Executive Assistant (Temporary)

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Bioengineering has an outstanding opportunity for a Temporary Executive Assistant to join their team. The Temporary Executive Assistant (6 month appointment) to the Chair provides critical administrative and operational support to the Department of Bioengineering by working closely with department leadership to support operations, coordinate special events, and implement strategic initiatives. The position serves as a key partner to the Chair, helping to improve administrative processes, leverage collaborative technologies, and manage priorities across the department. Success in this role requires initiative, sound judgment, professionalism, discretion, and the ability to adapt to evolving departmental needs and priorities. The most demanding aspects of this position include managing competing priorities on behalf of the Chair in a complex academic environment, exercising independent judgment on sensitive and confidential matters, and maintaining an evolving understanding of departmental priorities and decision-making processes. The role requires strong problem-solving skills, discretion, adaptability, and the ability to effectively coordinate across multiple stakeholders while supporting strategic initiatives, special events, and administrative operations. This position supports the University’s primary objectives of education, research, and public service by enabling effective leadership and operations within the Department of Bioengineering. The Executive Assistant to the Chair supports strategic initiatives, departmental operations, and key events that advance the department’s academic and research mission while fostering collaboration among faculty, staff, students, university leadership, and external partners. Through coordination, communication, and administrative support, the position helps ensure the department can effectively serve its students, faculty, and broader community. The position supports department-wide activities for approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, staff, and external stakeholders, and contributes to the effective administration of a multi-million-dollar academic and research enterprise.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in administration, communications, or a related discipline. Equivalent experience can substitute for degree requirement.
Two years of experience in administration, communication, or higher education.

Nice To Haves

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft, edit, and coordinate executive-level correspondence, meeting materials, reports, presentations, and department-wide communications.
Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment, tact, and discretion when interacting with faculty, staff, students, university leadership, and external stakeholders.
Proven experience providing high-level executive support, including complex calendar management, scheduling, prioritization of competing demands, and coordination of meetings and events involving multiple stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage confidential, sensitive, and high-profile information with professionalism, sound judgment, and strict attention to privacy requirements.
Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple priorities simultaneously, track action items, and drive projects to completion with minimal supervision.
Demonstrated critical thinking and decision-making skills to anticipate needs, identify issues, and develop solutions on behalf of the Department Chair and Vice Chair.
Experience leveraging and adopting new technologies, collaborative tools, and process improvements to enhance efficiency, communication, and administrative effectiveness.
Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships across a complex academic organization while providing a high level of customer service and professionalism
Experience supporting a chair, dean, or provost at an R1 research university or similar executive-level assistant experience
Experience supporting strategic initiatives and working with communications, advancement, or external relations partners.
Demonstrated proficiency in Office 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint/OneDrive, Copilot), Adobe Acrobat, Docusign, and generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, CoPilot, and/or Gemini).
Experience with administrative systems at the UW preferred (e.g., UW fiscal systems, Interfolio, Workday reports).
Familiarity with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Experience participating in lean process improvement.

Responsibilities

Draft, edit, and manage correspondence, reports, agendas, and presentations, including confidential and sensitive material.
Support development of the Chair's remarks and department-wide messaging, coordinating with Marketing and Communications, Advancement, and other University partners.
Represent the Chair's office with the Dean's offices, the Provost's office, School and College leadership, faculty, staff, students, and external partners.
Manage invitations and requests directed to the Chair, including conference, speaking, board, council, and award invitations.
Execute documents on the Chair's behalf, including electronic signature.
Provide project coordination for the Chair's strategic initiatives, monitoring progress, and driving items to completion.
Coordinate stakeholders and timelines across department leadership and surface obstacles.
Assemble materials, data, and summaries for planning, reporting, and leadership review.
Support academic human resources activities, including annual faculty and staff reviews, merit review, and faculty appointment and reappointment processes, in coordination with the department Human Resources Manager.
Coordinate faculty and executive committee meetings, including scheduling, agendas, minutes, action items, and follow-up.
Meet Open Public Meetings Act requirements for faculty meetings and complete the annual open meetings schedule request from the Public Information Office.
Maintain an annual planning calendar for governance and administrative deadlines, and prompt committee chairs as deadlines approach.
Support faculty and staff searches, including committee logistics, candidate materials via Interfolio, and candidate visits.
Plan and implement department events, such as: distinguished lectures and symposia, faculty retreats, the holiday party, and external advisory board meetings.
Serve as point of contact for speakers, guests, and vendors, and coordinate logistics with department staff, including parking, room reservations, reimbursement, and honoraria.
Provide technical support for zoom meetings and webinars.
Facilitate hybrid and on-line meetings and troubleshoot when problems arise.
Work with department staff to develop and implement event budget and communication plans.
Serve as the confidential executive assistant to the Department Chair.
Manage and prioritize the Chair's calendar and time in support of department priorities, balancing competing demands and protecting time for strategic work.
Serve as the primary point of contact for the Chair's office.
Triage incoming requests and route them to the appropriate decision owner, informed by working knowledge of decision ownership across department leadership.
Brief the Chair in advance of meetings, reviews, and engagements, providing agendas, background materials, and prior correspondence.
Document and improve office procedures, including standard operating procedures for recurring events, meetings, and governance processes.
Maintain organized records for complex and sensitive matters.
Participate in professional development activities and seek to improve skills.
An annual budget is available to attend conferences including the cost of registration and travel.
Participate in department, college, and school meetings and relevant communities of practice.
Perform other duties as assigned in support of the Chair and department operations.