Job Summary

The executive assistant to the president provides confidential administrative support that requires a thorough knowledge of college policies, procedures and operations and an understanding of the college’s role within the community.  The executive assistant exercises initiative and independent judgement in managing the president’s schedule and the office’s daily activities ensuring effective, efficient and professional service. This position serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the Office of the President and serves as a liaison to the senior leadership team and board of trustees.

Job Duties

  • Provide administrative and technical support to the president of the college. Effectively manage the president’s calendar, schedule meetings, prepare and distribute meeting agendas and materials, secure appropriate meeting space, attend meetings on behalf of President, taking notes and recording minutes. Identify and keep the president abreast of issues requiring his/her attention.  Anticipate, track, and remind the president of special or critical dates, events, communications pending, and actions required; assist with follow-through.
  • Perform general administrative duties including answering telephone, greeting and directing office visitors, maintaining organized filing system, ordering office supplies, and sorting and distributing mail. Maintain the condition of the office as a professional, clean, and inviting reception area.
  • Support communication needs between the president and vice presidents, deans, faculty, staff, students, and the public, maintaining strict confidentiality.
  • Facilitate efficient and cost-effective official travel for the president and official visitors by making travel arrangements and providing travel itinerary and documentation.
  • Proactively and expeditiously coordinate pressing and urgent issues to ensure the smooth operation of the President’s office.
  • Conduct research, prepare, proof, and disseminate selective written communications, materials, reports, documents and correspondence ensuring timely delivery to appropriate audiences.  Extensive proofreading and editing are required.
  • Create and post meeting agendas and organize president’s executive staff and college cabinet meetings.
  • Maintain high-level access to documents and data including confidential information for senior leadership discussions and decisions.
  • Develop and implement office procedures and priorities necessary to accomplish a variety of assignments in the most efficient and accurate manner ensuring college policies and procedures are being followed.
  • Assist with development and management of the budgets under control of the President’s Office by maintaining records, reconciling and verifying vouchers and receipts for accuracy, producing financial reports and summaries, approving expenditures, completing budget transfers and reconciling monthly purchasing card statements and expense reports.
  • Serve as first line response to inquiries and complaints, solve problems, and provide information to students, faculty, and staff regarding College operational procedures.
  • Receive incoming communications, review contents, determine importance, and summarize and/or distribute contents to appropriate staff; scan and file documents.
  • Ensure policies and procedures, departmental ORG charts, and contact lists are updated for the president’s office.
  • Remain informed and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional relationships with colleagues, attending professional development seminars, and attending training and/or courses as required.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree required. A degree in Business Administration or related field preferred.
  • At least four years of related experience required.
  • Proficiency in business communications in order to speak, present, read, write, prepare and edit materials using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure.
  • Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
  • Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with all constituent groups. Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills to interact in a professional and respectful manner.
  • Effective critical thinking skills to assist the senior leadership team.
  • Demonstrated problem solving skills and use of professional judgment to resolve complex issues.
  • Technical knowledge of budgeting principles and practices.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.), mail merge and other data merge projects, with the ability to learn new or updated software.
  • Knowledge and experience working with diverse cultures and populations.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is continuously required to sit for long periods of time, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands and fingers to handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. Occasionally the employee must reach with hands and arms. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 15 pounds and occasionally lift/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Application Procedure

Applicants should submit a current resume, a letter of interest and three references who may be contacted about the candidate’s experience and past performance. Review of applications will begin on August 1 and continue until the position is filled.   Materials should be submitted via email to Careers@millsaps.edu.  Please write “Executive Assistant” in the subject line of the email.

EEO Statement

Millsaps College values diversity within our students, faculty and staff, and strives to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people. Millsaps College does not discriminate in employment on the bases of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and/or local laws.

A background check will be conducted for finalist candidates. Employment is contingent upon completion of a successful background check and establishment of identity and verification of employment eligibility as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Millsaps College provides a competitive benefits package.

It is the policy of Millsaps College to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities for employment. If you require any accommodations to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact humanresources@millsaps.edu.

Compliance with Title IX

In compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Millsaps College does not discriminate against any employee, applicant for employment, student or applicant for admission on the basis of sex. Policies and procedures for addressing complaints of discrimination and harassment can be found at https://www.millsaps.edu/resources/title-ix. Reports can be made to the Title IX Team by filing a sexual misconduct or Title IX complaint at this link: https://www.millsaps.edu/resources/title-ix/#file-complaint. Inquiries related to the application of Title IX at Millsaps should be referred to the college’s Title IX team (contact information is found here: https://www.millsaps.edu/resources/title-ix/#coordinators) and external inquires can be made to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202-1100 (800) 421-3481, http://www.ed.gov/ocr.

About Millsaps College

Millsaps is an accredited, privately supported, national liberal arts college founded by members of the Methodist Church in 1890. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, the John Templeton Foundation, The Fiske Guide to Colleges and Insight Magazine.

Millsaps College’s Vision

Building on its motto, Ad Excellentiam, its strong heritage of social justice, freedom of thought and reflection on life’s most important questions, and its central location in the capital city of Mississippi, Millsaps engages students in a transformative learning and leadership experience that results in personal and intellectual growth, commitment to good citizenship in our global society and a desire to succeed and make a difference in every community they touch.

Millsaps College’s Mission

Millsaps College is dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region.