Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

Provides general administrative support for the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity and direct administrative support to the Executive Director of the Center. Position ensures that the Center and the Director’s goals are met in a timely fashion, and coordinates with faculty, staff, and graduate students about financial, payroll, and administrative matters of the Center. Amongst other duties as assigned, this position will take notes and provide meeting minutes, keep the ED’s calendar, compile dossiers, and keep the ED’s deadlines for all activities.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Assistant to the Executive Director

• Work directly with the ED to support all aspects of his daily work routine.
• Stay informed about the work of CRE2 and the ED to be able to anticipate areas where the ED will need administrative support.
• Prepare documents and briefings for the ED’s upcoming meetings and appearances.
• Maintain the ED’s calendar, including scheduling meetings, appointments, speaking engagements, and meetings of the various boards on which he sits; exercise discretion in committing the ED’s time and evaluating and prioritizing needs.
• Make arrangements for the ED’s travel (will include domestic and international).
• Communicate and work effectively in support of the ED with the staff and leadership of other WashU administrative responsibilities he leads (e.g., Academic Leadership Institute, the James Baldwin Review, the “New Black Studies” Book Series at U Illinois Press, the Chancellor’s Office, etc.)
• Assist the ED in the development of presentations and white papers for internal and external audiences.
• Determine priority of matters of attention for the ED; redirect matters to appropriate staff to handle, or handle matters personally, as appropriate.
• Keep the ED advised of time-sensitive and priority issues, ensuring appropriate follow-up.
• Compose and prepare letters relating to email and routine correspondence for the EDs signature.
• Process expense reports for the ED.
• Ensuring that the ED (and Center staff) are kept aware of upcoming commitments.

Center Support Management

• Responsible for main administrative processes for the Center.
• Serve as a liaison between schools and departments. This includes receiving and screening the Center’s phone calls and visitors, answering a variety of questions with tact and diplomacy, taking messages, and directing calls appropriately for resolution.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for the Center
• Organize and prepare for meetings, including gathering documents and attending to logistics of meetings
• Handle printing, faxing, mail/overnight packages, copying, filing, and email/messages.
• Sort and triage mail; maintain Center e-mail and other address directories.
• Schedule departmental meetings; assist in the preparation and distribution of meeting agendas and materials.
• Transcribe source material, prepare documents, reports, tables and charts; distribute as appropriate.
• Prepare, reconcile, and submit expense reports.
• Maintain electronic filing systems with backups (and paper files where necessary).
• Maintain confidential and sensitive information.
• Attend meetings and take notes of discussion; prepare the initial draft of minutes and summaries.
• Order supplies for the office.
• Coordinate any facilities needs for the office.
• Prepare and review the documentation necessary to initiate reimbursements for travel and expenses.
• Organize and manage Center related travel.
• Assess/evaluate the need and purchase of office equipment.
• Maintain inventory and asset management data.
• Coordinates and performs daily tasks to ensure functioning of the office.
• Assists with monitoring expenditures, performs online systems entry of documents or data involving accounts payable, purchasing, budgeting, etc.; may approve financial documents such as check requests, journals, purchase orders, travel documents, etc in Workday.

Working Conditions:
Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment
• Ability to travel to various on- and off-campus locations

Physical Effort

• Typically working at desk or table
• Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement
• Occasional lifting (25 lbs or less)

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive