Executive Assistant to the President

OCCUPATIONAL SUMMARY

Directly supporting the president, the executive assistant performs a variety of administrative duties, both complex and routine, with wide latitude for exercising discretion and judgment. The executive assistant manages all aspects of the president’s calendar, including the scheduling of all meetings (routine, standing and one-time), and related calendars, including Hart House (the president’s residence); arranges the president’s travel and other engagements; manages the daily operations of the President’s Office; coordinates annual appointments to presidential committees; and oversees the work of two full-time employees. The executive assistant directly interacts with a wide range of internal and external constituencies including the senior leadership of the university, board members, distinguished visitors, donors, alumni, students, faculty and staff. The position reports to the chief of staff to the president/secretary to the Board of Trustees.

WORK PERFORMED

• Manage the president’s calendar: schedule all routine, standing and one-time meetings, and arrange/coordinate travel and other engagements for the president.
• Manage the calendar for Hart House (the president’s residence), ensuring that all facilities and maintenance appointments, special events and other activities are confirmed and coordinated with the appropriate parties, including the president’s spouse.
• Manage all Duke-related entries on the president’s spouse’s calendar; ensure that the president’s spouse has all necessary briefing materials for Duke events and activities.
• Supervise the work of two FTEs: staff assistant and administrative assistant.
• Oversee daily operations of the President’s Office.
• Coordinate annual appointments to presidential committees, working closely with the Executive Committee of the Academic Council.
• Collect and prepare materials for the president’s meetings and engagements.
• Oversee archiving of office documents, consistent with policy.
• Provide quality assurance oversight of all incoming and outgoing materials, including correspondence.
• Monitor and manage president@duke email inbox; per established procedures. Ensure that messages are addressed in a timely and professional manner.
• Coordinate/manage recurring and one-time special projects, as needed.
• Provide back-up calendar support to the chief of staff and secretary to the Board of Trustees.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Training: Work requires administrative and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience: Work requires five years of administrative support experience at the executive / C-Suite office level. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Skills: The candidate for this position must have keen attention to detail and organization and be able to express ideas clearly, concisely and in accurate and grammatically correct written and verbal form. Candidate must be proactive and forward-looking and anticipate the president’s needs. A high level of professionalism and accuracy is a must, as well as an ability to maintain strict confidentiality. Candidate must possess excellent customer service skills, be collaborative and a team player, and complete work thoroughly and in a timely fashion. Candidate will exhibit professionalism, collegiality, courtesy and respect for others at all times.

Schedule: This is an exempt, salaried position, and the expectation is 100% on-site (versus remote) work. While the schedule is generally contained during regular business hours, occasional weekend and evening work is required. Candidate must be flexible and responsive to the president’s needs at all times.

Computer skills: The candidate for this position must have experience with office software including Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat (including preparation of composite PDFs) and familiarity and comfort with technology in general. Training on Duke-specific applications such as the Duke Alumni Development Database (DADD), financial applications, and correspondence management system will be provided.