Advertising Summary: The Office of the President is seeking an Executive Assistant to the President to provide high-level administrative support in helping the President fulfill responsibilities related to the overall leadership and administration of the University.
Department: Presidents Office
Duties & Responsibilities:
The Executive Assistant to the President provides high-level administrative and operational support to the President and manages the daily functions of the President’s Office. This position is responsible for coordinating complex administrative activities, scheduling and facilitating meetings, arranging travel and related logistics, preparing materials and correspondence, and handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion. The role requires strong communication and organizational skills to effectively engage with internal and external stakeholders while ensuring the efficient and professional operation of the office.
Strategic Calendar Management
Proactive Scheduling:
● This role ensures that the President’s priorities are translated into a functional, daily operational schedule, including.
● Cultivates professional relationships with internal and external colleagues to ensure the maximization of the president’s time while also ensuring there is a balance in scheduling.
Strategy:
● Design the President’s daily schedule to include "executive strategic and planning time," travel buffers, and preparation windows to prevent burnout and ensure peak performance.
● Troubleshoots for the President to anticipate and prevent problems before they arise in an efficient manner.
Long-Range Planning:
● Coordinate the annual cycle of internal and external meetings.
Logistics & Preparation
Briefing Coordination:
● Collaborate with the Executive Director of Board and Executive Operations to ensure the President has all necessary briefing materials, bios, talking points, agendas, relevant data, and other information 24–48 hours before any meeting.
● Must be detail-oriented, dependable, and proactive.
Travel Coordination:
● Coordinate all travel arrangements for the President and the President’s spouse, including flights, accommodations, itineraries, and logistics; process expense reports in a timely and accurate manner.
● Arrange comprehensive domestic and international travel, including detailed itineraries that account for time zone shifts and ground transportation for the President and the President’s spouse.
● Books flights, rental cars, conference registrations. Arranges for transportation to and from the airport as needed. Works with the contact person for the trip to ensure all needs are met and expenses are within University guidelines. Coordinate with the President's aides when used to confirm they are aware of the logistics of the trip including maps, appointments, security, and other details.
● Ensures that the President and the President’s spouse have all necessary documentation, travel itineraries, transportation arrangements and related necessary items and information prior to travel. Prepares travel itineraries.
Other
● Prioritizes the President’s preferences and what seems logical utilizing the best location for meetings as well as catering selections.
● Keeps the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Executive Director of Board and Executive Operations informed of important information and distributes follow up notes as appropriate.
● Maintain organized systems for files, records, and key documents.
● Partner with the University Events office, Development and Alumni Relations office, and other appropriate offices to oversee logistics for the president’s attendance at events.
● Approves leave for the President's direct reports.
● Provides reception services in the Office of the President, as needed.
● Processes all reimbursements related to presidential expenses.
● Coordinates appropriate calendars to sync with the President’s calendar.
Minimum Qualifications:
● High school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of five years of administrative support experience at the C-suite or executive office level, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
● Significant experience managing an executive’s calendar and coordinating complex scheduling activities.
● Extensive experience managing executive travel arrangements, including independently coordinating flights, hotels, ground transportation, itineraries, travel details, and reimbursement processes, with demonstrated proficiency using travel management databases, booking platforms, and related administrative systems.
● Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
● Significant experience handling sensitive and confidential information with the highest level of discretion and professionalism.
● Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills with a high level of diplomacy.
● Proven ability to effectively communicate with and support senior-level management.
● Demonstrated proficiency in database management and administrative support functions, with advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Adobe Acrobat, and other relevant technologies.
● Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as needed and demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness to support the President’s operational needs.
● Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
Preferred Qualifications:
● Bachelor’s degree
● Minimum of seven years of experience providing executive-level administrative support to a college or university President, Chancellor, Chief Executive Officer, or similarly senior executive leader.
Salary Range: $90,000 - $100,000
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
FLSA Exemption Status: Non-Exempt
Hours per Week: 40
Restricted Position: No
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite
University Job Title: 91911 - Open
EEO
Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.
VCU Notice of Nondiscrimination
Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal
VCU's Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
Annual security and fire safety report
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is committed to assisting all members of the community in providing for their own safety and security. As required by federal law (The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 U.S.C.1092(f), known as the “Clery Act”), the university publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which contains information regarding campus security, crime reporting policies, personal safety and crime prevention, and fire and crime statistics for our various campus locations. To request a paper copy of the current report, please contact the VCU Police Department by calling (804) 828-3851 or in person at 224 E. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia 23219.
E-verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Effective June 1, 2011, agencies in the Commonwealth of Virginia's Executive Branch will use the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.
If you have questions or need accommodations during the application and interview process, please contact VCU Human Resources at (804) 828-0177 (Voice), (800) 828-1120 (TDD) or askhr@vcu.edu. The HR Welcome Center on the corner of Belvidere Street and W. Franklin Street is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Use of Cookies
A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a Web server and stored on the device you used to access the website. The cookie is then sent back to our server each time the browser requests a page from the server. The purpose of cookies is to identify users in order to prepare customized web pages for them and allow VCU to prioritize and improve the content delivered to its site visitors. The following types of cookies may be used on a VCU official site:
· Non-Persistent Cookies: Some VCU official sites use non-persistent cookies for the purpose of fulfilling form requests, so as you move through the web pages in that browsing session, the site will remember customized settings, choices made and content selected. These cookies are automatically discarded after closing the web browser.
· Persistent Cookies: Some VCU official sites use non-persistent cookies in order to provide improved services and enhance website performance. These cookies help VCU to count the number of visitors to VCU web pages, track visitor engagement on VCU web pages and improve the content VCU provides through its websites. These cookies are not automatically discarded upon browser closure.
· Web Beacons and Third-Party Cookies: Some VCU official sites may use web beacons along with third party non-persistent and persistent cookies to collect non-identifiable data from site visitors. VCU uses this collected data to prioritize and improve the content it delivers to its site visitors and to promote the university in a manner that is most relevant to its site visitors.