Job Title: Assistant to the Vice President and University Counsel/Board Secretary
Location: University Counsel
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 4629
Staff Posting Details

The University of Puget Sound invites applications for a motivated, collaborative and detail oriented Assistant to the Vice President and University Counsel to join the team!

The Assistant to the Vice President and University Counsel manages a wide range of complex administrative operations in support of the work of the Office of University Counsel and the Vice President. The Assistant is responsible for performing assignments independently and in a timely and efficient manner on the basis of general outlines or directions without specific instructions. The Assistant helps to coordinate and support all activities of the Office, as may be directed by the Vice President. The Assistant interacts with multiple internal Puget Sound administrative departments, faculty, staff, and students, as well as with external constituents including board of trustees (“board”) members, outside counsel, opposing counsel, State and federal government agents and representatives, and members of the public.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Manages daily office functions within the Office of University Counsel. Coordinates and processes information utilizing various PC computer applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint; maintains and manages schedules; assists with preparation for meetings, including meetings of the Board of Trustees; creates and/or processes electronic and paper communications; prepares purchase orders; reconciles, reviews and approves P-Card purchases and statements; and handles incoming paper mail, electronic mail, calendar requests, and telephone calls.
• Maintains and monitors the Vice President’s schedule; receives and responds to meeting requests on behalf of Vice President; interfaces with constituents on-campus and externally to ensure Vice President has necessary materials for appointments, meetings, and events; arranges, monitors, and adjusts travel schedules; evaluates requests for appointments according to established and emerging priorities.
• Assists with special projects and various committees on which the Vice President serves, including: (1) managing resources through personal knowledge and skills; (2) effectively cooperating with the Vice President to develop agendas or other meeting materials; (3) determining meeting times and location by coordinating with committee members; (4) composing and distributing meeting notices and related documents; (5) gathering and/or preparing background materials; and (6) arranging for meals (as needed). May include attending meetings to take minutes as well as provide any other administrative assistance (e.g., arranging/operating media equipment, drafting and disseminating minutes and supporting documents).
• Conserves Vice President’s time by reading, routing, drafting, and/or proofing responses to electronic and hardcopy correspondence for a broad range of constituents; collects and analyzes information; initiates telecommunications when needed. Ensures quality and timeliness of all communications.
• Maintains confidential materials; develops and utilizes file, retrieval, and other organizational systems to ensure ready access to information according to nomenclature and protocol established within the office; maintains knowledge of files created, retrieval of files requested, purges and relabels files as needed, and ensures confidential files are secure.
• Uses knowledge of relevant laws, policies, and practices in the Office of University Counsel to restrict access to files and uses discretion to protect privileged communications.
• Researches, collects, analyzes, and synthesizes information to produce documents and reports. Produces information by transcribing, formatting, inputting, editing, retrieving, copying, and transmitting text, data, and graphics.
• Serves as resource for other campus administrative staff on protocols related to work and correspondence with the Vice President.
• Responds to complex inquiries from internal and external constituents.
• Manages the budget for the Office of University Counsel. Monitors accounts; prepares monthly budget reports; tracks and pays invoices; approves certain operating expenses; and prepares annual budget and budget variance reports for the Office of Accounting and Budget Services.
• Assists the Vice President in managing the University’s contract review and approval process, including assisting campus constituents with understanding the process, tracking and organizing contracts (hard copy and/or electronically), and reviewing contracts for compliance with Puget Sound standards, as needed.
• Assists the Vice President in managing the University’s enterprise risk management program.
• Assists the Vice President and Office of the President in planning and coordinating board meetings, events, and materials; assists with responding to requests and inquiries from or related to board members or board issues.
• Orders and maintains on-hand inventory of office supplies.
• Initiates and oversees technology service requests for office and Vice President, as needed.
• Other duties as assigned by the Vice President and University Counsel.
• Regular and predictable attendance is an essential function of this position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

Budget Responsibilities

Responsible for the day-to-day management of the Office of University Counsel budget.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Demonstrated ability to effectively manage changing priorities and multiple tasks in deadline-driven, high-volume, fast-paced office environment. Ability to pay meticulous attention to detail and follow through on initiatives while managing a large and varied workload and workload demands. Demonstrated ability to work in a collegial, consultative and collaborative manner.Ability to execute effectively by using resources efficiently, planning and prioritizing, meeting deadlines, and keeping others informed of work plans and progress toward goals.Ability to use business knowledge, innovative thinking, and sound judgment in the solution of problems or the pursuit of opportunities.Demonstrated ability to draft error-free, audience-specific professional communications for a wide range of constituents; demonstrated exceptional proofreading skills and knowledge of grammar, understanding of standards of professional correspondence. Demonstrated ability to use diplomacy, discretion, and judgment in providing information to and referring others. Demonstrated skill in detecting emerging issues and making time-sensitive decisions with limited information and where precedents have not been established, in accordance with knowledge of department priorities, president’s style and preferences, and institutional strategic goals. Ability to consolidate information from various sources to reach sound decisions, and ability to consider the ultimate impact of decisions and actions on internal and external clients and constituents.Ability to effectively manage and estimate budgets.Exceptional organizational, planning and time management skills to manage projects and priorities independently and to ensure participation and contributions from individuals not directly supervised. Skill in examining and refining operations and procedures and developing and implementing new strategies within the scope of defined responsibilities.Superior one-on-one interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to foster confidence and trust and negotiate solutions in sensitive or confidential situations.Strong oral, written and interpersonal communication skills are required to interact with staff, students and external stakeholders.Ability to respectfully work, communicate and provide leadership within a diverse campus community.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience, plus at least two years of increasingly responsible administrative support experience; experience in a law office or in higher education preferred.
• Paralegal certificate or paralegal experience preferred.
Advanced-user level experience with Microsoft Office suite or similar word-processing, spreadsheet, and other productivity software required; Advanced-user level experience with Microsoft Outlook or similar calendaring or email software and legal document management systems such as Worldox and online legal research tools such as Westlaw or Lexis/Nexis preferred.Experience with or understanding of higher education operations at the senior decision-maker level preferred.Experience coordinating executive’s calendar and travel schedule preferred.

Compensation and Benefits: Decisions about starting salaries are made based on the extent and relatedness of the candidate's education and experience and on internal equity and market considerations.

This position is non-exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Puget Sound offers a generous benefits package. For more information, visit: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/offices--services/human-resources/overview-of-university-benefit/.

Application Deadline: Search and selection procedures will be closed when a sufficient number of qualified candidates have been identified. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit application materials no later than March 20, 2019 to ensure consideration.

Required Documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest

All offers of employment are contingent on successful completion of a background inquiry and if applicable for the position, drug screen, physical test and functional assessment.

Diversity Statement:

• We acknowledge the richness of commonalities and differences we share as a university community; the intrinsic worth of all who work and study here; that education is enhanced by investigation of and reflection upon multiple perspectives.
• We aspire to create respect for and appreciation of all persons as a key characteristic of our campus community; to increase the diversity of all parts of our University community through commitment to diversity in our recruitment and retention efforts; to foster a spirit of openness to active engagement among all members of our campus community.
• We act to achieve an environment that welcomes and supports diversity; to ensure full educational opportunity for all who teach and learn here; to prepare effectively citizen-leaders for a pluralistic world.

Puget Sound is committed to an environment that welcomes and supports diversity. We seek diversity of identity, thought, perspective, and background in our students, faculty, and staff. To learn more please visit: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/diversity-at-puget-sound/

The University of Puget Sound is an equal opportunity employer.

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