Executive Assistant to the VP of Advancement

Executive Assistant to the VP of Advancement


Posted on 6/23/2026


Accepting applications


About this position


The Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Advancement serves as a strategic and operational partner to the Vice President for Advancement, ensuring efficient executive operations, advancing institutional priorities, supporting fundraising efforts, and enhancing relationships across the College and its constituencies. The position is responsible for operational and administrative details and performs diverse, highly responsible, complex, and non-supervised administrative assistant and office management functions that require recurring contact with senior administrators and executives and public and private officials, a thorough knowledge of College policies, procedures and operations, and an understanding of the College's role within the community.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Provide high-level administrative support to the Vice President for Advancement, managing complex operations and relieving leadership of a wide range of administrative and technical responsibilities.
2. Exercise independent judgment and discretion in managing complex, frequently changing calendars, including appointments, meetings, travel, and institutional and community events.
3. Prepare development team for meetings and engagements by coordinating materials, briefings, itineraries, donor information, and background documentation.
4. Arrange and coordinate meetings, events, meals, and travel logistics, including venue selection, audiovisual needs, catering, and event setup.
5. Screen calls, correspondence, and visitors; respond to inquiries with professionalism and confidentiality, and ensure appropriate follow-up actions.
6. Draft, edit, and manage correspondence, reports, and presentations, including Word documents, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint materials.
7. Maintain awareness of institutional priorities, concerns, and issues requiring executive attention, ensuring appropriate follow-up and communication.
8. Support donor and alumni engagement efforts by coordinating communication, outreach materials, and stewardship activities.
9. Support Advancement operations, including gift processing, tracking, acknowledgements, and documentation in compliance with established procedures.
10. Assist with donor engagement logistics, including preparing event materials, briefing documents, and travel packets for fundraising activities.
11. Help with Advancement events and meetings, including Board of Trustees committee meetings, stewardship initiatives, and donor functions.
12. Collaborate with Advancement staff to support fundraising efforts, alumni outreach, and special projects.
13. Manage and monitor budgets for the Advancement operations, including expense tracking, allocations, and reporting, and process invoices, purchase orders, reimbursements, direct pay requests, and expense reports.
14. Oversee staff timekeeping and leave reporting for executive offices and Advancement staff; coordinate submission to payroll.
15. Support onboarding of new employees, including workspace preparation, scheduling training, and coordinating orientation activities.
16. Supervise and support administrative staff within the Advancement Office as assigned.
17. Maintain office systems, files, records, and reference materials, ensuring organization, accuracy, and confidentiality, and manage office operations, including supplies, equipment, and scheduling of shared spaces.
18. Manage logistics for weekly Advancement meetings, including agendas, materials, and follow-up actions.
19. Support planning and execution of commencement activities and other major institutional initiatives.
20. Develop, coordinate, and implement special projects as assigned by leadership. Serve as backup support within executive offices as needed to maintain continuity and efficiency. Attend quarterly Advancement Committee meetings and department staff meetings, providing copies of materials, recording meeting minutes, and agenda.
21. Contribute to the overall success of the Advancement department by performing all other duties as assigned by the Vice President

About our ideal candidate


EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE AND REQUIREMENTS

1. Undergraduate degree preferred.
2. Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
3. Strong computer skills, including facility with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and experience in preparing mail merges for large mailings required.
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
5. Must relate well to a variety of constituencies; have excellent skills in communication, including telephone and writing ability; strong interpersonal skills with a gracious demeanor in demanding situations; be extremely flexible in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; be self-motivated, showing initiative and perseverance; possess strong character and integrity; keep confidences; have strong organizational skills; enjoy working in a high multi-task environment; and work well as a "team player."

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position primarily involves sedentary office work performed in a professional administrative environment. The Executive Assistant regularly sits for extended periods while utilizing a computer, telephone, and other standard office equipment. Frequent use of hands and fingers for typing, data entry, document preparation, filing, and operating office technology is required. The position requires clear verbal communication and the ability to hear and respond effectively during meetings, telephone conversations, and interactions with donors, alumni, campus constituents, and external stakeholders. Occasional standing, walking, bending, reaching, and carrying materials such as files, reports, event supplies, or presentation materials weighing up to 20 pounds may be required. The role may also involve moving between campus offices and event locations and supporting advancement activities that occasionally require extended hours, including evening or weekend events.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This position operates primarily in a professional office environment within a college advancement and alumni relations setting. Work is generally performed in a climate-controlled indoor office and involves frequent interaction with donors, alumni, college leadership, faculty, staff, students, and community partners. The role requires managing multiple priorities, responding to changing deadlines, and maintaining confidentiality while supporting executive-level activities and fundraising initiatives. The Executive Assistant may occasionally attend meetings, donor functions, alumni gatherings, and special events both on and off campus, which may require work during evenings or weekends. The position is characterized by moderate levels of activity, frequent communication, and periods of increased workload associated with fundraising campaigns, special events, board meetings, and other advancement-related initiatives. Exposure to adverse environmental conditions is minimal and generally limited to normal travel between campus locations or event venues.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

No personal protective equipment (PPE) is generally required for this position. The employee may be expected to comply with college safety protocols and utilize appropriate protective equipment when required by specific circumstances, events, or applicable health and safety regulations.

About us


The College's health and wellness plans along with generous paid time-off benefits are in addition to rewarding employee benefits such as the tuition grant and 403(b) plan.


The employee tuition grant is a remarkable benefit that covers the cost of 100% of the College's tuition for dependent children of faculty and staff who have been employed with the college fulltime for one year. Employees can also take advantage of the benefit for themselves.


The Defined Contribution Retirement Plan is a 403(b) plan in which the college automatically contributes 7% of the eligible employee's earnings into a retirement fund whether the employee chooses to participate or not. The account has a comprehensive investment portfolio and allows the employee to control their investment choices. At 6 years of service, the employer contribution amount is elevated to 10%. Employees can choose to participate through pre-tax payroll deductions when ready!

Florida Southern College is committed to diversity and inclusion in hiring, campus life, and intellectual engagement and welcomes applications from all interested candidates. The college actively seeks a wide variety of candidates and enthusiastically looks to diversify our workforce.

Florida Southern College has a strong commitment to the principles of equal employment opportunity. The college recruits, hires, trains, transfers, promotes and compensates individuals and makes all personnel decisions without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, marital status, veteran status, or physical or mental disability unrelated to an individual's ability to perform the job, in accordance with applicable law.

As the oldest private college in Florida, Florida Southern College is a nationally recognized liberal arts institution located in Lakeland, enrolling approximately 3,500 students across more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs. The College is known for its strong student-to-faculty ratio and its emphasis on engaged learning, providing students with hands-on experiences that prepare them for meaningful careers and lives of leadership and service. Florida Southern is home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and competes in NCAA Division II athletics, with a distinguished record of national championships. Consistently ranked among the top regional institutions in the South by U.S. News & World Report and recognized by The Princeton Review, Florida Southern equips students to lead lives of positive and consequential impact through dynamic, engaged learning in its iconic setting and beyond.

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