Senior Executive Assistant to the Executive Director

University of Oklahoma•Oklahoma City, OK

2d•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. This new position is funded and administered by HHDC as the Center enters a major growth phase following a historic gift and a University investment in support of its Strategic Plan. The role manages the Executive Director's calendar, correspondence, workstreams, and meetings, and coordinates across the Executive Director's office, HHDC, the Provost's office, the College of Medicine, OU Health, and internal and external partners. The Executive Director's portfolio includes strategy and stakeholder planning; senior clinician-scientist and leadership recruitment; development of research and clinical programs; University and state initiatives; donor and prize stewardship; industry partnerships and clinical trials; international partnerships; and an active NIH-funded research lab. The Executive Assistant supports these concurrent workstreams and helps keep commitments, decisions, and deadlines moving to completion. 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 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams) and 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, emotional intelligence, initiative, high standards for finished work, and a low-ego, service-minded approach.
Comfort with a start-up pace and flexibility as programs, spaces, teams, and priorities change.
Interest or experience in using AI and digital tools to work more efficiently.

Responsibilities

Manage the Executive Director's calendar, prioritize requests, protect research and planning time, and resolve scheduling conflicts across HHDC, the Provost's office, the College of Medicine, and OU Health.
Screen calls, email, and visitors as the first point of contact for the office, using judgment and discretion.
Coordinate recurring one-to-ones and meetings; prepare agendas and materials in advance and track actions through completion.
Arrange domestic and international travel, including visas, itineraries, reimbursements, and speaking logistics, and follow University travel registry and related 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.
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 participation in strategy work, stakeholder sessions, and leadership retreats, including scheduling, materials, and follow-up.
Coordinate the Executive Director's schedule and hosting role for faculty recruitment visits, including partner and family visits 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 leadership, 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 gift milestones.
Track deadlines for grant submissions, reports, board meetings, and internal and external commitments.
Handle confidential personnel, recruitment, donor, and partnership matters with complete discretion, and apply relevant University policy.