Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Student Life

The Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Student Life directly manages and supports the VP in their initiatives, operations, daily activities, events, projects, and communications. The person in this position provides professional direction, guidance, and interface between the VP and internal and external constituencies. As a member of the Student Life Senior Leadership Team, the EA works alongside colleagues to advance various divisional initiatives and executes identified priorities. Working collaboratively, the EA supports VP-level and divisional events, activities, and communications. The EA acts autonomously, managing projects from inception to completion without much supervision, anticipating needs, and following through on assignments.

At times, the EA may attend meetings alongside the VP or attend in their place and is a confidant and liaison to the VP. The EA must be adept at working with diverse students, staff, faculty, and external contacts, ensuring that communication style and approach are appropriate to the audience. The EA must have experience and skills in working with diverse individuals and groups and must nuance their approach to support equitable experiences and outcomes. The EA must also be skilled at diffusing conflict and must be able to handle highly confidential information.

Our ideal candidate is a superb communicator with the ability to serve in a leadership capacity for projects and initiatives, and maintains a high level of attention to detail, planning, organizing, and event/meeting planning skills. The successful candidate will bring significant organization and prioritization skills and is adept at ensuring that others feel heard and validated, while also standing firm and in support of institutional policy and/or decisions. Additionally, this person is a creative ‘self-starter’ who regularly seeks and provides feedback to their supervisor and peers.

The EA role requires an on-campus presence. While limited remote work may be approved, the EA should expect to be on campus M-F between 8am and 5pm regularly.

Responsibilities:Executive SupportProvides direct management and support of the VP, their initiatives, projects, day-to-day activities and other matters.Manages the VP’s calendar and related administrative functions, including travel, and supports the VP in a collaborative, proactive, and effective manner to minimize routine administrative matters of the VP while keeping the VP apprised of related and relevant issues.Guides the VP’s workflow, creating systems to identify recurring and/or cyclical projects and/or decisions that require the VP’s attention and structuring the VP’s calendar and time appropriately to address these needs. They use data to inform the work and are comfortable with basic data collection and analysis techniques.Meetings, Events and PresentationsReviews, prepares, and summarizes reports, PowerPoint presentations and other materials as necessary ensuring that the documents, presentations, and materials are timely, accurate, complete, inclusive, and professionally formatted.Authors concise briefing documents for the VP that address a variety of topics for recurring and ad hoc meetings.Coordinates events and meetings for the VP and division of Student Life, including setting agendas, preparing materials in advance, scheduling and attending to all event/meeting logistics. The EA ensures that meetings and events sponsored by the VP and/or division are both accessible to and inclusive of diverse participants.Budget and Expense ReportingManages numerous budgets on behalf of the VP, including operating, restricted funds, and auxiliary accounts.Develops quarterly forecasts for each budget and expends and tracks funds, ensuring alignment with the forecast and budget.Student Life Administrative Liaison and Process ManagerServes as a primary liaison between Student Life and key administrative units within the university.Ensures that internal Student Life processes are effectively coordinated and in adherence with university standards, and effectively communicates with employees across the division so that others are appropriately informed about relevant administrative processes.Leads the development of systems for enhancing the efficiency of administrative processes, in coordination with other units and the VP. Likewise, the EA provides insights to the VP about university-level administrative functions impacting the division and the student experience, makes recommendations for process improvement, and executes changes accordingly.Internal and External CommunicationsReviews and screens communications for the VP including telephone calls and emails, using sound judgment to determine those requiring priority as well as acts where appropriate. The EA responds to and initiates select correspondence on behalf of the VP, ensuring that content is accurate that and voice and framing is appropriate for the audience.Provides a consistent presence in the Student Life Office, as well as timely and appropriate responses to issues presented to the VP office.Manages the Student Life website and monitors all other Student Life websites, ensuring that they are current, relevant, and properly formatted. The EA coordinates mass electronic and printed communication and notifications as needed.Serves as a liaison to a variety of external constituents.Initiatives and ProjectsLeads initiatives and projects independently with minimal guidance from the VP, engaging other campus departments and colleagues as necessary to complete the work. To do this, the EA is comfortable making decisions and taking action but is also able to determine which issues should be brought to the Senior Leadership Team and/or the VP for consideration.

QualificationsSubstantial experience using professional management skills in a complex organization, with experience in providing support, professional guidance, direction, and interfacing with an executive-level position or a role/team with similar responsibilities and wide-ranging organizational impact to an executive-level position.Experience independently leading projects from inception to completion, liaising with internal and external stakeholders and deliver on intended project outcomes within the anticipated timeframe.Experience with high-level decision-making, planning, organizing, monitoring, prioritization, and collaborating.Experience ensuring compliance with standards, deadlines, and established expectations.Experience conducting research, analyzing results, and report writing.Experience creating, reviewing, and developing documents, presentations, and materials.Knowledge of financial reports, practices, and procedures.Ability to work effectively within a complex academic community and successfully interface with a wide range of constituencies.Ability to adapt to change and thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment.Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skill and experience working with confidential and sensitive materials and information. Experience must include composing professional-quality documents including letters, meeting minutes, presentations, and reports.Experience with budget management and analyzing financial reports.Demonstrated proficiency in general technology, word processing, spreadsheet, and database management skills, particularly the MS Office Suite.Experience in higher education is preferred but not required.

Salary and Benefits$ 74,000 - $86,400 annual salaryMines takes into consideration a combination of candidate’s education, training and experience as well as the position’s scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.Colorado School of Mines offers a robust portfolio of benefits for all employees. For this role, that includes:Fully paid health and dental premiumsGenerous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus.Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contributionTuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)Free RTD Ecopass

All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the on-campus Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more), equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center, the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (CSEAP), and backup child and elder care. Coming soon is an on-campus daycare center. For more information about benefits at Mines, go to mines.edu/human-resources/benefits.

How to ApplyApplicants must:Complete an online application (personal information, demographic information, veteran status) at https://mines.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Mines_Careers/details/Executive-Assistant-to-the-Vice-President-of-Student-Life_JR104133.Upload a resume or CVUpload a cover letter. In your cover letter, please address the following: Colorado School of Mines is committed to working towards an inclusive and equitable campus environment for our diverse students, staff and faculty. Within Student Life, all staff are expected to engage in work to advance diversity, inclusion and access (DI&A) at the institution. Please explain your professional philosophy related to DI&A and provide example(s) of how this manifests in your works.

This posting will close 4/28/24 at 11:59 p.m. Applications will not be accepted after that date. We anticipate screening interviews to take place within the first week of May, and hope to have the position filled by early June.