Executive Assistant to the President

Amherst•Amherst, MA

6d•$95,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Amherst College invites applications for the Executive Assistant to the President position. This is a full-time, year-round role providing critical, high-level administrative and operational support within the Office of the President. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant works closely with the president and Chief of Staff, and supervises a small team. This role is responsible for managing the president's time, organizing the general functions of the Office of the President, managing complex calendars, supporting meetings and events, arranging presidential travel, supervising office staff, completing special projects, and serving as a primary point of contact. The position requires exceptional judgment, initiative, diplomacy, and organizational skill, representing the Office of the President with professionalism, warmth, discretion, and responsiveness. Effective communication with the Amherst community and external contacts, and the ability to build collaborative relationships are essential. Candidates must be available for a regular full-time schedule, with evening and weekend hours required for presidential events, trustee meetings, travel, or urgent institutional needs. This is an on-site position requiring regular in-person presence, with potential for occasional remote work with supervisor approval.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 5 years of progressively responsible administrative, executive support, office management, or related experience, preferably in higher education, nonprofits, government, or a complex mission-driven organization.
Demonstrated experience supporting a senior executive or high-level office.
Experience managing calendars, meetings, travel, events, budgets, expenses, and office operations.
Experience supervising staff, student employees, or casual workers.
Proven ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion in handling sensitive information with tact and integrity.
Demonstrated organizational and time management skills, including the ability to balance multiple projects, prioritize work duties, and meet deadlines.
Ability to maintain composure and sound judgment under pressure.
Ability to anticipate needs and take initiative in a fast-paced environment.
Flexibility to work independently or collaboratively with a team.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with a diverse community of faculty, staff, and students and to manage relationships and collaborate with other college departments and offices.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong proofreading and professional correspondence skills.
Proficiency in Google Workspace and other office productivity tools.
Successful completion of required reference and background checks.
An acceptable criminal offender records information (CORI) check.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a college or university president’s office, provost’s office, or other senior executive office.
Familiarity with higher education governance, campus culture, advancement, alumni relations, communications, and/or presidential events.
Experience with institutional budget systems, procurement systems, travel systems, event management systems, and/or constituent relationship management tools. The Office of the President uses Zoom, Workday, Slate, OnBoard, Asana, among other tools.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive administrative support to the president, including calendaring, meeting preparation, correspondence, travel planning, expense processing, and daily logistical coordination.
Maintain the president’s calendar and provide daily and weekly briefings to the president and the chief of staff, exercising sound judgment in anticipating needs and resolving scheduling conflicts.
Receive and respond to inquiries for individual and group meetings (internal and external), working with the chief of staff to prioritize requests for the president’s time.
Coordinate presidential travel, including flights, lodging, meals, transportation, etc.
Ensure appropriate preparation time for meetings, events, and institutional commitments, collecting necessary information according to deadlines.
Prepare documents (including itineraries, bios, etc.) and review briefings and other materials for completeness and accuracy.
Draft follow-up correspondence resulting from meetings, as requested.
Prepare and/or review documents for the president’s review, approval, or signature.
Assist the president with personal appointments and other related tasks.
Oversee the daily operations of the Office of the President, ensuring a welcoming, organized, professional, and service-oriented environment.
Develop and maintain effective office procedures and workflows to support the efficient operation of the office.
Provide direction to office staff to manage all routine matters of the office, including the daily meeting schedule, visitor reception, correspondence, filing, technology/facility needs, etc.
Provide direction and work closely with the house/residence staff to coordinate management of the President’s House and private residence.
Supervise and provide direction to direct reports for scheduling and office coverage, training and professional development, assigning work and monitoring workflow, and supporting performance expectations.
Plan and set the agenda for weekly staff meetings.
Support the correspondence protocol, including the president@ email account, paper mail, etc., and review and approve text of routine correspondence and communications.
Track and follow up on inquiries and requests received by the office.
Enter contacts, recording correspondence and appointments, as needed.
Supervise the meticulous maintenance of comprehensive files and ensure accurate record keeping (electronic and paper).
Update and assist with maintenance of Google Sites and Drives, as well as other electronic resources.
Arrange for appropriate archiving of records in accordance with record retention policies.
Identify opportunities to improve office operations, communication, systems, and service to internal and external constituencies.
Conduct research, compile information, and prepare materials to support decision-making, as requested.
Prepare letters, copy/scan documents, complete records research and other administrative tasks as assigned.
Provide operational support to the chief of staff in advancing the priorities of the president’s office.
Help coordinate the flow of information to and from the President, ensuring timely follow-up on requests, commitments, and decisions.
Help ensure that requests are triaged appropriately, routed to the correct office or leader, and resolved in a timely and professional manner.
Assist the Associate Vice President for Communications and Head of Government Relations to format and proof presidential communications, briefings, and other documents.
Ensure the president is fully prepared and receives appropriate support for remarks, briefing materials, etc.
Coordinate searches for senior staff and office personnel.
Support responsible stewardship of financial resources in accordance with Amherst’s financial policies and procedures.
Process invoices, reimbursements, purchase orders, budget transfers, travel expenses, and retain required documentation.
Reconcile the president’s credit card charges and process expense reports in a timely manner.
Ensure timely review and approval of transactions in Workday.
Supervise evaluation and processing of funding requests from faculty and students.
Supervise purchasing (i.e., ordering supplies, purchasing gifts, etc.) in the office.
Monitor expenditures and monthly reconciliation of the president’s departmental budgets, coordinating with other administrative offices to resolve questions.
Assist the chief of staff with preparation of annual budget requests.
Plan and support presidential events, coordinating logistics for meetings and events hosted or attended by the President or sponsored by the Office of the President.
Work with the chief of staff to determine support necessary for various programs and events.
Work collaboratively with other offices to ensure well-executed events, anticipating logistical needs, identifying potential issues, and adapting plans as needed.
Supervise or directly provide event support such as room reservations, arranging meeting spaces, catering, tech support, invitations, guest lists, event collateral, transportation, lodging, accessibility needs, and other event logistics.
Staff events, as needed.
Assist the chef/event manager with planning for events hosted at the President’s House.
Supervise maintenance of attendee lists for all events.
Draft and send invitations, receive RSVPs and follow up as appropriate.
Prepare run-of-show, scripts, and other support documents for major/flagship event scripts for the president (i.e. Commencement, Convocation, Town Halls).