Summary:
The executive assistant provides a wide range of confidential support to one or more senior leaders. Key responsibilities include coordinating complex calendars, providing comprehensive meeting support, and handling confidential information with discretion. Acting as the primary contact for the senior leader and various stakeholders, this position drafts, reviews, and sends communications on behalf of the leader. The executive assistant also plays a crucial role in initiative tracking, preparing presentations and briefing documents, and conducting research to aid decision-making. This position provides strategic monitoring of the senior leader’s initiatives and priorities and plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the office.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provides strategic calendar management by coordinating complex schedules, establishing standards that balance meeting and office time, reflect priorities, and allow for flexibility.
- Provides advanced email management by monitoring, triaging, organizing, prioritizing and responding to emails on the leader’s behalf or as a delegate, ensuring timely and appropriate communication.
- Provides comprehensive meeting preparation with briefings, updates, materials, and information, while tracking deadlines, commitments, and emerging issues.
- Tracks initiatives and priorities, ensuring they go through the right channels, are included in relevant meetings, and are added to the appropriate agendas.
- Gathers information, creates, drafts, edits, and files a variety of documents, presentations, reports, and correspondence, ensuring confidential and sensitive information is handled appropriately.
- Provides meeting and committee support by coordinating meeting logistics, preparing the committee chair, creating and distributing agendas and documentation, taking minutes, tracking and following up on action items, setting up video conferencing tools, and troubleshooting technical issues for smooth communication during meetings.
- Coordinates assigned projects and tasks, developing collective knowledge and delegating work, and engaging colleagues.
- Contributes to continuous improvement initiatives by identifying issues and participating in process evaluation and re-design.
- Serves as the primary point of contact for the office and leaders, utilizing clear and effective communication, addressing inquiries, and providing direction in alignment with organizational values and priorities.
- Organizes complex travel arrangements, itineraries, submits, and approves travel and other expense requests.
- Coordinates and oversees all event logistics, including budget management, catering, and invitations.
- Builds and maintains positive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, working collaboratively with administrative network colleagues.
- Processes financial transactions and reconciliations.
- Assists with human resource processes such as submitting job postings, scheduling interviews, submitting letters of offer, assisting with onboarding and offboarding processes, and processing changes to employment records.
- Provides general office administrative support for efficient and effective operations.
- Greets and assists visitors, providing a welcoming and professional environment.
- Communicates and acts in a respectful and professional manner, collaborates effectively, abides by policy, and contributes to a positive and productive work and learning environment.
- Engages in continuous learning by participating in activities, training, and events related to Indigenous engagement, reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Demonstrates respect and dignity for all community members, actively contributes to an environment of acceptance and inclusion, and responds to different perspectives with curiosity, respect, and non-judgement.
- Undertakes related duties as assigned, consistent with the nature of the position.
Qualifications:
- An office administration diploma; a bachelor’s degree is preferred.
- Minimum of five years of senior-level administrative experience, preferably supporting executive members in a large, complex organization.
- Proven ability to manage executive level calendars, communications, and confidential information with a high degree of discretion and professionalism.
- Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to draft and edit high level correspondence and reports.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and foster effective relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholder groups.
- Ability to act with a high degree of professionalism, discretion, and navigate sensitive matters with tact and diplomacy.
- Advanced organizational and time management skills with the ability to anticipate needs, prioritize tasks and manage multiple demands independently.
- Demonstrates resilience and adaptability in high-pressure environments through a proactive, self-directed approach to learning and problem-solving; committed to continuous improvement and aligning actions with evolving best practices and strategic priorities.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new technologies and systems.
- Experience with university systems is preferred.
The University of Saskatchewan recognizes alternate career paths; therefore, a combination of education and experience may be considered.
