Executive Assistant to the President

Executive Assistant to the President

Summary Description
The Executive Assistant to the President is responsible for providing executive administrative support to the President of the College and ensuring efficient day-to-day operations of the office. This position requires excellent written and oral communication skills, sensitivity and discretion with confidential matters, excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, impeccable integrity and professionalism, and the ability to work with minimal supervision while maintaining a high degree of accuracy. The Executive Assistant must be highly dependable and is held to a very high level of accountability concerning confidential material and sensitive documents. Discretion and independent good judgment are mandatory.

At the direction of the President, the Executive Assistant will coordinate communication with Officers of the Board of Trustees (BOT), plan and manage Board events, and assist the President with other duties related to the BOT as requested. On occasion, the Executive Assistant to the Presidents will serve as the Administrative Assistant for Cabinet-level appointments in temporary or consultative relationship with the College. This individual must be available to work extended hours due to special projects or events.

Attitudinal Requirements

The person in this position must have a growth mindset, a willingness to learn and innovate to improve operations, comfort with technology, and an appreciation for the residential liberal arts college model. Additionally, the Executive Assistant to the President will be able to:

• Maintain the highest standard of discretion and confidentiality in all interactions on and off campus about matters related to the campus and the President
• Anticipate needs
• Interact with a variety of constituents with maturity and grace
• Communicate clearly, professionally, and accurately in a variety of settings and formats
• Secure confidential information, electronically and otherwise, with a high degree of professionalism
• Manage multiple, complex projects simultaneously
• Respond flexibly and quickly to change, emergencies, and crises
• Redirect inquiries in a professional and warm manner
• Have a sense of humor and the humility to ask questions when necessary
• Represent the Office of the President on and off campus as a mature professional

Example Duties
Executive Support

• Coordinate President’s calendar, to include scheduling appointments, meeting rooms, and logistics to support appointments, including preparing briefs and collecting relevant documentation by researching and synthesizing information from a variety of sources.
• Calendar management entails substantial knowledge of the President’s style and requires understanding which inquiries should be addressed by the President and which should be deferred to someone else at the College, evaluating the time needed to complete appointments or Presidential tasks, anticipating time commitments for future projects requiring President’s review and work time, and understanding the sensitivity associated with commitments to the President’s time. Also requires knowledge of internal and external stakeholders seeking access to the President.
• Assist in keeping the President on schedule throughout the day.
• Ensure that all calendar events have complete, accurate information.
• Provide routine (daily, weekly, monthly) reviews of the calendar for the President in order to facilitate time for major projects and manage a balance of constituent engagement.
• Coordinate exchange of information to Vice Presidents, community leaders, students, alumni, faculty, trustees, and major donors.
• Assist in preparation of agendas for meetings and follow up by the President to senior leaders and others (internal and external).
• Monitor College, organization, city, state event schedules for President’s attendance.
• Provide communication and correspondence to the BOT on behalf of the President.
• Support planning and execution of BOT meetings, BOT committee meetings supported by the President, BOT retreats, and commencement.
• Attend Board meetings and select committee meetings to take minutes.
• Schedule travel arrangements (may include support for executives traveling with the President and, on occasion, the President’s spouse).
• Coordinate with the Vice President for Advancement to arrange appointments with donor prospects. Ensure timely follow-up of key prospect tasks for the President.
• Access university databases for research upon request by the President.
• Provide support for the President’s participation on external boards and community groups.

Advancement & Community Engagement

• Meet with the Advancement team to discuss non-routine correspondence needs of the division.
• In conjunction with the Vice President for Advancement, facilitate lunches/meetings with donors.
• Monitor donors assigned to the President to ensure special occasions, events, bereavement correspondences are completed.
• Update donor database for President’s assigned donors and other correspondence.
• Monitor major events at the city and state level and facilitate President’s participation.

General Office

• Screen incoming calls and receive visitors for the President.
• Field concerns brought to the President’s Office. This includes working closely with leadership team to research a wide variety of issues and situations and working with campus departments to trouble-shoot/resolve issues.
• Conduct basic research to support office functions.
• Manage the budgets and expenses for the President, the Board of Trustees, and assist with the invoice and PO approval process with the President.

• Manage and be accountable for a high volume of confidential material on a daily basis related to faculty, staff, and students; Board of Trustees materials; senior staff reports; office and campus budget information; campus emergency situations; and campus projects.

• Draft confidential documents such as reports to the Board of Trustees, letters regarding personnel matters, letters to elected officials, and other educational institutions for the President.
• Draft/proof routine correspondence for the President.
• Maintain electronic and paper filing system for office and for the BOT.
• Supervise interns and student assistants. Due to the sensitive nature of work done in the office, interns and student assistants must be trained thoroughly and supervised carefully to ensure that they are assigned only tasks that are appropriate for their roles.
• Run errands/order supplies for the office.

Event Planning

• Participate in the coordination of Office of the President events.
• Follow up with department requests and others for president’s participation in university and outside events to maintain a manageable and appropriate level of campus engagement with different stakeholder groups.
• Work with athletics, advancement, academic affairs, and others to plan events in which the President plays a key role. Assist with events as appropriate.
• Attend key events hosted by the President to ensure successful implementation.
• Work closely with Marketing and Communications to provide timely and relevant updates from the President.

Other duties as assigned

• Carry out and oversee additional and complex job duties assigned by the President and support the President in other ways that enable the President to fulfill the responsibilities of the office.

Education / Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant experience or ten years of experience without a degree required.
• Preference will be given to candidates with a degree in a liberal arts discipline.
• Preference will be given to candidates with experience working for Level 1/ c-suite executive(s).

This position requires completion of a criminal background check, a data compliance agreement, and a confidentiality agreement prior to the start date.

The campus is open from 8:00am-5:00pm Monday through Friday with expectations for assistance outside of working hours in emergency situations, for travel needs, or for events. Some scheduled evening and weekend work will be required for major events throughout the year. In addition to generous paid holidays, summer hours are reduced across campus and can be negotiated with the President.

Review of applications will begin May 13, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. The start date for this position is negotiable.

Hendrix College strives to maintain an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where members of the Hendrix Community treat each other with respect, dignity and courtesy. The College adheres to the principle of equal educational and employment opportunity without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or national origin.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Bridgette Gray, Assistant Manager, Human Resources & Deputy Title IX Coordinator 1600 Washington Ave, Conway, AR 72032 501-450-1415