Job Details

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Simmons University
  • Position Number: 3067783
  • Location: Boston, MA
  • Position Type: Executive Assistants


Administrative Assistant/ Executive Assistant, Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities

Main Campus - Boston, MAMain Campus - Boston, MAMain Campus - Boston, MA
R08574

Located in Boston's historic Fenway area, Simmons has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons University was one of the first higher education institutions to prepare women to become leaders and has evolved to become a university offering a women's undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all.

You're joining our community at an especially exciting time as one of our strategic goals is to become the most inclusive campus in New England. You'll find that people who work here are truly committed to our mission of preparing students to become champions of social justice and leaders in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace. Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual's community.

Job Summary
The Administrative Assistant/ Executive Assistant will provide organizational and administrative support of a confidential nature to the Office of the Dean. The Administrative Assistant/Executive Assistant will have primary responsibility to the Dean of the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities and report to the Director of Operations. The Administrative Assistant/Executive Assistant will act as liaison with internal colleagues and external partners while promoting a culture of inclusion and responsiveness through customer-centric support. This position requires keen interpersonal skills, exceptional judgment to facilitate collaboration and communication among diverse groups, and the ability to proactively solve problems and/or independently handle issues.

This highly visible role is critical to the function and success of the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities. The Administrative Assistant/Executive Assistant will serve as the first point of contact for the Dean's Office and will support both academic and individual calendar coordination, event and meeting preparation, data maintenance, and routine day-to-day operations.

The ideal candidate will: maintain a strong customer focus, foster mutual respect, support Simmons University'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. Calendar Coordination & Meeting Coordination - 35%
  • Coordinate both academic and individual calendars for the Dean and Director of Operations, 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;
  • Schedule meetings and arrange conference calls for the Office as well as College-wide faculty meetings;
  • Coordinate meeting logistics including location reservations, catering, and equipment;
  • Prepare meeting materials and presentations;
  • Draft and distribute meeting agendas;
  • Attend meetings and manage meeting minutes as requested by the Dean.


2. Administrative Operations & Projects - 35%
  • Organize and maintain the workings of the Office of the Dean, including but not limited to processing of invoices, expense reports, and credit card statements; ordering supplies, record, and database maintenance requests and basic bookkeeping;
  • Prepare purchase orders as needed for orders, programs, projects and other College commitments, including faculty, visitor, and speaker reimbursements and honorarium payments and trainings;
  • Coordinate the Dean's Office events and related programs;
  • Assist with administrative support for faculty searches and annual faculty review processes;
  • Assist with day to day operations needs of the college;
  • Support Ifill College Community events for faculty in collaboration with other University offices (Events Management, Technology, Facilities, Catering, etc.);
  • Execute financial oversight of Dean's Office event activities including working within an approved budget, forecasting, comparing vendor selections;
  • Work on discrete projects, providing project coordination, documentation, and support and other duties as assigned.


3. Communications - 20%
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for the Office of the Dean for internal and external constituencies;
  • Coordinate communications from Office of the Dean to internal and external constituents;
  • Oversee all aspects of the college's periodic communications (e.g., monthly newsletter) including developing content and management of member list;
  • Regularly create and submit department-specific news stories to University communications
  • Responsible for the dissemination of faculty letters and donor acknowledgments;
  • Respond to phone, email, and in-person inquiries in a timely and professional manner. Make autonomous, accurate, and swift judgments, including forwarding questions and requests to other senior staff;
  • Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including mail, faxes, and email;
  • Draft and/or proofread emails, letters, reports, or other documents.


4. Other Duties -- 10%
  • Assist with other duties as assigned by the Dean and Operations Director.


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 online meeting technology using audio, video and shared desktop applications (e.g. Adobe Connect, Zoom, Webex, GoToMeeting, Skype).


Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
  • Three to five years of professional experience, administrative experience required or executive assistant experience preferred;
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including editing and proofreading;
  • Exceptional planning and organizational skills;
  • Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects;
  • Ability to work well in a team environment;
  • Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive issues and maintain confidentiality;
  • Ability to work well with culturally diverse populations within an organization;
  • 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;
  • Prior experience in higher education administration a plus.


Desired Competencies
  • Communication
  • Time Management
  • Collaboration
  • Personal Effectiveness/Credibility/Friendliness
  • Flexibility/Adaptability


Required Application Materials:
  • Cover Letter
  • Resume


Salary Grade
H06

Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).

Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual's community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices-at all levels, for all positions-ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. 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/Administrative-Assistant--Executive-Assistant--Gwen-Ifill-College-of-Media--Arts--and-Humanities_R08574-1

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.