Temporary Executive Assistant

Berklee College of Music•Boston, MA

About The Position

Berklee is the premier destination for the study of contemporary music and the performing arts. Our global community brings together artists, educators, and professionals who care deeply about excellence, creativity, collaboration , and the future of arts education. Working at Berklee means joining a vibrant, mission-driven environment where thoughtful administration directly supports students, faculty, and the work of creative leaders across the institution. The Executive Assistant provides high-level administrative, organizational, and project-coordination support to the Interim Executive Director of Berklee College of Music Boston and Dean of the Performance Division. The role helps organize and expedite the work of the executive by managing schedules, communications, meeting materials, travel, office systems, and follow-through across College-wide and Performance Division responsibilities. This position requires strong organization, initiative, discretion, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will anticipate routine needs, keep assignments and selected projects organized, flag issues that require attention, and work collaboratively with colleagues across Berklee.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Seven to ten years of experience supporting executive-level individuals in a complex, fast-paced professional environment.
Demonstrated success managing a demanding executive calendar, preparing meeting materials, coordinating communications and travel, and maintaining reliable follow-through.
Experience coordinating projects using work plans, timelines, milestones, action tracking, status updates, and organized documentation.
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to gather information, identify missing details, and prepare clear summaries or materials for executive review.
Exceptional written, verbal, editing, proofreading, and interpersonal communication skills.
Outstanding organization, prioritization, accuracy, and attention to detail, with the judgment to manage multiple time-sensitive responsibilities and sensitive information.
Ability to build trust and work effectively with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders across different roles, perspectives, and communication styles.
Strong financial administration skills, including budget tracking, invoice processing, purchasing-card reconciliation, and expense reporting.
Advanced proficiency with modern productivity and AI-assisted tools, including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat, Apple/Mac environments, and generative AI platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) to streamline workflows, draft communications, and organize executive deliverables.
Demonstrated commitment to a respectful, inclusive workplace that values difference and welcomes multiple perspectives.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education, the arts, a nonprofit organization, or another mission-driven, relationship-centered environment.
Experience supporting an academic executive or working in an environment involving faculty, students, senior administrators, donors, or external partners.
Experience using project-management, task-management, or enterprise systems to track assignments, timelines, and follow-through.

Responsibilities

Manage a complex, fast-moving calendar across College-wide executive responsibilities and Performance Division leadership, allowing appropriate time for preparation, travel, recurring commitments, and urgent needs.
Review and route meeting requests, invitations, and scheduling inquiries; identify conflicts, gather needed information, and flag priority decisions for the executive.
Coordinate engagements with senior leaders, deans, faculty, staff, students, partners, donors, and other internal and external constituents.
Prepare clear daily schedules and maintain a practical look-ahead for meetings, deadlines, events, approvals, travel, and deliverables.
Arrange travel, lodging, transportation, itineraries, and supporting materials with accuracy and appropriate contingency planning.
Gather and organize agendas, background information, prior materials, participant information, presentations, and other documents needed for the executive’s meetings.
Coordinate executive and leadership meetings, including scheduling, invitations, rooms or virtual access, agendas, pre-reads, technology, and hospitality when appropriate.
Maintain a practical tracker for assignments, approvals, commitments, and pending issues; provide timely reminders and status updates.
Take notes as requested and capture decisions, action items, owners, and due dates; follow up with participants to help keep commitments on track.
Compile information and prepare draft summaries, talking points, reports, or presentation materials as directed by the executive.
Serve as a trusted and welcoming point of contact for the Office of the Executive Director, exercising diplomacy, responsiveness, and judgment with a wide range of stakeholders.
Manage and triage incoming email, calls, invitations, and requests; identify required action, route matters to the appropriate person or office, and elevate sensitive or time-critical items promptly.
Draft, edit, proofread, and format correspondence, presentations, talking points, reports, and other executive materials in a clear, accurate, and professional voice.
Coordinate accurate, timely communication across offices and leadership teams, including reminders, requests for materials, and follow-through on commitments.
Partner with Communications and Marketing on approved external communications, events, and social media support as requested.
Use sound judgment and discretion, act within clearly delegated authority, and know when a matter requires the executive’s attention or referral to another office.
Provide project coordination for selected executive initiatives, academic operations, events, and time-sensitive assignments from planning through completion.
Create and update practical work plans, timelines, milestone lists, action logs, and shared project materials based on established goals and direction.
Schedule working sessions, coordinate materials, collect updates, and help participants understand assignments, dependencies, and deadlines.
Monitor progress, flag delays or unresolved issues, prepare concise status updates, and elevate matters that require direction or a decision.
Maintain organized project documentation, follow up with owners, and confirm that assigned deliverables are completed and communicated.
Collaborate effectively with Academic Affairs, Student Enrollment and Engagement, Finance, Human Resources, Institutional Advancement, Communications and Marketing, and other partners as the work requires.
Manage and improve executive-office procedures, contact information, shared resources, and routine workflows to strengthen consistency, responsiveness, and efficiency.
Track office spending, invoices, purchasing-card activity, reimbursements, and expense documentation in accordance with Berklee procedures.
Maintain organized, secure, and accessible electronic records, meeting materials, and executive files; safeguard personnel-related, student-related, financial, legal, and strategic information with exceptional discretion and appropriate access controls.