Salary Grade VI

General Description

With latitude for independent judgment, initiative and decision-making, serves as executive secretary or assistant to a high level college official, usually a member of the President’s cabinet, in a highly responsible, confidential, administrative capacity. Is responsible for general oversight and management of a college official’s office and daily schedule, including critical liaison with other offices and departments and oversight of subordinate staff. May provide oversight and direction on a broad range of projects and services. (Minimum standard 50-55 wpm)

Essential Job Functions

Examples of typical tasks and responsibilities (this list is not meant to include all possible assignments in this title group):

• Establishes specific priorities for departmental activities based on the college official’s guidance and intent.
• Uses discretion to evaluate and resolve matters referred to the college official’s office.
• Maintains calendar and briefs and prepares the college official for the day-to-day activities.
• Screens all guests, phone calls and correspondence, determining nature of visit or inquiry providing guidance on protocol or process and deciding priorities and access.
• Prepares replies, initiates action and determines priorities on matters not specifically requiring the attention of the college official.
• Assists the college official in the preparation and dissemination of information relating to the administration and management of the department or area.
• Researches and prepares background materials for meetings and for the college official’s review.
• Develops processes to improve and streamline administrative operations.
• Maintains/monitors all the financial accounts for the office of the college official including purchasing, bill payments and reimbursements.
• Coordinates calendars and meetings for the college official and other executive staff members.
• Assists in the preparation of reports and presentations.
• Coordinates all travel schedules and arrangements.
• Oversees production of minutes of various committee meetings.
• Provides assistance and responds to verbal and written requests for information.
• Attends meetings.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A high school diploma or its equivalent (e.g., GED).
• Seven (7) years of work experience in the required field for the specific work area or a closely related equivalent field.
• Demonstration of the specific core competencies indicated for this title and level.
• Technical skills as indicated for this title and assignment level.

College credits, in a matriculated course of study from an accredited institution, may be substituted for work experience.

A department with an assignment necessitating special requirements, with the approval of Human Resources, can request higher educational requirements.

Core Competencies

Communication

• Communicates well both verbally and in writing; uses technology effectively in communicating.
• Communicates in a style appropriate to the college and consistent with its mission.
• Listens effectively; gives and accepts feedback in a constructive manner.
• Demonstrates respect in all communications for the diversity of all internal and external customers.
• Handles more unique or difficult inquiries seeking solutions that involve a thorough knowledge of the policies or regulations of the department or college.
• Assesses situations using precedence and is skillfully flexible in responding.
• Redirects conversations to other departments or professional staff when appropriate.
• Prepares and submits complex written reports or correspondence for both internal and external customers.
• Models respect for diversity in all communication.
• Honors commitments made to customers and assists lower level staff in being responsible to customer expectations.

Interpersonal

• Willing to help and assist others.
• Respects others, especially those who are of different backgrounds, and self.
• Exhibits a positive, friendly and open attitude.
• Works as part of a team; seeks to include diverse opinions and views.
• Handles conflict appropriately; able to disagree without hostility.
• Shares information and ideas; gives others credit when due.
• Accepts accountability for own actions and promotes accountability of others.
• Applies appreciation of differing skills in assigning duties to lower level staff.
• Applies appreciation of diversity in forming an office project team;
• Leads projects to successful conclusion by integrating the contributions of others.
• Creates in others a commitment to shared success for the team.
• Identifies professional development opportunities that would be useful for lower level staff.
• Remains effective under stressful conditions.
• Maintains confidentiality as appropriate.
• Acknowledged by others for the guidance provided; organizes the public acknowledgment of others.
• Confronts interpersonal differences with respect; avoids blaming others.
• Formulates agreements with others to solve problems and lives up to commitments made to others.

Institutional Know-How

• Committed to the mission and values of the college and the goals of the unit.
• Knows and follows policies and procedures.
• Knows where or how to find information.
• Respects others as resources and uses their time carefully.
• Develops a network of internal contacts.
• Serves as a resource to others about policies, procedures, and precedents.
• Keeps others informed.
• Considers the interconnectedness of the various college offices and systems in balancing efforts to achieve the unit’s goals.
• Can articulate the unit’s policies and procedures and explain how they intersect with other areas of the college.
• Takes the initiative to follow up on referrals to other units in order to assure appropriate services have been rendered and to maintain good relations with other offices.
• Understands the impact of individual performance of support staff on institutional outcomes.
• Represents and conducts the business of the college in accordance with all rules, regulations and mandates.
• Trains lower level staff in institutional processes and techniques for maneuvering through the system.

Customer Service

• Gives high priority to customer concerns.
• Engages the customer and anticipates needs.
• Takes initiative on behalf of customer and provides customer options.
• Is flexible and service-oriented.
• Attends to details.
• Apologizes when appropriate and accepts responsibility on behalf of the
• college.
• Provides individualized service to the unique needs of the customer.
• Prioritizes customer needs, develops long-range solutions
• Willing to extend oneself on behalf of customers.
• Escalates problems to a supervisor if special consideration is warranted.
• Proactive, follows up to ensure needs were met.
• Establishes mechanism to correct incidents of poor service.
• Strives to create a customer-oriented culture among support staff.
• Assists professional staff and supervisor in reinforcing customer culture.

Knowledge Base

• Stays current in knowledge of field.
• Maintains technical skills and know-how necessary to perform job duties.
• Applies knowledge and skills to tasks.
• Seeks to acquire mastery of new responsibilities; adapts to changes.
• Organizes and plans work methodically; can explain to others clearly.
• Pays attention to details; knows precedents and anticipates issues.
• Can handle multiple tasks with clarity about stages of completion for each.
• Readily serves as a resource to others, providing information and techniques.
• Imparts knowledge to coworkers to provide effective and efficient service on behalf of the department/college.
• Ensures all support staff are made aware of changes in forms, procedures, etc. affecting their work; monitors changes to ensure quality.
• Follows up with customers who report receiving incorrect information;
• Recommends corrections in printed handouts and other documents/information shared with customers.
• Consistently seeks ways to improve; leads other support staff in acquiring skills.
• Admits knowledge gaps and seeks assistance without being defensive.
• Alerts supervisors to time sensitive directives and/or notices of changes in policies.

Work Ethics/Professionalism

• Behaves in accordance with all college rules and regulations.
• Demonstrates pride in quality of work.
• Follows up on commitments; keeps agreements and promises.
• Notifies key people of important issues or changes in situations affecting work.
• Increasingly accountable; develops ownership of work.
• Trustworthy; exhibits both the skills and the sincerity to do the job.
• Shows keen interest in the quality of work done by lower level staff and by self; seeks and provides feedback on request; available to others.
• Shares information with other support staff related to best practices in higher education affecting the work of the unit.
• Can be counted on in difficult situations or during peak times to provide stable, thorough work and extra effort as needed.
• Viewed as role model by others.

Problem Solving/Reasoning

• Analyzes information and breaks it down to identify problems and determine solutions.
• Pays attention to details and thinks things through before acting.
• Recognizes errors and makes corrections or informs appropriate others.
• Uses reasoning to make decisions based on college-wide impact rather than simply on self/unit/division perspective.
• Sees the context of written information and spots irrelevant and extraneous information; offers suggestions for corrections or improvements.
• Organizes and reorganizes information in a fashion that is easily accessible.
• Handles and solves complex and exceptional problems without supervision; seeks assistance when needed.
• Exercises sound judgment in resolving problems and in advising lower level staff.
• Assists lower level staff with work by guiding them through a thinking process that encourages them to acquire better reasoning/problem solving skills.
• Anticipates future consequences and adjusts actions accordingly; thinks in the future as well as the present.

Technical Competencies

• Highly skilled at utilizing all office machines and trains others in use and maintenance.
• May be designated key operator for printers, copy machines, etc.
• Proficient skill using a personal computer
• Thorough understanding of how to use major software and operating systems
  • Knowledge and use system functions (e.g., Windows)
• Highly skilled at using the college’s administrative information systems.
• Highly skilled at word processing
  • Understand document mapping
  • Edit documents, tracking changes; showing both new and stricken materials in drafts
  • Comparing two documents side by side
• Recommends document and data security protocols; reviews security compliance by lower staff
• Recommends software improvements, shortcuts, or other productivity saving uses; assists others in mastering changing software packages.
• Using a master document
  • Develops and applies online forms
  • Footnotes and endnotes
  • Creates special effects (e.g., text boxes, watermarks, etc.)
• Skilled utilizing spreadsheet software
  • Imports and formats data
  • Links files or tables within files
  • Integrates spreadsheets into text files as parts of reports
  • Write moderately complex calculations (e.g., formulas using more than one function such as averages, percentages, etc.)
• Skilled at using database software
  • Creates and accesses databases
  • Sorts and queries data
  • Formats and generates reports
• Skilled at using PowerPoint
  • Formats slide presentations working from draft materials
  • Imports clip art and tables into presentations
  • Skilled at applying color and sound per instructions of supervisor
• Designs organization charts
• Prints meeting notes and slides
• In offices where this need exists, creates web pages
  • Creates tables of content
  • Creates and uses templates