Special Assistant to Vice President of Enrollment Management

The Enrollment Management Division at the University of Southern California is seeking a highly organized, strategic, and detail-oriented Special Assistant to the Vice President, Enrollment Management. This position will report directly to the Vice President, Enrollment Management and will serve as a trusted administrative, operational, and strategic partner in support of the Office of the Vice President.

The Special Assistant will play a critical role in managing the daily operations of the VP’s office, including complex calendar management, communications, travel coordination, briefing preparation, expense reimbursements, and executive-level administrative support. This role will also serve as a primary point of contact for the Office of the Vice President, assessing the urgency of requests, determining priorities, and ensuring timely and appropriate follow-through.

In addition to providing high-level executive support, the Special Assistant will partner with senior leadership on the planning, execution, and management of high-priority initiatives across the university. The position requires strong judgment, discretion, adaptability, and the ability to navigate complex priorities in a fast-paced and highly collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities

The Special Assistant will:

• Coordinate and manage the Vice President’s calendar, schedule, meetings, travel arrangements, itineraries, and expense reimbursements.
• Create daily agendas and briefing materials that include upcoming calendar items, events, speeches, and relevant background information.
• Serve as a key liaison between the Vice President, direct reports, university offices, and internal and external stakeholders.
• Assess incoming requests, communications, and situations to determine urgency, priority, and appropriate action.
• Draft, review, prioritize, and coordinate correspondence on behalf of the Vice President.
• Support the development and implementation of short- and long-term plans for the Office of the Vice President.
• Research, resolve, and follow up on questions or issues referred by staff, faculty, students, visitors, or external contacts.
• Assist with committee coordination, project tracking, reports, recommendations, and implementation follow-up.
• Develop and maintain effective office systems, filing processes, databases, and documentation practices.
• Support strategic initiatives by coordinating workflows, tracking deliverables, managing timelines, and partnering with leadership and stakeholders across the university.
• In the event of an emergency, the employee holding this position is required to “report to duty” in accordance with the university’s Emergency Operations Plan and/or the employee’s department’s emergency response and/or recovery plans. Familiarity with those plans and regular training to implement those plans is required. During or immediately following an emergency, the employee will be notified to assist in the emergency response efforts, and mobilize other staff members if needed.
• A mandated reporter who in his or her professional capacity has knowledge of, or reasonably suspects a person who is under the age of 18 years, elderly, or a dependent adult has been the victim of abuse or neglect must report the suspected incident. The reporter must contact a designated agency immediately or as soon as practically possible by telephone or in writing within 36 hours. By virtue of the associated job duties, this position qualifies as a mandated reporter as required by state law and USC’s policy at:  https://policy.usc.edu/mandated-reporters/
• Performs similar or related duties as assigned.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a polished professional who thrives in a high-volume executive office environment and brings exceptional judgment, discretion, and organizational skills. This individual will be comfortable balancing day-to-day executive support with broader strategic and operational priorities.

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Superior professionalism and exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, problem-solving, and multitasking skills.
• Experience managing heavy calendars, complex schedules, meetings, travel arrangements, and detailed itineraries.
• Excellent interpersonal, diplomatic, written, and oral communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other relevant office, collaboration, and project management tools.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to manage confidential or sensitive matters appropriately.
• A collaborative approach and ability to build consensus with diverse stakeholders.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity, complexity, and shifting priorities.

Please include your resume/CV and cover letter describing your interest and qualifications for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Eight years of experience in higher education, government, or a similarly complex organization.
• Experience supporting senior executives or leadership teams in a highly visible, mission-driven environment.

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values.

The salary range for this position is $100,000-$140,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

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Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree Bachelor's degree Communication Or Bachelor's degree in related field(s)
Minimum Experience: 5 years managing and/or supporting administration of an executive’s office
Minimum Skills: Superior level of professionalism and exceptional attention to details. Proven analytical, critical-thinking, problem-solving, and multi-tasking skills. Experience managing heavy calendars, coordinating meetings, and making detailed travel arrangements and itineraries. Superb interpersonal, diplomatic, and written and oral communication skills. Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office and other relevant office and project management software/tools (e.g., Google suite, Slack, Adobe Creative Suite, Skype).

                                                  

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this  USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser:

https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$147223.htmld