Job Details

Senior Assistant to the Associate Vice President and Founding Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title
Senior Assistant to the Associate Vice President and Founding Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships

Job Profile Title
Staff Assistant C

Job Description Summary
The Senior Assistant to the Associate Vice President and Founding Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships has primary responsibility for providing high-level administrative support to the Barbara and Edward Netter Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and plays a central and critical role in ensuring the smooth and efficient functioning of the Director's schedule, travel, and communications. The Senior Assistant also works with the Director, Associate and Assistants Directors, and key program directors to ensure a high level of support and excellent customer service are offered across a wide range of internal and external constituents.

Job Description

Founded in 1992, the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships is the University's primary vehicle for advancing civic and community engagement at Penn. It brings together the resources and assets of both the University and the wider community to help solve universal problems such as poverty, health inequities, environmental sustainability, and inadequate, unequal education as they are manifested in the University's local geographic area of West Philadelphia and Philadelphia at large. The Netter Center develops and helps implement democratic, mutually transformative, place-based partnerships between Penn and West Philadelphia that advance research, teaching, learning, and service. These partnerships help improve the quality of life on campus and in the community. The Netter Center works with and serves as a model for other higher education institutions across the United States and around the world. The Barbara and Edward Netter Director of the Netter Center provides intellectual and administrative leadership overseeing the Netter Center's work across campus, with the West Philadelphia community, nationally and globally.

The Senior Assistant to the Director has primary responsibility for providing high-level administrative support to the Barbara and Edward Netter Center and plays a central and critical role in ensuring the smooth and efficient functioning of the Director's schedule, travel, and communications. The Senior Assistant also works with the Director, Associate and Assistants Directors, and key program directors to ensure a high level of support and excellent customer service are offered across a wide range of internal and external constituents.

Duties include:

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Netter Center director. Manage tickler file and bring timely issues to the Director with ample time to manage each request. Conduct background research and compile data, statistics and other necessary information. Maintain records and manage Director's mail.
• Manage short- and long-term calendar planning, exercising considerable independent judgment about multiple demands on the Director's time and coordinating planning among the executive assistants of Penn leadership, as well as community, national, and global partners. Troubleshoot and resolve scheduling conflicts and communicate final schedule to the Director. Compile background material for meetings in a timely manner.
• Manage travel arrangements for Director and Associate Directors; act as liaison to coordinate and confirm itineraries and communicate the information to all necessary parties; prepare financial forms and reconcile statements related to reimbursements.
• Assist internal and external constituents with phone and written inquiries on behalf of Director, Associate Directors, and Assistant Director. Address issues requiring the Director's direct attention and re-direct others that can be addressed or facilitated by others on the Director's behalf. Follow up with all responsible parties to ensure resolution of inquiries.
• Assist the Assistant Director with office management and administrative operations. Suggest improvements to existing processes and procedures and take charge of implementing improvements as necessary in coordination with the Assistant Director.
• Assist director with academic work, including course materials, speeches, scholarly writing, CV, and archives. Draft letters and other short texts for the Director in a manner consistent with tone and messaging of overall routine correspondence; independently prepare a wide range of documents.
• Coordinate special projects, meetings, and events. Examples include including Netter Center faculty, national, and community advisory board meetings, as well as meetings of Provost-Netter Center faculty and student fellowship programs and award ceremonies.
• Provide back-up support for other office functions as needed.

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree and 2 to 3 years of progressively responsible experience in executive assistant or comparable administrative positions or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. 5 to 7 years of experience is strongly preferred. Experience in support of senior-level academic leadership preferred.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a close-working team in a fast-paced, executive-level setting requiring initiative, strong organization, flexibility, and the prioritization of multiple demands. Thorough knowledge of office procedures. Ability to take broad view of existing procedures to determine what is working efficiently and what issues need attention and to implement improvements. Supervisory experience preferred.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills and customer service. Strong attention to detail. Problem-solving mentality. Ability to exercise diplomacy, tact, and judgment in interacting with a wide range of constituents at varying levels of an organization. Demonstrated experience in handling confidential information with discretion.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Outlook calendar programs required. Ability to query databases and use web content management systems preferred. Willingness to learn and apply new technologies as needed.
• Knowledge of Penn or experience in a university setting strongly preferred.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range
$55,962.00 - $75,000.00 Annual Rate