Development Senior Leadership Team Administrator

KU Endowment•Lawrence, KS

17d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position provides advanced, high level administrative, communications, and operational support to senior leaders—including the Vice President for Lawrence Development, Assistant Vice President for Donor Engagement, and Senior Director of Enablement— whose combined portfolios play a central role in shaping the strategy, execution, and oversight of KU Endowment and KU enterprise fundraising efforts. In addition to administrative and communications support, the role serves as a central coordination and execution support resource for leadership driven work, helping translate priorities into actionable tasks, coordinate inputs across teams, monitor progress, and support the development of key deliverables, in partnership with formal project management resources when applicable. The Administrator operates with a high degree of autonomy, discretion, and judgment, serving as a strategic partner and extension of leadership. The individual in this role is entrusted with delegated authority for day-to-day management of senior leaders’ inboxes, including proactive monitoring, triage, drafting responses, and routing inquiries, while partnering closely with leaders who remain actively engaged in their own communications. The role requires exceptional written communication skills, the ability to draft sensitive and time critical materials with little guidance, and the confidence to represent leadership priorities accurately and consistently. This position is central to ensuring leaders are focused on the highest value work and that organizational efforts across development, donor engagement, and enablement move forward efficiently and cohesively. The individual in this position is expected to embrace KU Endowment’s stated core values – collaboration, curiosity, empowerment, and excellence – and demonstrate support for them through professional interactions and activities.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Minimum of three to five years of administrative or executive support experience, or an equivalent combination of administrative and transferable professional experience (e.g., project management, coordination), preferably supporting senior or executive leadership.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft high stakes communications independently.
Proven ability to exercise discretion, judgment, and confidentiality.
Advanced organizational and prioritization skills; able to manage complexity across multiple leaders and functions.
Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; able to build trust with donors, campus leaders, and colleagues.
Strategic thinking with the ability to connect daily execution to larger organizational goals.
Proactive, solutions oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate needs and propose improvements.
High proficiency in Microsoft Office products, collaboration tools, and databases.
Ability to work independently while operating as an integral member of a senior leadership team.
A valid driver’s license.
Must have access to reliable transportation to travel between multiple locations for training, donor meetings, networking, events and/or work-related activities.
Must be able to respond quickly and effectively to directions and safety hazards.
The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
The person in this position frequently communicates with donors, colleagues, students, and general public. Must be able to communicate with others effectively.
Physical effort/lifting, such as medium up to 50 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Preferred experience in CRM databases (e.g., SalesForce), project management tools (e.g., Asana), business intelligence and analytics software (e.g. Tableau), and visualization tools (e.g., Visio)
Familiarity with KU Endowment and the University of Kansas enterprise preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary administrative and communications support for the Vice President for Lawrence Development, Assistant Vice President for Donor Engagement, and Senior Director of Enablement.
Serve as a central coordination and execution support resource for leadership driven initiatives by translating priorities into actionable tasks, coordinating inputs across teams, monitoring progress, and supporting the development of key deliverables, in partnership with formal project management resources when applicable.
Actively monitor, manage, and triage email inboxes, determining appropriate action, drafting responses, redirecting inquiries, and escalating issues as needed.
Draft, edit, and finalize critical written communications, including internal memos, donor correspondence, campus partner communications, and leadership summaries, often with minimal direction.
Correspond independently and directly with donors, campus partners, and senior staff, exercising discretion and sound judgment.
Serve as a gatekeeper and prioritization partner for senior leaders by assessing inbound requests and aligning responses with strategic priorities.
Anticipate needs, manage deadlines, and proactively address conflicts or gaps across leaders’ portfolios.
Ensure timely follow through and clear communication across teams executing Development, Donor Engagement, and Enablement initiatives.
Manage complex calendars across multiple senior leaders, balancing competing priorities and proactively resolving scheduling conflicts.
Coordinate high stakes meetings and engagements, including preparation of agendas, briefing materials, background information, and post meeting follow-up.
Ensure leaders are prepared with context, materials, and recommended actions for key conversations and decisions.
Prepare reports, summaries, synthesized analysis that draws from multiple functional areas to support decision making.
Maintain records and documentation of a highly confidential nature, ensuring compliance with privacy and data handling standards.
Support onboarding and integration of new senior level staff by serving as a knowledgeable resource on processes, partners, and expectations.
Represent senior leadership with professionalism, diplomacy, and confidence in interactions with donors, campus administrators, and internal stakeholders.
Build strong working relationships across departments to facilitate collaboration and problem solving.
Model executive presence and sound judgment in all interactions, serving as a trusted and reliable point of contact.
Regular and reliable attendance is essential.
Performs other duties as assigned.