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Executive Assistant - (Executive Assistant III, Range I) - Vice President Office Student Affairs

The Executive Assistant advises and supports the Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA) as well as other members of the Student Affairs cabinet, specifically noted below, and across Student Affairs more broadly. Such support is operational, strategic, logistic as well as clerical. By staying informed of campus-wide activities, deadlines, processes, and pending decisions, the Executive Assistant independently determines self-assignments in addition to receiving direction from the VPSA or a designee. As a liaison working on behalf of the VPSA's office, the Executive Assistant is responsible for developing communications, responses and complaint resolution both independently and in consultation with the VPSA and other campus leaders. The Executive Assistant serves in a highly visible and critical role as facilitator of the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC) and other high level interdepartmental committees, and performs duties related to Building Coordinator (BC) and Building Emergency Response Coordinator (BERC) roles for the Student Services Building (SSB). This position requires extensive administrative experience, exceptional analytical skills, and proven communication skills. The Executive Assistant is expected to be a strong team player with a can-do attitude and high ethical standards and be capable of carrying out multiple projects at the same time. The Executive Assistant is expected to maintain discretion and confidentiality of sensitive information, traits that are essential and critical to being successful in this role.

Executive Support, VPSA Office

• Provide continuity, extensive specialized expertise, and information which is often sensitive and confidential to the Office of the VPSA, the Equity Programs and Compliance unit, all other Student Affairs units, and the campus on a variety of complex policies, procedures, laws and regulations, including, but not limited to: FERPA, State of California Education Code, State Administrative Manual, CSU Mandates, Executive Orders, and Executive Memoranda.
• Develop and manage cooperative working relationships with a diverse population of administrators, faculty, staff, and students as well as appropriate officials at other state colleges and universities, the Chancellor's Office, government and national agencies, businesses, and more.
• Respond to a variety of inquiries, unresolved problems, issues, and ad hoc matters, as well as escalated faculty, staff, student, parent, and community calls and concerns. Requires analyzing issues and developing resolutions as well as following through with providing direction, making referrals, and delegating responses to others, thus requiring the ability to exercise considerable judgment.
• Provide advice and assistance to Student Affairs as well as Cabinet leaders to solve emergent problems as well as those stemming from established processes and policies. Examples include procurement contracts, security authorizations for software, Chancellor's Office reports, travel, MPP performance evaluations and actions, recruitment and retention policies and practices, media relations, and more.
• Work with Cabinet and their staff on critical and confidential matters and keep them apprised of critical issues.
• Independently analyze and determine appropriate responses or actions to inquiries, requests, etc.
• Determine when to involve the VPSA in inquiries, requests, etc.

Communication

• Represent the VPSA and/or cabinet members, as required, in dealings with both internal and externalcampus communications.
• Develop, distribute, and manage communication from Student Affairs, including, but not limited to, speeches, articles, awards and other recognitions, letters, reports, campus announcements, and updates to the website.
• Review and facilitate a variety of correspondence for the VPSA, including recommending actions, editing, or preparing responses.
• Compose correspondence dealing with issues or subject matter in ways that require considerable attention to how it is received by various audiences.
• Demonstrate sensitivity, discretion, and good judgment in replying to inquiries and/or presenting orrequesting information.
• Draft, edit and prepare confidential and sensitive correspondence; manage and update confidential files, including those housing official reviews of faculty, staff and management.
• Prepare documents, presentations and reports on behalf of the VPSA; provide information for reports and records through research, data retrieval, compiling and/or tabulating statistics, and organizing and presenting the information in usable and understandable formats.
• Review and proofread documents requiring the VPSA's signature.
• Receive and handle phone calls, visitors, and inquiries and make appropriate referrals.

Administrative and Clerical

• Provide high-level administrative support for the VPSA and other cabinet members, as needed.
• Provide administrative support with the handling of confidential and sensitive documents pertaining to budgets, legal matters, campus organizations, disputes, grievances, and personnel evaluations. May also provide research support by collecting and preparing background information for major projects.
• Maintain annual calendars for the VPSA's office, and anticipate deadlines, due dates, and upcoming meetings by prompting and preparing the VPSA, as needed.
• Make travel arrangements as requested via the university travel platform and manage all reimbursement in accordance with campus and CSU policies and procedures.
• Maintain and manage Student Affairs policies to include: ensuring policies and procedures are shared with campus, as necessary and appropriate; contacting appropriate departments to develop and/or update policies; initiating and overseeing approval process; maintaining familiarity with all policies; and helping people find policy information.
• VPSA office operations – Maintain and manage office files; assist with hiring, provide training and lead work direction to student assistants; and order supplies and services necessary to support the VPSA's office.
• Review, prioritize, and distribute mail to appropriate office staff and handle mail routing requests.
• Maintain computer and office files. Provide word processing services (e.g., composing, formatting, and proofing documents).
• Schedule meetings, appointments, interviews, etc.; serve as committee member; take and transcribe meeting notes; and, write and/or edit reports.
• Contract and monitor maintenance of administration equipment copier, postage, folding, and shredding machines.
• Conduct basic research and information gathering.
• Exercise tact and judgment in interacting with a wide range of constituents including general employee population, HR team members and executives. Demonstrate appropriate discretion and judgment to ensure applicable business information, data, transactions, and correspondence are maintained according to pertinent laws and regulations.
• Interface and communicate with employees and external constituents; direct stakeholders to the appropriate resources and manage sensitive information.
• Assist with facilitating project and goal management, strategic planning, streamlining processes and conducting research as directed by the VPSA on various topics/subjects.
• Track action items and commitments for VPSA and assist in driving them to completion when necessary.
• Provide support and maintain confidentiality in the administrative handling of staff disputes,grievances, union/contract negotiations and management positions, disciplinary actions, and personnel issues; prepare personnel action documents, gather support materials, and prepare notification of final decisions in personnel actions.
• Attend management meetings that may involve sensitive personnel issues; prepare confidential correspondence related to personnel actions, discipline, collective bargaining, and personnel policies; and maintain confidentiality of materials and sensitive issues associated with personnel actions.
• Serve as facilitator for recurring high-level committees (such as the Student Fee Advisory Committee and SAEM Executive Team), coordinating meeting schedules, administering committee application and review processes, developing and distributing agendas and related communications, responding to inquiries, tracking proposals and recommendations, documenting meeting outcomes and votes, preparing meeting minutes, monitoring follow-up actions, and submitting recommendations and supporting documentation for final review and approval.
• Serve as both Building Coordinator and Building Emergency Response Coordinator for the Student Services Building (SSB) to liaise between building occupants and Facilities Services to maintain upkeep to and within the building (including key requests), and assist with emergency evacuations, coordinating directly with the Emergency Operations Center, if necessary.

Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Experience

• Thorough and advanced knowledge of the principles, problems, and methods of business administration and operational and fiscal management.
• Excellent project planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlinessimultaneously.
• Advanced public and internal relations skills to effectively represent the university leader, engage and collaborate with internal stakeholders, and manage relationships with external stakeholders.
• Advanced skills in leading, training, and mentoring other administrative staff.
• Thorough knowledge of and ability to apply extensive expertise to complex programs and/or administrative specialties, including pertinent laws and regulations.
• Expertise in administrative survey techniques, operations, and systems analysis, including the ability to
• interpret and evaluate results to develop sound conclusions and recommend new or revised policies.

Education

• Equivalent to a bachelor's degree in related field and four years of relevant experience.
• Additional experience which demonstrates acquired and successfully applied knowledge and abilities shown above may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
• An advanced degree in a