The Executive Assistant to the Dean is a trusted member of the Dean's Office who increases the effectiveness of the Dean by managing the Dean's calendar, information flow, communications, travel, meeting preparation, commitments, and administrative priorities. The position requires exceptional judgment, discretion, initiative, organizational skill, executive presence, and follow-through.
Acting on behalf of the Dean within established administrative guidelines, the Executive Assistant independently evaluates and prioritizes requests for the Dean's time; anticipates conflicts and logistical needs; prepares the Dean for meetings, events, travel, and institutional engagements; and maintains systems to ensure that decisions, commitments, and follow-up actions are completed. The position protects the Dean's strategic time while preserving appropriate access and routing individuals to the person, resource, or process best able to address their needs.
The Executive Assistant serves as the primary executive liaison for faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, university leaders, and external partners interacting with the Dean's Office. The position represents the Dean and the college with professionalism, diplomacy, responsiveness, warmth, discretion, and sound judgment, including in sensitive or high-pressure situations.
The position reports to and primarily supports the Dean. The Executive Assistant works closely with the Chief of Staff and the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Operations on shared Dean's Office priorities and provides limited administrative and project support to them as assigned, without displacing the position's primary responsibility to the Dean. The position also enhances administrative efficiency through standardized procedures, approved templates, university approved automation tools, AI-assisted workflows and appropriate technology that improves consistency, responsiveness and service.
Knowledge normally acquired through a high school education with course work in word processing, typing, shorthand, and grammar; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive University work experience in maintaining account ledgers, word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software; editing, composing correspondence, taking dictation; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Bachelor's degree and five to seven years of progressively responsible experience providing executive-level administrative support, including direct support to a senior executive in a complex organization.
- Experience directly supporting a dean, president, provost, vice president, chief executive, or comparable senior leader.
- Experience in higher education, academic medicine, healthcare, health professions education, or another large, highly matrixed organization.
- Demonstrated success exercising approved delegated authority and making calendar, access, and administrative decisions on behalf of a senior executive.
- Demonstrated political and organizational judgment, service orientation, diplomacy, initiative, attention to detail, composure under pressure, and ability to work independently.
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, electronic scheduling, and virtual meeting platforms. Excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, visitors, and external partners.
- Experience coordinating international executive travel and resolving complex travel disruptions.
- Demonstrated ability to adopt new technologies and improve administrative workflows using digital tools, automation, templates, or other process-improvement methods.
- Ability to work occasional early morning, evening, or weekend hours in support of major events, travel, or time-sensitive executive responsibilities.
- Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs, recognize emerging problems, exercise independent judgment, and complete work without repeated direction.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple open commitments, deadlines, and action items and to ensure reliable follow-through in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience coordinating executive meetings, professional commitments, and domestic travel, including complex itineraries and reimbursements.
- Demonstrated ability to independently draft, edit, and proofread concise, accurate, executive-level correspondence, reports, presentations, meeting materials, and other administrative documents.
- Demonstrated experience handling highly sensitive or confidential information with discretion and sound judgment.
- Experience planning or supporting large-scale institutional ceremonies, executive meetings, donor and alumni engagements, retreats, and other high-profile events.
- Demonstrated success improving administrative workflows through process redesign, automation, templates, project-management tools, or approved AI capabilities.
- Experience maintaining executive briefing systems, action-item tracking, project-management, or work-tracking processes.
- Experience supporting high-level donor, alumni, government, board, accreditation, or external-partner engagements.
- Familiarity with Michigan State University systems and tools, including EBS, COMIIS, Qualtrics, and other relevant administrative platforms.
- Experience operating in an environment involving shared governance, complex institutional relationships, and sensitive personnel or student matters.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Cover letter and resume/CV.
- The position is expected to work primarily during regular business hours, with occasional schedule adjustments to support major events, executive travel, urgent institutional needs, or time-sensitive commitments.
- The Executive Assistant is expected to maintain professional boundaries and sustainable work practices while ensuring that urgent matters are identified and escalated appropriately.
- The position must comply with all university requirements related to confidentiality, records retention, privacy, accessibility, information security, and the responsible use of technology and AI.
STANDARD 8-5
