Executive Assistant

Job Description:

About the Position

The Chicago School is a nonprofit private university with more than 6,000 students. The university is building the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine: IllinoisCOM (applicant status - seeking accreditation).   

The Chicago School is hiring an Executive Assistant (EA) to support the Illinois COM’s (applicant status – seeking accreditation) Founding Dean and up to four members of the executive team (principals). The EA is responsible for managing the principals’ calendars, travel arrangements, expenses, and meeting preparation.

Successful candidates will be proactive and strategic, with an ability to manage schedules, travel, and office operations in a way that enables the executive team to trust that all administrative matters are covered. Successful candidates will be highly capable of independent and collaborative work.

This position is located at the Chicago, IL campus location. Occasional domestic travel may be required to support key meetings and events.

Principal Duties

1. Manage the Founding Dean’s schedule with the end user in mind

• Schedule, execute, and coordinate a seamless run of the principals’ daily schedules, juggling multiple, simultaneous requests across multiple time zones and internal and external stakeholders. Proactively resolve conflicts and/or escalate issues to ensure quick resolution; do not let issues linger.

• Strategically manage the principals’ calendars to increase focus and ensure best use of limited time (e.g., time blocking and defining limits, strategic scheduling to reserve focus time).

• Ensure that the principals’ understand the basics of who, what, where, why, and how of every meeting. Prepare and discuss all essential logistics for each scheduled meeting, in coordination with key colleagues.

2. Manage travel with end users in mind

• Arrange travel logistics for the principals’ trips to key university meetings and events, thinking through their needs throughout the journey and meeting their travel preferences wherever possible.

• Provide clear, comprehensive travel prep packs (e.g., detailed travel itineraries, logistical confirmations, meeting itineraries, stakeholder bios).

• Prepare and manage all assigned expense reports, in accordance with university travel and expense policies.

3. Oversee day-to-day responsibilities for the Executive Team

• Manage notes and next steps for key meetings (e.g., leadership team meetings).

• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, HR, and others to track and execute contracts or other required paperwork.

• Manage regular correspondence and deliveries (e.g.,  gifts).

• Manage other duties as assigned, including research for upcoming meetings, writing. key communications or proposals, proofreading memos or presentations, etc.

• Optimize operational processes for the team and/or specific members’ workflows.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree

• 2+ years’ experience as an assistant to executive leaders

• Outstanding technical skill with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom

• Competent technical skill with Microsoft Office Suite (especially PowerPoint, Excel, and Word)

Ideal Qualifications

• Outstanding technical skill with Microsoft Office Suite (especially PowerPoint, Excel, and Word)

• Competent technical skill with Concur travel and expense management systems 

Required Skills

• Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail: demonstrated ability to track multiple ongoing priorities and projects

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

• Demonstrated experience and ability to interact professionally with high-level internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Board members, potential donors, executives)

• Positive, team-oriented attitude and a collaborative working style

• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgement and maintain poise under pressure and handle matters with sound judgement, extreme confidentiality, and diplomacy

• Absolute discretion and sound judgment: maintain confidentiality and manage high-pressure situations with tact and sensitivity

Compensation & Benefits

This opportunity is budgeted at $50,000 - $80,000 base compensation. Additional compensation factors may impact total compensation. To learn more about our competitive benefits and additional rewards, including generous paid time-off, medical and dental insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, click the link below.

https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/career-opportunities/

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please note: For the protection of faculty, staff, students and all who enter our facilities, The Chicago School requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with limited exemptions, as a condition of employment.