Senior Executive Assistant to the Executive Director

University of Oklahoma•Oklahoma City, OK

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Executive Assistant provides high-level administrative support to the Executive Director of the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center (HHDC) and Vice Provost for Diabetes Programs. The role manages the Executive Director’s calendar, correspondence, workstreams, and meetings, and coordinates activity among the Executive Director’s office, HHDC, the Provost’s office, the College of Medicine, OU Health, and internal and external partners. This is a new position funded and administered by HHDC as the Center enters a major growth phase. The Executive Assistant supports work spanning strategy and stakeholder planning; senior recruitment; institute and research program development; university and state initiatives; donor and prize stewardship; industry partnerships and clinical trials; international partnerships; and the Executive Director’s active research program. The position is on-site at HHDC in Oklahoma City. Occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend work may be needed around events, visits, and deadlines. Limited travel may be required for off-site retreats or events.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 60 months of Executive Assistant, C-suite administrative support, or related administrative experience.
Proven ability to manage a complex, high-volume calendar amid competing senior stakeholders.
Excellent writing and editing skills, including the ability to draft professional correspondence independently.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, and with virtual meeting platforms.
Sound judgment and complete discretion in confidential personnel, donor, legal, and financial matters.
Strong organizational skills and follow-through; ability to manage multiple priorities and keep work moving without close supervision.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an academic medical center, research institute, or university leadership office.
Familiarity with OU and OU Health systems, structures, and people.
Working knowledge of research administration, including NIH grant cycles, biosketches, letters of support, and submission deadlines.
Experience coordinating recruitment visits, donor events, or VIP and federal site visits.
Experience arranging international travel and hosting international visitors.
A calm, warm, professional manner and confidence managing up and holding people accountable to deadlines.
High integrity, discretion, emotional intelligence, initiative, high standards for finished work, and a low-ego, service-minded approach.
Comfort with a start-up pace and flexibility as priorities shift quickly.
Interest or experience in using AI and digital tools to work more efficiently.

Responsibilities

Manage the Executive Director’s calendar, prioritize requests, protect time for lab, research, and planning, and resolve scheduling conflicts across HHDC, the Provost’s office, the College of Medicine, and OU Health.
Serve as the office’s first point of contact by screening calls, email, and visitors with judgment and discretion.
Manage recurring one-to-ones and meetings; prepare agendas, circulate materials, and track actions to completion.
Coordinate domestic and international travel, including visas, itineraries, reimbursements, and speaking logistics, while ensuring compliance with travel registry and University policies.
Prepare briefing packets for key meetings, including agendas, attendee backgrounds, prior correspondence, and open decisions.
Attend selected meetings, take notes, capture decisions and action items, ensure follow-up, and track items to closure.
Maintain the Executive Director’s action and commitments tracker and conduct a weekly priorities review with the Executive Director.
Draft, edit, and route correspondence, memos, letters of support, nomination letters, and talking points in the Executive Director’s voice and according to preferred style standards.
Manage signatures, approvals, and document routing through OU systems.
Maintain the Executive Director’s biosketch, CV, standard bios, slide library, and signature blocks, and keep faculty activity system entries current.
Coordinate the Executive Director’s role in Center strategy work, including stakeholder sessions and leadership retreats, and manage associated scheduling, materials, and follow-up.
Manage scheduling and hosting for faculty recruitment visits, including visits involving candidates’ partners and families and formal lecture visits.
Represent the Executive Director’s office in planning high-profile events, including the HHDC Research Symposium, Harold Hamm International Prize activities, NIH and federal site visits, donor visits, and legislative meetings.
Liaise with University leadership, OU Health, department chairs, and executive assistants at partner institutions.
Coordinate with HHDC business and finance, grants management, communications, and Advancement on matters requiring Executive Director input or approval, including donor stewardship and events.
Track deadlines for grant submissions, reports, board meetings, and internal and external commitments.
Handle confidential personnel, recruitment, donor, and partnership matters with complete discretion.
Know and apply relevant University policy to the work of the Executive Director’s office.