Job Title: Senior Executive Assistant
Location: Boston, MA 02115
Duration: Permanent
Job Summary:
The overarching mission of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is to advance the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication. To pursue this mission, the School produces knowledge through research, reproduces knowledge through higher education, and translates knowledge into evidence that can be communicated to the public, policymakers, and practitioners to advance the health of populations. To accomplish these bold goals, the Dean's Office ("DO") works to support, strengthen, and champion the efforts of the School's faculty, students, and staff.
This is a unique and rare opportunity to join a dedicated administrative team supporting the School's new dean of the faculty. The EA will have a key role in establishing new workflows for supporting the priorities of the dean and the DO, and contributing to the mission of improving the lives and health of people everywhere.
Being the direct support to the dean of the faculty and reporting to the director of administration, the successful candidate will be a collaborative, self-directed individual who demonstrates a solutions-oriented approach, anticipating and resolving problems with the utmost discretion and professionalism to ensure the dean's day-to-day affairs are conducted smoothly. Acting as the first point of contact for access to the dean, the Senior EA must have impeccable diplomacy and customer service skills to manage demanding priorities from varying constituencies, both internal and external. They must also have an ongoing attention to minute detail and high-level oversight of shifting priorities in order to effectively manage the dean's time and resources. The successful candidate will bring an positive, problem-solving mindset to the position. The Senior EA is part of the administrative team in the DO, who collectively support each other and actively work toward cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging.
Position Description:
Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Administrative point of contact/access to the dean: manages calls and emails (reviews, assesses, responds/reroutes, monitors follow up items to completion; fields walk-ins and creates a welcoming environment for all constituents; develops and maintains a general knowledge of the School
• Schedule management: proactively handles the day-to-day activities of the dean and highly complex management of the dean's calendar (including maintaining and analyzing metrics/data on how dean uses their time), resolves scheduling conflicts and regularly communicating updates to relevant stakeholders; facilitates agenda-setting including gathering briefing materials, bios, and other prep materials
• Travel management: arranges domestic/international flights, hotels, ground transportation, visas, itineraries, and other logistical planning
• Drafts, edits, and proofs brief correspondence and helps maintain archival records
• Assists reconciling dean's expenses and reimbursements
• Anticipates the needs of the dean and acts proactively, strategically, and in symmetry with the DO staff
• Works with the Director of Administration to organize and implement administrative systems and procedures to promote efficiency gains; maximizes the use of available technology and applications
• Reconciles the dean's expenses/corporate card
• This position's responsibilities also include varied projects and tasks arising out of shifting demands that cannot always be foreseen. As such, they will perform other duties as required.
• A desire to bring order, initiative, and collaboration along with a sense of patience and good humor are essential.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience is required.
• 5 years of experience working with and supporting senior/executive level leaders or related experience; a combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Experience with calendar management of senior/executive leaders is required.

Additional Qualifications and Skills:
The following job-specific skills and competencies are preferred:

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.
• Ten (10) plus years of progressively responsible administrative experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with an academic environment.
• Familiarity with systems, policies, and procedures
• Advanced fluency with Microsoft Office Suite of programs and collaboration programs (e.g., Zoom, Teams, SharePoint), required.
• Proven task management and organizational skills
• Aptitude for learning new systems quickly
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• Aptitude for pre-emptive, creative problem solving
• Sound judgment, diplomacy, and professionalism handing competing demands in a fast-paced environment and handling sensitive/confidential information
• Proven customer service skills with a empathic, ready-to-adapt mindset

The following cultural competencies are also preferred:

• Awareness of and aptitude to appropriately and effectively understand, respect, and adapt to cultural and identity-based difference within group environments
• Knowledge of and commitment to concepts and issues tied to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Skills related to creating and supporting an environment that allows for inclusion, effective intercultural engagement, and personal humility and authenticity

Additional Information:

• Join the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to support our mission of health research and education, and to be a part of the oldest institution of higher learning in the country!
• The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health does not provide visa sponsorship, now or in the future, for staff positions.
• Harvard University requires pre-employment reference checks and background screenings.
• This position has a 90 day orientation and review period. The O&R period will be waived for any internal Harvard employee transfers.
• The health of our workforce is a priority for Harvard University. With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up to date on CDC-recommended vaccines.

Work Format Details:

• Cover letter is required as part of the application to be considered for this position (and applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered). Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit a writing sample.
• This is a benefits-eligible position with a 40 hour work week.
• The primary work location for this position is Boston, MA. Due to the nature of this position, directly supporting the dean of the faculty, this is primarily an onsite position and will incur occasional overtime with advanced notice. Additional detail pertaining to this position will be discussed during the interview process.