Executive Assistant, CSEi

Department

Climate Systems Engineering Administration

About the Department

The University of Chicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth (ICSG) is a groundbreaking effort uniting faculty from across the University to advance society’s understanding of our energy and climate future. The Institute combines faculty insights in energy markets and policy, climate systems engineering, and energy technology to produce world-changing ideas while also investing in the next generation of energy and climate thinkers, leaders, and innovators through novel educational programs

Job Summary

The CSEi seeks a highly skilled Executive Assistant to independently manage advanced and diversified administrative responsibilities in support of CSEi Director, Professor David Keith. This role involves creating structures to organize and coordinate high-profile deliverables. The individual will oversee office operations to advance the objectives of the CSEi and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, driving outcomes that influence the broader University community. The position requires managing complex administrative tasks and projects with minimal supervision, balancing competing priorities and tight deadlines. A successful candidate will demonstrate initiative, adaptability, problem-solving abilities, and meticulous attention to detail, as well as proficiency in technical tools and strong interpersonal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a trusted advisor and project manager for the executive, taking ownership of tasks, ensuring alignment with initiative priorities, and driving projects to completion.
• Proactively relieves the executive of as much administrative detail as possible.
• Works to support notetaking, documents, tasks and email management using sophisticated software tools.
• Manages the executive’s complex and highly dynamic calendars.
• Drafts, reviews and edits high-level communications and publications for internal and external audiences, ensuring they reflect the executive’s voice.
• Conducts in-depth research and prepares data-driven reports and memos.
• Manages complex travel plans.
• Functions as the primary point of contact for the executive’s office, handling sensitive and complex inquiries with professionalism and discretion.
• Exercises independent judgment in resolving challenges, escalating issues only when necessary, and maintaining strict confidentiality across personnel, financial, and strategic matters.
• Anticipates the executive’s needs and proactively address potential issues, ensuring seamless and efficient operations.
• Provides confidential and high-level administrative support for a leader. Stays informed of activities relating to University programs and initiatives, apprising the leader of issues when deemed necessary. Coordinates information flow from leader's office to University. May staff Board of Directors meetings. Relieves leaders of administrative responsibilities.
• Coordinates special projects as directed by the leader. Prepares write ups for recommendations for operational and administrative problems. May manage a portion of the leader's budget, monitoring and reconciling accounts. Prepares financial and/or administrative reports.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include vocational training, apprenticeships or the equivalent experience in related field (not typically required to have a four-year degree).

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years assisting a C-suite executive, ideally in an entrepreneurial or start-up, fast-paced environment.
• Background working in an entrepreneurial academic unit, complex research institution, or technical business setting with a start-up, fast-paced environment.
• Extensive calendar management and complex travel arrangement experience.
• Coordinating in-person and virtual meetings.
• Composing written business communications and editing and proofreading material written by others.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Unusually strong technical experience evidenced by proficiency in common office software applications, such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, Box/Google Docs as well as notetaking, task, and data management applications such as OneNote, ToDoist and Obsidian.
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