the budget analysis and process, including preparation of purchase orders, processing invoices, expense reports, ordering supplies, record and database maintenance requests and basic bookkeeping;

Maintain accurate staff personnel files.

3. Communications

Draft high-quality correspondence;

Manage information flow to and from the VP in an effort to streamline communication; read, research, and route correspondence and inquiries with an eye toward conserving VP's time;

Enter contact reports and manage tracking of the VP's, the College President's, and the Deans' external contacts in a division-wide alumni database, Raiser's Edge;

Answer and screen calls for the VP;

Staff key division events;

Respond to phone, email, and in-person inquiries in a timely and professional manner. Make autonomous, accurate, and swift judgements, including forwarding questions and requests to other senior staff.

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience required.

Required Technical Skills

Advanced proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint);

Intermediate proficiency with Adobe Suites;

Experience with Workday preferred;

Experience with Raiser's Edge preferred;

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Three to five years of experience in an administrative support position with project coordination and high-level client contact (prior experience in higher education preferred);

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including editing and proofreading;

Exceptional planning and organizational skills;

Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects;

Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive issues and maintain confidentiality;

Proven ability to perform duties with a high level of professionalism, flexibility, discretion, judgment, diplomacy and tact;

Ability to multi-task, adapt to changing priorities, and meet deadlines;

Experience with accounting practices for budgetary responsibilities;

Desired Competencies

Communication

Time Management

Collaboration

Personal Effectiveness/Credibility

Flexibility/Adaptability

Work Schedule
This is a 40-hour/week position.


Instructions to Applicants: Please submit a resume and cover letter in the Resume/CV section of your application.


As a College committed to diversity, Simmons encourages applications broadly. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body and curriculum.

To apply, visit https://simmons.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Simmons-Careers/job/Main-Campus---Boston-MA/Executive-Assistant--Office-of-the-Vice-President-of-Advancement_R04352

Located in Bostons historic Fenway area, Simmons College is a small, private, non-sectarian College which has educated students for enriching careers and purposeful lives since 1899. Working at Simmons means joining a collaborative, diverse and mission-driven community of educators and professionals.

We prepare students to be leaders for themselves, their communities and the world. Our faculty and staff members lead by example - sharing a commitment to excellence and putting the students first.