Executive Assistant

Position Summary:

The Executive Assistant provides comprehensive high-level support to the Dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School by managing the Dean's schedule, information flow, and constituent interactions. As a representative of the Dean, and in conjunction with the Director of Administration, this position must organize the flow of daily operations to ensure priorities are met. This position serves as a goodwill ambassador and is the first point of contact for the Office of the Dean. This position completes various administrative tasks for the Dean and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, including managing extremely active calendars of appointments; completing expense reports; preparing confidential correspondence; arranging complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agendas; and compiling documents for travel-related meetings. 

The Executive Assistant is responsible for administrative support pertaining to all faculty actions including, but not limited to, faculty promotion, tenure, and reappointment, leaves and departures, contract and appointment letters, and searches. The Executive Assistant is responsible for maintaining the day-to-day operations of the office and serves as a coordinator of executive-level decision-making, ensuring the office has the necessary resources and capacity to meet its objectives while coordinating, progressing, and communicating the initiatives of the Dean. In addition, this position provides support for procurement, event planning for Dean’s office events, conducting research, preparing reports, handling information requests, and performing clerical functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings as needed. 

About the Work Unit: 

The Divinity School administrators and staff comprise a team committed to excellence in theological education. From different composite areas: admissions, community life, academics, special programming, communications, theological and religious library resources, and development and alumni relations, each person contributes to an innovative and collegial environment. The unit as a whole is committed to the mission of both the University and the Divinity School. We seek to lead the nation in the care, preparation, and professional qualification of our students to the religious and theological professions.

In a global and multi-religious world, the Divinity school seeks to fulfill the following objectives:

• to engage in theological inquiry;
• to help persons prepare for the practice of Christian ministry and public leadership;
• to encourage personal and spiritual formation;
• to prepare agents of social justice; and
• to educate future scholars and teachers, locally and globally.
   

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Administrative Support

• Manages complex and frequently shifting calendars for the Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, exercising independent judgment in prioritizing appointments, resolving scheduling conflicts, and coordinating high-level meetings and events. 

• Coordinates complex domestic and international travel arrangements for the Dean, including itineraries, accommodations, transportation logistics, reimbursements, and related administrative support.

• Serves as primary administrative liaison for the Dean’s Suite, maintaining effective communication and coordination among faculty, staff, students, senior leadership, and external stakeholders.

• Coordinates logistical arrangements for meetings including space reservations, catering, audio/visual needs, parking reservations for off campus participants, equipment set-up, and communication with meeting attendees.

• Anticipates administrative and operational needs of the Dean’s office and proactively resolves issues to ensure continuity and efficiency of daily operations.

• Coordinates and supports faculty governance and leadership meetings, including preparation of agendas and materials at least one week in advance, communication with attendees, meeting logistics, and recording and maintaining official meeting minutes and documentation. Records and maintains official minutes for faculty meetings and designated faculty committees, ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and timely distribution of materials.

• Manages administrative office staff and internal communications on behalf of the dean.

• Coordinates cross-team collaboration and trans-institutional engagement as assigned.

• Manage the flow of information to and from the dean.

• Schedules meeting dates for Divinity committees and shares schedule with Faculty/Staff.

• Provides staff support for Honor Council (reserves rooms, duplicates materials, distributes packets, procures refreshments).

• Makes assignments and oversees submission of the annual report to ATS.

• Updates VDS Faculty Handbook and manages the approval process for revisions.

• Processes documents for Visiting Scholars and serves as liaison.

Faculty Actions

• Coordinates and administers faculty affairs processes for the School, requiring discretion, confidentiality, timeliness, and knowledge of university academic policies and procedures.

• Provides high-level administrative coordination for faculty tenure, promotion, and review processes, including confidential correspondence, preparation of review materials, scheduling, and coordination with the Provost’s Office and external reviewers. Coordinates administrative operations for faculty recruitment and search processes, including advertising, applicant communications, committee support, interview coordination, and onboarding logistics. Acts as Interfolio Manager for the School (Dossier & Search).

• Creates and maintains records in Faculty Information System (FIS).

• Tracks faculty leaves and faculty reviews and provides information to the Senior Administrative Officer, HR.

Finance and Human Capital Management

• Serves as an expense delegate to the Dean and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and process travel expenses, in a timely and accurate manner, to ensure prompt reimbursement. 

• Maintains ownership of Vanderbilt One Card for businesspurchases and processing expenses in compliance with the Divinity School and University Policy and Procedure. 

• Serves as Purchase Requestor for general operations of VDS (i.e., office supplies, faculty requests, VDS related invoices, building maintenance, etc.).

• Serves as Guest Travel Coordinator for guests of the leadership team and faculty.

• Provides hiring information to departmental HCM Specialists for student workers assigned to the Dean’s Suite.

• Supervises Dean’s Suite student workers, delegating work appropriately and ensuring that tasks are completed in a satisfactory manner. 

• Reviews and approves timecards for student workers.

General

• Oversees daily administrative operations of the Dean’s Suite and Divinity administrative office, ensuring professional, organized, and efficient office functionality and responsiveness.
• Oversees general office management, including processing incoming and outgoing mail, photocopying, printing/scanning documents, ordering supplies, and overseeing general tidiness of office space.
• Maintains operational readiness of shared administrative and faculty spaces, including oversight of office and hospitality supplies, faculty lounge and catering areas, office equipment functionality, and coordination of routine troubleshooting and service needs.

• In coordination with the Director of Administration, maintains effective and efficient day-to-day operation of Divinity’s administrative office.

• Advises and assists faculty with operational questions and general officepolicies under the guidance of the Director of Administration.

• Answers and manages the School’s main telephone line. 

• Oversees the  following student worker tasks, and provides backup as needed: 

  • provides audiovisual support to faculty and administration

  • scans and photocopies documents

  • delivers mail/packages to faculty and administration

  • picks up and returns library books for faculty

  • checks out keys to approved users

  • distributes event materials throughout building

  • sets up and cleans up events

  • greets visitors to the Divinity School

• Serves as backup to the Associate  Director of Communications, reviews and releases messages sent through the VDS faculty, staff, and VDS community Listservs for accuracy and appropriateness, reviewing with Divinity School leadership as needed.

• Serves as backup to the Building and Facilities Manager, submits maintenance requests through the work order system and serves as point of contact for any urgent building needs in the Manager’s absence.

• Completes projects on an as-needed basis, including filing, organizing, mass-mailings,etc.

• Provides backup support for room reservations/EMS.

• Works closely with Director of Administration, as needed, on projects and weekly administrativetasks.

Supervisory Relationships:

This position has supervisory responsibility for the Dean’s Office student workers. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of Administration.

Education and Certifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary.

Experience and Skills:

• At least 5 years directly relatable experience is necessary.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat and popular content management systems (CMS) and ability to learn other platforms needed in role is necessary.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively and collegially with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community is necessary.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing is necessary.
• Ability to make administrative decisions and judgments, independently or in collaboration with others, is necessary.
• Ability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects is necessary.
• Excellent ability to organize and coordinate is necessary.
• Excellent initiative and follow-through are necessary.
• Ability to handle highly confidential materials is necessary. 
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and function with a high degree of understanding of University and Divinity School policies and procedures is necessary.
• Records maintenance skills are necessary.
• Ability to prepare research reports and proposals is necessary.
• Ability to provide technical advice and information to staff in area of expertise is necessary.