Executive Assistant to the Vice President - Institutional Advancement

Grand Valley State University•Grand Rapids, MI

2d•$32•Onsite

About The Position

The Executive Assistant to the Vice President for University Development is a highly trusted, strategic, and service-oriented member of the Vice President’s Office. This role provides high-level executive support to the Vice President while helping advance the effectiveness, culture, and operational excellence of the Institutional Advancement division. This position is more than a traditional executive assistant role. It requires strong judgment, initiative, project management skills, communication ability, and a broad understanding of how the Vice President’s priorities connect to the work of the division and the university. The Executive Assistant helps ensure that the Vice President is prepared, informed, responsive, and able to focus on the highest-priority work of the division. The person in this role serves as a key representative of the Vice President’s Office and helps set the tone for a culture that is positive, professional, collaborative, responsive, and committed to high standards. The Executive Assistant works closely with the Vice President, the Executive Associates, and other members of the Vice President’s Office to coordinate priorities, manage workflow, support communications, and move projects forward. The role requires a high degree of confidentiality, discretion, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and follow-through. The Executive Assistant will regularly collaborate with and receive directions from the Executive Associates as part of the full scope of the position. Success in this role requires comfort working in a fast-paced executive environment, anticipating needs, managing details without losing sight of the larger strategy, and building strong working relationships with colleagues, donors, university leaders, and external partners.

Requirements

High school graduate or equivalent.
Minimum of five years of relevant work experience.
Demonstrated administrative and organizational skills.
Experience with various computer software applications such as Microsoft Office and/or equivalent.
Data entry experience.
Typing and spelling competency with grammar and proofreading skills.
Possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
Demonstrated experience to successfully provide quality customer service.
Demonstrated experience to successfully work independently, organize own work and coordinate work activities of others.
Demonstrated experience to successfully coordinate large projects.
Demonstrated experience to successfully handle multiple demands efficiently.
Demonstrated experience in a supervisory role or equivalent.
Demonstrated experience to successfully organize and prioritize workload.
Demonstrated experience to handle complex budget records and assist with financial concerns.
Demonstrated experience to successfully navigate challenging situations in the workplace, while using good judgement.
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Demonstrated experience to successfully maintain satisfactory work performance and attendance records.
Ability to maintain positive intercultural and interpersonal relationships.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree
Higher education or business experience
Experience supervising/supporting college students
Experience in or demonstrated understanding of state and federal relations and reporting
Experience in or demonstrated understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity
Understanding of Grand Valley State University as an organization, including its systems and processes

Responsibilities

Provide confidential, high-level support to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, using strong judgment, discretion, initiative, and problem-solving skills to manage priorities, assignments, and projects.
Manage and maintain the Vice President’s calendar, including executive-level meetings, donor and community meetings, university leadership meetings, large group meetings, committee meetings, travel, and related logistics.
Proactively prepare the Vice President for meetings and engagements by gathering relevant materials, anticipating needs, identifying key issues, and ensuring timely follow-up.
Serve as a primary point of contact for the Vice President’s Office, representing the Vice President and the division with professionalism, warmth, responsiveness, and sound judgment.
Monitor, triage, and respond to calls, emails, requests, and concerns directed to the Vice President’s Office, resolving issues when appropriate and elevating matters that require additional attention.
Support a positive and high-performing office culture by modeling professionalism, collaboration, accountability, responsiveness, discretion, and a commitment to excellence.
Work closely with the Executive Associates and other members of the Vice President’s Office to coordinate priorities, complete shared work, manage deadlines, and ensure alignment across executive office functions.
Receive direction from the Executive Associates on projects, communications, meeting preparation, board-related work, and other assignments that support the Vice President and the division.
Support scheduling, agendas, slide decks, and room needs for regular team meetings including Vice President’s Office weekly meetings, monthly Division meetings, and Bi-annual Team Days.
Coordinate and support the preparation of confidential materials for executive-level meetings, including materials for the Board of Trustees, the Grand Valley University Foundation Board of Directors, Senior Leadership Team meetings, and other university or divisional leadership meetings.
Schedule, prepare for, attend, and support regular and ad hoc meetings as directed by the Vice President or Executive Associates, including drafting agendas, capturing notes or minutes, tracking action items, and supporting timely follow-up.
Support planning and coordination for recurring team and division meetings, including Vice President’s Office meetings, monthly division meetings, biannual team days, retreats, and other gatherings that advance communication, alignment, and culture.
Draft, edit, proofread, and coordinate communications on behalf of or in support of the Vice President’s Office, ensuring messages are accurate, timely, professional, and aligned with the tone and priorities of the division.
Assist the Vice President in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with donors, alumni, community partners, university leaders, and other stakeholders by conducting research, preparing materials, offering insight, tracking activity, and supporting follow-up.
Manage expense and mileage reporting, reviews/prepares documents of varying types for the Vice President’s signature/approval and supports timely completion of regular HR processes by the Vice President.
Maintain essential documents, records, templates, procedures, and shared resources for the Vice President’s Office and the division.
Support donor stewardship and engagement activities involving the Vice President, including gift acknowledgments, thank-you notes, sympathy expressions, donor correspondence, and related tasks.
Assist with project management for special initiatives, including organizing timelines, tracking progress, coordinating contributors, identifying next steps, and helping ensure work moves forward.
Contribute to the regular review and improvement of office systems, workflows, policies, and procedures to strengthen efficiency, consistency, and service.
Exercise sound judgment in navigating competing priorities, sensitive situations, deadline pressure, and changing needs in a fast-paced executive office environment.
Collaborate inclusively and effectively with colleagues across the division and university, helping foster trust, clarity, shared accountability, and a strong service orientation.
Demonstrate a commitment to continued growth within Grand Valley’s core competencies for employees and contribute positively to the mission, values, and culture of the university.
Perform other duties as assigned.