Executive Assistant, Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs

Date Posted: March 13, 2025

Posting Deadline: March 28, 2025

Department: Advancement & External Affairs

Type of Employment: Permanent, Full-time

Group Affiliation: APC Group, Group 4 ($52,531 - $67,696 annually)

At Saint Mary's University, you will be surrounded by a talented and dedicated team of professionals committed to accessibility, diversity, and the provision of a positive and supportive learning environment. We recognize the importance of the contribution and growth of each individual in the University's success. We are currently looking to fill the position of Executive Assistant, Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs to join our Advancement & External Affairs team.

What we offer

As a team member at Saint Mary's, we are proud to offer many benefits. Some of these include:

• Competitive compensation
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Defined Contribution Pension plan
• Vacation
• Personal days
• Flexible Workplace
• Professional development
• Holiday closure
• Summer hour schedule
• Employee Transit EPass through Halifax Transit

Job Information and Responsibilities

Under the direction of the Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs (VPAEA), the Executive Assistant, Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs will:

• Liaise between the Vice-President, Advancement & External Affairs, and other University administrators, members of the Board of Governors, public officials, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and other various stakeholders served by the University.
• Coordinate the timely flow of incoming and outgoing communications by receiving, routing, and/or responding to incoming communications; creating new distribution procedures where necessary, and determining the appropriate office, department or institution for outgoing documents.
• Maintain the Vice-President's complex schedule:
• Develop and coordinate a calendar of appointments, meetings, social engagements, and community functions.
• Maintain awareness of emerging issues (both internal and external to the institution) which may have specific calendar implications - develops comfort level with independent decision making in terms of navigating schedule (additions, rescheduling, cancelations).
• Seek avenues to leverage Vice-President's travel schedule (liaising with President, Advancement, Alumni, Recruitment, others).
• Establish weekly and bi-weekly meeting schedule, attends and records minutes for the Advancement Leaders meetings. Oversees distribution of meeting materials, tracks meeting outcomes/action items as appropriate, for completion.
• Develop understanding of Board obligations and works to ensure Vice-President's Board and Advancement Committee obligations are met and objectives are advanced.
• Represent the Office in the absence of the Vice-President, Advancement & External Affairs; keeping the Vice-President accurately informed of university business; working with the Vice-President to ensure that the needs of the university community are met while the Vice President is absent.
• Act in the capacity of on-boarding resource for new staff in the Office Advancement & External Affairs. Beyond the administrative onboarding components, assists incoming staff members in reading and understanding the institutional culture, serving as a confidential advisor and sounding board during the crucial acclimatization period.
• While adhering to established Financial Services' processes, assist with development and organization of the budgets under control of the Vice-President's Office by maintaining budget records, reconciling and verifying vouchers and receipts for accuracy, approving expenditures, and completing budget transfers. Monitors the budget, providing variance reporting, and completes budget reforecasting. Holds and reconciles procurement card for the Office of VPAEA.
• Act as an Ambassador for both the Institution and the Vice-President with internal and external constituencies. Develops independent relationships throughout the University, offices of the Saint Mary's Board of Governors, and with external peers in government, peer institutions, business contacts, alumni, donors and friends of the University.
• Accompany the Vice-President to meetings where a confidential record of the discussion is required; attends meetings and serves on committees as a representative of the Vice-President, as required.
• Maintain the digital and physical record management for the Office of the Vice-President; includes overseeing the filing system, creating files and records as necessary, using judgment and knowledge of office requirements, updating files and records adhering to SMU retention and purging schedules, and retrieving files and documents as needed.

Experience and Education Requirements

To be the successful Executive Assistant, Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs you will have:

• High school graduation + 2 year community college diploma.
• University experience and/or extensive experience in an academic or not-for-profit setting considered an asset.
• Minimum of 5 years progressive experience at senior administrative levels in a fast-paced, complex, highly confidential office environment.
• Proven experience with organizing and prioritizing a demanding workload while meeting deadlines.
• Knowledge of business writing.
• Professional judgment and discretion.
• Excellent computer skills with a high level of proficiency in Microsoft suite of Office software and Outlook.
• Demonstrated communication skills (written and verbal) with the ability to translate information into clear and concise objectives that can be communicated to different audiences within all levels of an organization.
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written.
• Strong editorial skills.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently.

Application Details

Apply for this opportunity online using our online application system through Career Beacon. Click on "Apply Now" and complete all required information fields. Qualified candidates should submit the following with their application:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Three Professional References

Late applications may not receive consideration. We appreciate all applications and note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please.

At Saint Mary's University, equity and diversity are integral to excellence and enrich our community. As an institution committed to fostering an environment of inclusion and respect, we encourage all qualified candidates to apply; however, preference will be given to applicants who self-identify as Black/African Nova Scotians, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons/visible minorities, persons with disabilities and women. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected].