Senior Administrative Assistant

This position provides primary administrative support for the role of Vice President for Communications and Marketing as well as for others in the Office of Communications and Marketing. The Senior Administrative Assistant plays a key role in the coordination and dissemination of institutional information. In addition, the individual monitors four budgets within the Office of Communications and Marketing.

Primary Job Duties

1. Provide a wide variety of administrative support services for the Vice President for Communications and Marketing. Advise the Vice President on calendar and help schedule, maintain, and prioritize events, conference registrations, and travel arrangements; assist with agendas, reports, and presentations for Cabinet, Trustees, and various other meetings, drafting minutes when required.
2. Provide independent administrative support for the following office processes: Create authorizations to employ (ATEs) and assist with office searches; update position descriptions (PDs); coordinate performance reviews; support the General Salary Adjustment (GSA) process; maintain calendar and meetings; attend and participate in weekly staff meetings, taking notes when necessary; answer, screen, and direct calls, correspondence, and responses for the VP.
3. Manage four department budgets and the purchasing card (P-Card) for the Office of Communications and Marketing, working closely with other departments throughout the College to rectify discrepancies, pay invoices in timely fashion, and aid in designating appropriate budgets to pull from while monitoring balances.
4. Office management: Answer telephones, screen calls, act as first point of contact for the public and sometimes reporters (the media); serve as receptionist for the office; assist with event planning (e.g., arrange catering, facilities, and room reservations). Schedule weekly and monthly meetings and other meetings as requested by the Vice President and other Communications and Marketing staff members.
5. Office duties: Monitor the info@skidmore.edu email account and respond to and forward inquiries to the appropriate department or staff member. This may occasionally require intermittent monitoring from home on evenings/weekends. This is especially important after a crisis situation, as responses to messages sent by the administration are often sent to the info@skidmore.edu email address.
6. Provide administrative support to Directors and other staff within the Communications/Marketing division as requested.
7. Order office supplies, handle purchase requests, ensure outside vendors are paid.
8. Act as a campus liaison for various civic initiatives.
9. Other duties as assigned.

This position will handle these administrative processes on their own, including prioritization of workload, multitasking, organizing, and aiding the VP and Directors in preparing for meetings, reports, presentations, and similar efforts and initiatives. Additionally, this position sometimes handles highly sensitive and confidential information, requiring discretion and tact.

This position interacts with the VP of Communications and Marketing and office staff as well as the Board of Trustees and other departments throughout the College and is expected to be a representative of the Office of Communications and Marketing, as well as the College when dealing with internal and external partners; alumni; members of the Board of Trustees; current and prospective families and students; media; vendors; Saratoga Springs Community members; and others. This position requires a high level of confidentiality and responsibility in managing large budgets as well as complicated calendars and schedules.

Qualifications and Competencies

Education : Associate’s degree or equivalent coursework or experience

Experience : Administrative assistance; minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience.

This position requires strong interpersonal skills, excellent judgement, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to communicate professionally and proactively with others.

Essential competencies:

• Solution-oriented
• Proactive with ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Deadline-driven
• Can work well in a fast-paced environment
• Comprehensive knowledge of computer and web technology
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Organized with an acute attention to detail
• Ability to manage budgets
• Ability to prioritize and multitask
• Must maintain confidentiality when applicable
• Must maintain a high level of focus