Executive Assistant, UESS

The University of Lynchburg, a private, regional university in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central Virginia, is seeking applicants for Executive Assistant position in the University Experience and Student Success department.

This position reports to, is supervised by, and evaluated by the Vice President for University Experience and Student Success. The evaluation of work performance will be ongoing and will be carried out by the Executive Assistant. It will include the specific duties and responsibilities of this position description plus employee attitude and general working behavior.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Executive Assistant for University Experience and Student Success (UESS) provides high-level administrative, logistical, and strategic support to the VP for UESS and the broader UESS leadership team. This role is essential to ensuring the efficient functioning of the executive office and a seamless experience for students, parents, and campus partners.

The Executive Assistant serves as a primary operational hub, managing complex schedules, triaging sensitive communications, and maintaining fiscal and office excellence with the highest level of confidentiality. A critical component of this role is the comprehensive coordination and execution of the University’s Centralized Check-In Process in August and January, requiring expert-level logistical planning, cross-campus collaboration, and portal implementation. By balancing professional office management with a student-centric strategy, the Executive Assistant ensures the UESS team meets its mission of fostering student success and institutional excellence.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Executive Support: Manage the VP for UESS’s complex calendar, prioritizing high-impact meetings and ensuring efficient time utilization through proactive scheduling.
• Office Presence: Maintain a consistent physical presence in the UESS leadership team suite, serving as the professional "face" of the department for students and internal & external visitors.
• Multi-channel Correspondence: Responsible for the management of the general UESS email account and the UESS / VP phone extension(s). Triage phone calls, voicemails, and digital inquiries, responding directly or redirecting with a high degree of professional judgment.
• Confidentiality: Handle sensitive student records (FERPA), personnel matters, and institutional data with absolute discretion and strict adherence to university policy.
• Crisis & Concern Management: Troubleshoot and triage student and parent concerns with care and strategy, resolving issues independently where possible and escalating to the VP or appropriate personnel only when necessary.
• Family Point Person: Serve as a liaison for parent and family communications, collaborating closely with Advancement, MarCom, and other campus partners to ensure a unified and supportive institutional voice.
• Liaison Excellence: Act as the bridge between the UESS leadership team and internal/external stakeholders, ensuring timely follow-up, clear communication, and professional representation of the VP’s office.
• Centralized Check-In (August/January): Fully coordinate and execute the university’s centralized check-in processes. This includes managing all logistical preparations, overseeing the implementation and data integrity of the check-in portal, and leading collaboration with campus-wide partners to ensure a seamless student arrival.
• Event Management: Provide end-to-end logistical support for UESS-led ceremonies (honor society inductions, etc.), programs, and special initiatives. This includes securing venues, coordinating multi-departmental schedules, and providing on-site management to ensure events run smoothly.
• Committee Representation: Serve on various institutional and campus-wide committees at the direction of the VP, representing the interests of the UESS office and contributing to broader university goals.
• Project Ownership: Fully plan and execute specifically requested programmatic efforts, departmental initiatives, or pilot projects as assigned. This includes developing project timelines, managing resources, and delivering final outcomes.
• Leadership Engagement: Attend and actively engage in UESS leadership meetings and relevant committee sessions, as necessary, to stay informed of unit goals, institutional shifts, and upcoming logistical needs.
• End-to-End Scheduling: Manage the lifecycle of all UESS leadership team, staff, and committee meetings, ensuring all key stakeholders are invited and calendar conflicts are resolved before they impact the team.
• Space & Tech Coordination: Secure appropriate meeting venues via the university’s reservation system. Coordinate all AV and technology requirements (e.g., Google Meet links, Owl cameras, or presentation screens) to ensure seamless hybrid or in-person connectivity.
• Catering & Hospitality: Assess the needs for specific meetings, retreats, or receptions; manage the ordering, delivery, and setup of catering while strictly adhering to UESS budget constraints and dietary requirements.
• Material Preparation & Accountability: Collate and distribute agendas and briefing materials 24–48 hours in advance. Record minutes for leadership sessions and maintain a centralized Action Item Tracker to monitor deadlines and team follow-up.
• On-Site Setup: Ensure meeting rooms are professionally set up (seating, materials, refreshments) prior to arrival and restored to order afterward, serving as the primary point of contact for facility needs.
• Budget Management: Assist the VP in managing the UESS budget. Monitor expenditures, process travel expense reports, and ensure all financial activities align with the university’s fiscal responsibility guidelines.
• Office Operations: Oversee day-to-day office functions, including record management, supply procurement, and maintaining a professional, organized, and welcoming workspace for the UESS team.
• Institutional Flexibility: Perform other related duties, specialized tasks, or professional projects as assigned by the Vice President for UESS.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Hourly, non-exempt (Annual Range: $58,000-$62,000)

Benefits: FT Benefits eligible

• Generous paid vacation, personal days, paid sick time and family leave, comprehensive insurance (medical, dental, vision, etc.) and retirement plans, flexible spending account, tuition remission, life and long-term disability insurance, and more. Learn more about employment benefits at the University of Lynchburg.

SCHEDULE:

• 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Exceptional English-language reading and writing skills for managing high-volume email queues, responding accurately to inquiries, drafting high-level executive correspondence, and composing complex institutional reports.
• Advanced verbal de-escalation and active listening skills, with a proven track ability to navigate high-stress, emotionally charged conversations with anxious or upset students and parents while maintaining institutional boundaries.
• Outstanding verbal communication and interpersonal skills, serving as a highly professional, welcoming, and polished physical and verbal "face" of the Vice President's office to students, parents, guests, VIPs, and campus colleagues.
• Above-average knowledge of modern office procedures, excellent typing skills, and superior organizational capabilities to handle multiple competing priorities with close attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to verbally articulate complex operational needs, build consensus, and drive collaboration across diverse, multi-departmental campus teams.
• Demonstrated judgment and verbal restraint when handling sensitive personnel matters, crisis situations, or protected student data, ensuring strict adherence to confidentiality protocols during verbal inquiries.
• Proven ability to manage high-volume, general department email queues, drafting swift, accurate, and professional responses to sensitive, nuanced, or escalating inquiries.
• Experience maintaining precise, policy-compliant documentation, including processing fiscal travel reports, maintaining records under strict FERPA guidelines, and organizing large-scale logistical project plans (e.g., check-in timelines).
• High-level proficiency across the entire Google Workspace (preferred), specifically Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Calendar, and Meet, with a proven ability to leverage these tools to manage complex executive calendars, organize real-time cross-campus collaboration, deploy hybrid meeting technology, and maintain secure, data-driven tracking systems for large-scale institutional projects.
• Demonstrated ability to independently champion projects from conception to completion, tracking multi-step deliverables, monitoring cross-departmental deadlines, and ensuring seamless execution of special initiatives with minimal oversight.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Prolonged standing/sitting/wrist movement
• Ability to lift 10 lbs.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

• High school diploma
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible administrative experience, preferably in a high-volume executive office or higher education setting.

Work Remotely:

• No

We seek candidates who are committed to the University of Lynchburg’s efforts to create an environment that fosters a student-centered environment, develops the breadth of knowledge associated with liberal education, respects and supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, values and celebrates diverse faith traditions, and sustains close working relationships among faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners.

To be fully considered, please submit a cover letter and resume. Incomplete applications will not be fully considered. Applications will be reviewied on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Candidates must successfully pass a background check that is satisfactory to the University. 

The University of Lynchburg is dedicated to inclusive excellence. We celebrate the diversity of our common life, affirming our different histories, realities, and identities. All belong here. 

As a testament to our strong commitment to accessibility, diversity, and inclusion, we will attract, celebrate, and retain a community of diverse students, staff, and faculty; foster belonging; and create a campus environment that embraces civil discourse and accountability for our words and actions. 

The University of Lynchburg embraces diversity in its broadest sense. We will cultivate an inclusive, equitable, and safe campus climate grounded in mutual respect and understanding, where all members of our diverse learning community - alumni, employees, learners, visitors, and volunteers- can thrive. 

The University of Lynchburg is an equal-opportunity employer.