Executive Assistant to the Dean

University of Texas at Austin

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin seeks a highly organized, professional, and experienced Executive Assistant to the Dean. This role provides executive-level administrative, operational, communications, and project support to the Dean and the Office of the Dean. The Executive Assistant acts as a primary representative of the Dean's Office, managing complex scheduling, communications, meetings, and confidential matters with professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment. The position anticipates needs, prioritizes competing demands, coordinates with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, and ensures the Dean is well prepared for meetings, events, travel, and strategic initiatives. The role serves as a key liaison between the Dean and college, university, and external constituencies, facilitating effective communication, follow-through, and execution of priorities. Additionally, the position provides operational leadership for key college meetings and events and supervises administrative staff within the Office of the Dean, coordinating workload, priorities, and administrative processes in support of college goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience providing administrative or executive support to senior leaders in a complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex schedules, communications, meetings, and competing priorities.
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Experience coordinating meetings, events, and administrative processes involving multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and calendaring systems.

Nice To Haves

• Seven or more years of executive-level administrative support experience.
• Experience supporting senior academic leaders or executives in a higher education environment.
• Experience preparing executive correspondence, presentations, briefing materials, and reports.
• Experience supervising staff and coordinating administrative operations.
• Knowledge of university policies, administrative systems, and travel/expense processes.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate comprehensive executive and administrative support for the Dean, including management of a complex calendar, scheduling and coordination of meetings, preparation of correspondence, presentations, and briefing materials, and organization of priorities, action items, and delegated approvals.
• Handle confidential and sensitive matters with discretion and professionalism.
• Ensure the Dean is prepared for meetings, events, travel, and other engagements by coordinating background materials, logistics, and technology needs.
• Coordinate special projects, initiatives, and emerging issues on behalf of the Dean.
• Monitor progress on assigned priorities, facilitate follow-up activities, and work with stakeholders to ensure timely completion of action items.
• Identify and resolve administrative issues proactively and elevate matters requiring executive attention.
• Lead administrative and logistical planning for meetings, retreats, events, and other college convenings sponsored by the Dean's Office, including agenda development, preparation and distribution of materials, coordination of communications, management of logistics, documentation of outcomes, and follow-up tracking.
• Provide staff leadership support for the Leadership Team, Chairs' Meeting, Dean's Team, Staff Advisory Committee, and other groups as assigned.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for the Dean and represent the Dean's Office with professionalism and responsiveness.
• Coordinate communications on the Dean's behalf and work effectively with faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, governmental officials, university administrators, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Supervise and coordinate the work of Dean's Office administrative staff, establishing priorities, monitoring workflow, providing coaching and guidance, ensuring effective administrative support, and assisting in resolving operational issues.
• Support continuous improvement of administrative processes and office operations.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities in support of the Dean, the Office of the Dean, and college priorities.

Benefits

• Health insurance (premiums covered 100% for full-time benefits-eligible employees)
• Retirement plans
• Paid leave
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning
• Professional conference opportunities
• Expansive employee discount program, including athletic tickets
• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with a staff ID card
• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with a staff ID card

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive