Executive Administrator (EA) to the Dean of Academics

Title: Executive Administrator (EA) to the Dean of Academics

Department: Office of the Dean of Academics

Position Type: Full-time, 12-month

Summary

The Executive Administrator (EA) to the Dean of Academics plays a crucial role in supporting the Dean of Academics. By serving as a trusted thought partner, the EA empowers the Dean of Academics to focus on strategic priorities and enhances the overall effectiveness of the Academic Unit, as well as ensures the smooth daily operations of the office of the Dean of Academics. The EA maximizes the effectiveness of the dean's calendar and meeting schedule, communicates on the Dean's behalf, and manages the planning, tracking, and reconciling of all dean's office budgets. Additionally, the EA coordinates several special events, including the annual student awards program, Dean's workshops, and end-of-semester celebration events. The EA also oversees the online syllabi and course evaluation programs, takes notes at meetings, oversees hiring processes for new and visiting faculty, and performs confidential personnel duties.

Who We Are

At our award-winning Early Childhood through grade 12 Principia School in St. Louis, Missouri, and top-ranked Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, Principia faculty and staff make up a close-knit community of educators, coaches, and professionals taking a distinct approach to education-blending academic excellence with Christian Science-based character education. Principia's team of over 500 employees supports not only Principia School and Principia College, but also a worldwide network of Alumni & Friends.

At Principia College, our globally focused curriculum honors diverse perspectives and develops creative changemakers who use their academic skills for good in service to themselves, their communities, and the world. In-depth study meets real-world experience through study abroad programs, internships, capstone projects, and a robust slate of student activities, including a world-renowned mediation team, top-ranked solar car team, and the nation's oldest student-run public affairs conference.

Principia employees are part of an engaging academic community preparing students to be tomorrow's leaders, thinkers, and changemakers. We strive to create a collaborative and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong and are valued.

Primary Responsibilities

Oversees and manages all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Dean of Academics, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in all processes, including:

• Serves as the initial point of contact for the Office of the Dean of Academics to both internal and external constituencies
• Acts as the primary liaison between the office, Center Directors, and HR for hiring and onboarding new and visiting faculty, managing secondary contracts and stipends, and supporting the completion of the faculty annual evaluation process.
• Manages budgets for the dean's office, serving as a proxy on all budgets within the Academic Unit; reviews all budgets monthly for the Dean of Academics; and coordinates budget requests that require a purchase requisition when appropriate
• Manages temporary staff who support the office, including student employees and adult hourly employees
• Tracks due dates and deadlines for dean's office action items; creating/maintaining faculty due dates calendar
• Ensures internal office policies and procedures are current, monitors and maintains the Dean of Academics' internal website so that it is current
• Tracks all hiring paperwork and processes for the academic unit
• Responsible for maintaining accurate faculty lists, files, internal data, and Banner information

Provides executive support to Dean of Academics, including:

• Manages Dean of Academics' calendars and travel arrangements
• Prepares correspondence and campus-wide announcements from the dean, reviews the dean's correspondence, and makes edits and recommendations
• Prepares slide decks and presentations on behalf of the Dean of Academics, for internal and external audiences
• Attends meetings and takes minutes; ensures that deans have necessary documents for meetings
• Coordinates regularly with the EAs for the College President and Chief Executive, and may support the Office of the College President when their EA is unavailable or on leave, as appropriate
• May mentor or support the development of Executive Assistants within the institution, as appropriate

Provides strategic support to Dean of Academics including:

• Serves as strategic thought partner for Dean of Academics, proactively identifying challenges and developing solutions to enhance the effectiveness of the Academic Unit
• Develops and implements processes and procedures for the Academic Unit on behalf of the Dean of Academics, improving Academic Unit effectiveness and efficiency
• Manages the visiting faculty hiring process, including collection of department applications, analysis of course requests across the academic unit, makes recommendation to the Dean of Academics, makes offer to candidates, and coordinates onboarding process with relevant offices
• Supports the Dean of Academics in collaboration with Center Directors in analyzing course needs for the Academic Unit, such as supporting course cancellation process, FTE proposals, and special projects
• Serves as central point of communication between Dean of Academics and members of the Academic Unit
• Prepares agendas for meetings; tracks action items developed in meetings and ensures their timely completion

Manages and executes special projects, ongoing projects, and events, including:

• Plans, coordinates, and implements special events hosted by the Dean of Academics' office
• Collaborates with the President's office on the planning and execution of Fall Convocation and Commencement ceremonies and rehearsals.
• Coordinates special projects (Annenberg scholars, visiting consultants, program reviewers, etc.)
• Manages the College's annual academic calendar approval review/process
• Manages logistics and development of the faculty/academic staff workshops, including any related meeting space reservations, catering, and supporting materials, developing agendas, and coordinating with invited presenters
• Oversees the setup and collection of all syllabi each term through the online syllabi software program
• Creates and manages the administration of the online course evaluation software each term

Oversees and executes annual College Awards Ceremony, which requires up to 20 hours/week during Spring semester and beginning of Summer:

• Coordinates collection of all student and faculty awards
• Manages all awards budgets and collaborates with Advancement staff on any funds and awards that require stewardship
• Executes all aspects of awards ceremony, including scheduling, invitations to awardees and awards donors, developing the ceremony script, ordering awards, etc

Core Competencies

• Accountability & Results Orientation: Manages time and priorities effectively, meets commitments, and consistently delivers high-quality outcomes.
• Communication: Shares information clearly and concisely; listens carefully to others and adjusts communication style for different audiences and situations. Planning/Organizing - Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Develops realistic action plans; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks
• Problem Solving & Judgment: Approaches challenges thoughtfully, considers multiple perspectives, and makes sound, timely decisions that support institutional goals.
• Initiative - Takes independent actions and calculated risks; Looks for and takes advantage of opportunities
• Excellence & Attention to Detail: Produces accurate, polished, and high-quality work; continuously looks for ways to improve systems, processes, and results.
• Interpersonal - Maintains confidentiality; Listens to others without interrupting; Ability to handle unusual situations with poise, sensitivity and intuition
• Continuous Learning & Expertise: Demonstrates mastery in your area of responsibility and seeks opportunities for professional growth and development.

Minimum Qualifications

• Student of Christian Science
• Supportive of Principia's guiding statements as articulated here https://www.principia.edu/about/guiding-statements
• Bachelor's degree, or 3-5 years of related administrative experience
• 6+ years of administrative experience with track record of progressively responsible roles in administrative positions
• Comfortable with managing unanticipated urgent demands with confidentiality and discretion.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage priorities in a fast-paced environment, working independently, using good judgment and creative problem-solving to anticipate and handle issues that arise and may need the dean's attention.
• Demonstrated strong relationship-building skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated organizational and general computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, internet, Outlook email, scheduling, and others; demonstrated ability to learn and work with new software programs

The statements above describe the general nature and level of work but are not a complete list of responsibilities and are subject to change at the discretion of Principia.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a competitive salary range for this position:$66,500 - $79,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

In addition to salary, our comprehensive total rewards package includes:

• Generous Employee Tuition Discount: Enjoy a 90% discount on tuition (pro-rated for part-time staff) for your eligible children enrolled from Pre-K3 through College (infant and acorn programs excluded).
• Relocation: Principia provides a relocation reimbursement of up to 12% of your annual salary when moving from outside a radius of more than 50 miles
• Professional Development: Access to learning opportunities, training programs, and career growth support.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Learn more about all our benefits here, including comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans, paid time off, a 403(b) retirement plan with Principia matching, and more.

Equal Opportunity

Principia, a mission-driven institution, believes every person has the right to an equitable and respectful educational environment and workplace. Principia does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender (identity or expression), sexual orientation, family status, disability, age, or military or veteran status.

In hiring, admissions, and related decisions, Principia-as an institution with a religious mission-gives preference, where appropriate, to Christian Scientists.