Executive Assistant

Department

BSD ORT - Administration

About the Department

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine is a growing department looking for an experienced and talented Executive Assistant to provide high-level support to the Chair of the Department. The department consists of 27 full time faculty members. Each faculty members brings with them expertise on a wide variety of Orthopaedic conditions. The Executive Assistant will work closely with the department chair and other leaders to support the work of its members in achieving the University of Chicago Biological Sciences vision of elevating the human experience with knowledge and health care.

Job Summary

The Executive Assistant serves the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, who is responsible for leading a complex academic, research and clinical department. The responsibilities include working independently to organize activities and projects, drafting correspondence, and daily calendar management. This key position supports leaders by prioritizing competing requests, proactively securing resources, and using independent judgement to resolve or escalate maters appropriately and to ensure the smooth and effective operations of the office. This position acts as a liaison for the leaders across various BSD, health system, community, and University offices. This role serves as the 'face of the department' and demands a high level of discretion and confidentiality.
The job provides confidential and high-level office and location support activities by acting as a lead and coordinating the work of others. Identifies, enhances, and applies specific processes and procedures to maximize the efficiencies of the University to which the support is being provided. May ensure the correct functioning of facilities, office and/or business support services.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative office support for the Chair and the Executive Administrator. Manage calendars and schedule appointments independently, or as directed.

• Assist and provide administrative oversight for relevant BSD projects, including updating project plans and timelines, scheduling meetings, coordinating resources with other BSD units, and assisting with the creation and updating of unit tracking and reporting.

• Responsible for planning and execution of deliverables for standing meetings and projects within the department.

• Provide and manage administrative, expense and logistic support for the office suite, including but not limited to calendar management, room reservations, expense management, mail, travel logistics, and recruitment efforts, all with a sense of urgency and utmost confidentiality.

• Prep, set up, execute, and follow up on meetings, interviews, functions, and projects ensuring oversight is well-coordinated, timely, and effective.

• Organize and manage meetings, off-sites and team-based events for training, development, recognition, and other organizational initiatives.

• Support annual planning processes, business planning, and performance review cycles.

• Track and help drive completion of key deliverables and follow up on outstanding items.

• Coordinate with staff on projects to help with goals and deliverables.

• Provides confidential and high-level administrative support for a leader. Stays informed of activities relating to University programs and initiatives, apprising the leader of issues when deemed necessary. Coordinates information flow from leader's office to University and Hospital. Relieves leaders of administrative responsibilities.

• Initiates correspondence and other written materials under own signature or for signature of the leader. Triages emails and telephone calls for action. Resolves routine and complex inquiries. May act as liaison to Board of Directors.

• Prepare special reports and summaries, assists in managing daily operation of the office, and may assist in developing administrative goals and policies. Maintains the leader's calendar, exercising considerable discretion and judgment as to priorities and effective use of the leader's time.

• Coordinates special projects as directed by the leader. Prepares write ups for recommendations for operational and administrative problems. May manage a portion of the leader's budget, monitoring and reconciling accounts. Prepares financial and/or administrative reports.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include vocational training, apprenticeships or the equivalent experience in related field (not typically required to have a four-year degree).

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.

Experience:

• Prior experience as an executive assistant in an academic environment or healthcare executive setting.

• Experience scheduling for multiple leaders (2-3), preparing leaders for meetings, events, interviews, and ongoing commitments to support a hybrid workforce.

• Experience preparing presentations decks for executive and academic leadership.

• Experience creating, editing, proofing, and sending executive communication on behalf of supported offices.

• Experience reconciling budgets, tracking expenses, and providing timely updates on office expense management including monthly and quarterly tracking reports.

• Experience with Project Management methodologies.

• Advanced experience in Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive materials and situations.

• Ability to interact comfortably with senior executives, faculty, and staff.

• Ability to develop collaborative relationships throughout the University community.

• Ability to effectively represent the mission, values and strategic plan of the organization and leaders through work products, efforts, and communication.

• Ability to manage and organize ad hoc projects to support processes and workflows.

• Ability to be reliable, driven and results oriented.

• Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills.

• Experience handling multiple projects and working well under deadlines with attention to detail.

• Ability to communicate comfortably with healthcare professionals locally and internationally, board and committee members, academic and healthcare professionals.

• Ability to communicate comfortably with faculty, staff, students, and officials at the highest level of the organization.

Working Conditions

• Office environment. 

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Administration & Management

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$60,000.00 - $90,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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