Executive Associate at The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas

Job Description:

Position OverviewThis position serves the critical role of establishing first impressions of the Provost and the Provost Office by communicating with a spirit of service, stewardship, humility and respect for the constituents of the University of Kansas, including students, staff, faculty, alumni, donors, and community members. Reporting to the Chief of Staff to the Provost, and working closely with both the Chief of Staff and the Provost, the primary responsibilities of the Executive Associate to the Provost are to proactively organize, coordinate, and prioritize the key activities of the Provost for leadership of the Lawrence and Edwards campuses; to manage the Provost's official correspondence and email, including ensuring final distribution of legal communications; and to facilitate those activities as they relate to the Provost Office master calendar of regulatory and administrative obligations, activities, deadlines and events. The executive associate schedules calendars, travel and events and other reservations for the Provost's professional activities and obligations, and coordinates with the Chief of Staff and Project Coordinator on messaging and calendaring for the many committees, teams, and events that are based out of the Provost Office.


The Executive Associate maintains a close working relationship with colleagues in the Chancellor's Office and additional campus leader offices to ensure close attention to the provost's daily task list and meeting schedule. This position also maintains a close relationship with the Administrative Associate, Sr. in the Provost Office to ensure seamless completion of tasks during times of absence The Executive Associate ensures requests of the Provost are responded to and managed in a timely manner and works with the Chief of Staff to ensure tasks and requests needing delegation are promptly redirected.
This individual must maintain complete confidentiality at all times, and exercise discretion and judgment in all communications.


The primary focus of this position is to be the frontline resource for the Provost on a daily basis, ensuring the Provost's daily activities are aligned with strategic priorities, that the Provost is responsive to critical issues as they arise, that the Provost is prepared for each day, and that actions are monitored and followed through to completion. Due to the nature of the Provost's schedule, there will often be last-minute calendar changes or questions that require evening or weekend attention, therefore this position receives a phone allowance.


If you are looking for a rewarding and dynamic career, look no farther than the University of Kansas. In addition to a competitive salary, KU offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, 9 paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a great retirement program, medical and dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options and state of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. KU also offers employees educational opportunities for employees. KU is a great place to work!Job Description40% Calendar and Scheduling for the Provost

• Responsible for the Provost's schedule, serving as the front-line person for access to the Provost, screening calls, letters and emails appropriately. This position has frequent interaction with internal and external constituencies of the Provost and provides excellent customer service to those who reach out to the Provost.


• Supervise and coordinate with the Provost Office Events Coordinator on large meetings and events hosted by the office or that require the Provost's participation.


• Coordinate with the Administrative Associate, Sr. who shares responsibility for scheduling of the Provost's individual meetings and regular committee and working group meetings.


• Oversees the preparation and maintenance of a daily calendar for the Provost in OneNote, where all reference materials for meetings and agendas are placed. Accuracy and timeliness are critical. Coordinates with the Administrative Associate Sr. who serves as backup for this task during the Executive Associate's planned or unplanned absences.


• Oversees the setup, arrangement, monitoring and adjustment of regular team meetings of the Provost, and communicates the agenda. This position receives assistance with meeting logistics from the administrative associate, who is also backup to this position for vacation and sick leave, and from the Event Coordinator for select large meetings, such as leadership retreats and All Team meetings.


• Notify the Chief of Staff and Director of Internal Communications when activities and/or events require written communications to campus or prepared remarks by the Provost.


• Filing of notes and follow-up resulting from activities in the daily calendar.


• Recommend and participate in the redesign of office processes as needed.

35% Email Tracking and Correspondence

• Monitor, categorize, flag, file and answer emails that come to the Provost's personal inbox, as appropriate. This is especially critical as the Provost is not able to respond to email during the course of the day. Examples of the ways the Provost's email may be addressed are:
  
  
  • Deal with routine matters, questions, or scheduling requests on behalf of the Provost, executing the response independently;
  
  
  • Flag email for the Provost if it is something she needs to personally address;
  
  
  • Delegate the response to another member of the university or Provost's leadership team;
  
  
  • Maintain a tracking system to be sure that anything that needs follow-up is noted and seen through to completion;
  
  
  • Maintain an archiving system of emails that are completed;
  
  
  • Maintain a strong understanding of university operations to effectively summarize and transfer issues to the Provost and Chief of Staff's attention.
  
  
  • When appropriate, work with the Office of the Provost communications team to address inquiries and appeals and send official correspondence through the office email account
  
  
  
  

15% Travel and Events

• Manage all travel arrangements, changes, and logistics for trips of the Provost and Provost's Chief of Staff.


• Manage the Provost's seats for men's basketball games. This includes attending meetings with the Chancellor's Office to coordinate strategic use of tickets, guest invitations, and distribution of the tickets to guests as needed. At the end of the season, details of ticket use, including guest names, is reported to the Endowment Association.


• Actively participate in a weekly executive level calendar meeting focusing on events and activities for the Chancellor, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications.


• Supervise the Provost Office Event Coordinator and oversee coordination of the catering, setup, and reserving of facilities for all Provost's meetings and events.


• Responsible for all aspects of the planning, coordination, and execution of university dinners or receptions at the Provost's home, including but not limited to compiling guest lists, creating and distributing invitations, and arranging catering.

10% Routine Processes & Other Duties

• Draft and produce final copy of business correspondence at the request of the Provost. Items such as letters of reference, support of grant proposals, and routine documents that require signature are examples.


• Draft and send emails on behalf of the Provost as requested.


• Working with General Counsel, execute legal documents as directed.


• Complete and submit documentation for billing or reimbursements for Provost's travel, book and office supply orders, etc.


• Other duties as assigned

Position RequirementsThis position will be on-site, with the possibility of remote work when the Provost is scheduled out-of-office.
Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree and 7 years of office experience including three years of experience in an executive office, or high school diploma or GED equivalency and 10 years of office experience.


2. Excellent written and oral communications skills and interpersonal skills as evidenced by application materials or references.


3. Experience working effectively and efficiently as a team member with diverse groups of people,


4. Strong personal work ethic as demonstrated by work history and/or references.


5. Experience utilizing strong organization skills, demonstrating a capacity for effectively managing simultaneous responsibilities and tasks, must be self-directed and detail-oriented as demonstrated by previous work history, application materials or references.


6. Experience in handling confidential information and correspondence.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Experience/knowledge in higher education structure, policies and procedures


2. Experience engaging with donors, alumni, or public sector constituencies


3. Prior experience or familiarity the KU Lawrence/Edwards Campus

Additional Candidate InstructionsA complete application includes:

1. Resume


2. Cover letter addressing required and preferred qualifications


3. Contact information for three professional references

Application review begins April 30, 2024, apply prior to April 29, 2024 for consideration.



#LI-HR1Contact Information to ApplicantsJill Hummels
785-864-6577
jhummels@ku.eduAdvertised Salary RangeStarting at $58,000, increases commensurate with experienceWork ScheduleM-F, 8-5


1450 Jayhawk Boulevard
Room 250 Strong HallApplication Review BeginsTuesday April 30, 2024Anticipated Start DateTuesday May 28, 2024Apply to Job

Apply Now