Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Advancement

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE: Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges

JOB PURPOSE: The Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Advancement provides primary administrative and clerical support for the Vice President for Advancement of Pomona College and secondary support for the Campaign Director. The Executive Assistant reports directly to the Campaign Director and has significant responsibility, requires confidentiality and the highest level of professionalism. The position involves frequent engagement with stakeholders inside and outside the organization, requiring professionalism, discretion, and the ability to represent the division effectively. A person in this position performs professional level work requiring the application of principles and practices in a wide range of administrative, technical or managerial methods to solve problems and to respond positively with concern, clarity and authority in a variety of situations. The position is charged with managing the Office of the Vice President, administrative assistant and organizer for the Vice President for Advancement, division calendars, executive travel schedule, agendas and meeting materials, and overall office management. This role is a critical part of ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly, priorities are met, and the College’s mission is advanced. This position is the point person for the Advancement Division in responding to and routing inquiries and mail, handling visitor orientation; monitoring Office of the Vice President budgets and expenditures; managing confidential division records; and preparing correspondence; preparing presentations for the VP for Advancement and Campaign Director; invoicing and reporting about  and for the College and the Advancement division in a confidential and professional manner to assist the Vice President and Campaign Director to the Board in meeting the division’s annual goals.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Reporting directly to the Campaign Director, the Executive Assistant performs the following essential duties and responsibilities:

1. Provides in-depth administrative support for the Vice President for Advancement and serves as liaison between the Office of the Vice President and Division staff. Maintains the Vice President’s calendar by managing complex scheduling assignments involving sensitive conversations with high-level contacts ranging from major donors to business executives to campus partners and dignitaries. Prepares meeting materials, agendas and minutes, and independently gathers pertinent information for meetings and events on calendar. Coordinates all VP meeting logistics and details.

2. Interacts with the Office of the President on behalf of the Vice President for Advancement and Campaign Director.

3. Provide a broad range of administrative, clerical, and executive support to the Vice President for Advancement and the Campaign Director to manage the Office of the Vice President and coordinate the Advancement Division workflow:

• Create and maintain a daily briefing folder for the Vice President for Advancement by acquiring and organizing relevant materials and agendas;
• Compile travel information, preparing drafts, typing documents, proofreading and editing documents, correspondence and confidential reports;
• Manage calendars, arranging meetings, conferences and travel itineraries for the Vice President for Advancement and the Campaign Director;
• Coordinate arrangements for the Vice President; reconciles and processes all travel and expense reimbursement requests;
• Monitor department budgets and expenditures within budget guidelines and participate in the preparation of the fiscal-year budget with the Chief of Staff & Advancement Operations;
• Prepare and compile meeting materials for the Pomona College Board of Trustees and      Board Committees in coordination with the Vice President and Campaign Director;
• Assist the Vice President and Campaign Director in preparing meeting agendas  and divisional record keeping, including maintenance of all confidential records and                 filing systems.
• Organize and coordinate Division-wide staff events and programs (i.e. annual retreat, holiday party, etc.); and
• Welcome visitors with scheduled appointments or meetings.

4. Coordinate clerical tasks:

• Answer telephones calls, responding to inquiries and/or routing callers to the appropriate staff member;
• Process and distribute incoming mail to the appropriate Advancement staff member;
• Process payments, invoices, record payments, and travel expenditures;
• Input confidential donor information in College electronic and hard files;
• Monitor office supplies budgets and order supplies as needed; and
• Monitor office equipment and request repair service as needed.

5. Coordinate special projects and provide assistance as assigned within the Advancement  Division.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Associates degree is required, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Bachelor’s degree in the areas of marketing, fundraising, or  business, or related field is preferred.
• Experience: A minimum of 6 years of office and administrative experience with increasing responsibility as an executive assistant. Experience at an academic institution or advancement office with service to a senior management executive is preferred.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL SKILLS: The Executive Assistant to the Vice  President for Advancement must possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position or be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using other skills and abilities not listed below.

The Executive Assistant for Vice President for Advancement will:

• possess exceptional administrative and organizational abilities; skill in prioritizing and managing multiple tasks; strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills; sound judgment; meticulous attention to detail; and proactive follow-through;
• navigate complex and sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy, taking initiative to address matters appropriately and with a problem-solving mindset;
• effectively communicate in a professional, diplomatic, empathetic and tactful manner using preferred method and level as applicable to the job;
• possess effectiveness and clarity of verbal and written communication with excellent  interpersonal communication and phone manners;
• effectively handle confidential and proprietary information;
• be a highly motivated team player with ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with all levels within and external to the organization;
• work successfully in a multi-cultural environment;
• proactively manage conflicts and communicate updates;
• plan, schedule, organize, and proactively follow up on tasks related to the job to achieve goals within or ahead of established time frames and work independently and take initiative with increasing levels of responsibility;
• have strong technology skills, including spreadsheet, word processing, relational and donor database experience (preferably Salesforce), including database query;