TBR | The College System of Tennessee

Title:  Executive Assistant I, External Affairs

Department: External Affairs

Number of Positions: 1

Classification:  3m – on campus mobile

​·   Non-supervisory roles: three (3) current or former supervisors

​·   Personal references (friends, clergy, customers, relatives) are not considered acceptable references.

Position Summary: The overall purpose of this job is to support the daily operations of the office of the vice president of External Affairs and provide administrative support for the External Affairs division, (Workforce & Community Development, the Foundation, Marketing and Communications, and Career Development). Position is primarily located on the Hardin Valley campus but may be asked to work from other campuses and sites where events are held.

Essential Functions:

                                                                                                                                                            60%Provide daily office administration processes. These duties include: processing payroll, including leave forms for three executive directors; and one director; processing electronic purchase requisitions, petty cash and travel requests/claims for vice president and other External Affairs staff; scheduling meetings and events; campus mail; taking minutes from meetings; tracking and refilling inventory; scanning and filing documents; processing travel requests and post-travel claims; preparing reports and documents using Microsoft Office products; order business cards and nametags for External Affairs employees; maintain employee contact information for division; coordinate activities with the vice presidents and other members of the president’s staff, faculty, staff, students, vendors, and the community; maintain vice president’s appointment calendar; collaborate with other Senior Staff Executive Assistants in the coordination of campus wide and community events; schedule events in 25Live for vice president and other External Affairs staff including required physical and publicity needs; arrange for travel, conferences, and special events or other activities; maintain personnel, financial, statistical and other important/confidential records as needed.

15% Assist in monitoring the budget request and expenditures during the fiscal year for the division

10% Screen and handle all external calls, visits and inquiries to the vice president. Transfer or refer calls as appropriate. Respond to inquiries and requests via phone, email and in person. Handle each contact with appropriate levels of confidentiality and professionalism.

5% Prepare minutes, compose/draft correspondence, and prepare reports, including graphs, as needed.

5% Assist with reviewing and updating policies based upon TBR/THEC policy. Coordinate with division staff and others as needed.

5% Participate in Human Resources professional development series throughout the year and forward.

Note: The College reserves the right to change or reassign job duties, or combine positions at any time.

Key Results Areas: Successful functioning of the office of the vice president of External Affairs; timely processing of purchase requisitions, meeting minutes, travel requests and meeting payroll deadlines. Must be able to function independently and work with co-workers. Must be able to use appropriate judgment, decision-making, and maintain confidentiality.

Job Requirements: 

• An Associate’s degree is required. B.S./B.A. preferred. Certified Administrative Professional certification (CAP) is a plus as is Microsoft certification in Office or specific applications such as Excel. On the job training will be required for college specific software and processes.
• Three years of related professional experience is required. Prior experience in higher education preferred.

Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills - verbal and written
• Ability to effectively communicate with PSCC personnel, including faculty, staff and students
• Ability to effectively communicate with external constituencies.
• Maintain effective interpersonal relationships
• Work as a team member
• Attention to detail
• Takes initiative to get things done without being prompted
• Able to analyze and prioritize tasks
• Ability to stay organized
• Able to complete tasks in a timely manner
• Demonstrates a high degree of emotional intelligence
• Able to work independently
• Produces high quality work
• Keeps errors and mistakes to a minimum, ensuring accuracy and consistency
• Strong customer service skills
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Possesses a willingness to adapt
• Ability to relate to students
• Ability to collaborate with other administrative units to create an environment conducive to institutional success
• Work as a team member
• Ability to engage in the College’s mission and values

Part-time work experience is calculated at 50% credit of full-time work experience.

Complexity & Creativity:

The Executive Assistant relies on the College’s and TBR’s documented policies and procedures as needed. A reasonable amount of analytical, technical and creative thinking skills is necessary when considering departmental staff needs. Steps are taken with little to no supervision to improve the work environment in regard to general office flow. Technical proficiency is maintained by attendance of software trainings and other professional development opportunities. It can be very time consuming to schedule meetings where conflicts can mean managing multiple priorities in creative ways.

Must have good interpersonal skills and the desire and ability to interact well with coworkers, students, and the public. Strong communication skills in working with business and industry partners, with a general understanding of workforce and community needs. It is also important to be professional, diplomatic and discreet as the position has access to personal and confidential information that may not be shared.

Must be able to show attention to detail. Must have strong written and spoken communications skills and be able to write grammatically correct communiqués such as email messages, meeting minutes, and letters. Must be extremely proficient in Microsoft Office – primarily Word, Excel, and Outlook, especially including creating and editing graphs, creating, formatting and editing spreadsheets and sharing documents via Office 365.  Must understand database concepts. Must be willing and able to learn other software based/online systems for scheduling rooms, ordering equipment and materials and reporting. Must be able to operate a multi-line phone, copier, calculator, fax machine and scanner.  Must be able to adapt to and master new technologies. Must be able to use Self-Service Banner (student database).

This position requires someone who must be able to independently prioritize and organize work including maintain multiple calendars and schedules; working with multiple distractions and interruptions; taking accurate messages and meeting minutes; adapting to new technologies and processes.

This position also must be aware of applicable higher education and other federal and state regulations such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), and others.

Magnitude of Impact:

The employee is part of the front line of the External Affairs division and can be the first person someone will meet when coming to the college. As a college employee, the decision to listen carefully to our students and co-workers is an important decision. The next step is to make every effort to provide them with the requested information, an answer to a question, or to get them directed to a department that can help them. It is important to be knowledgeable about the college and it is not easy as things are constantly changing.  It serves our mission, goals, and objectives to serve through excellent customer service.  A positive and caring attitude reflects well on the College. Being treated with respect and courteous by a knowledgeable and helpful employee has a significant impact on the college’s success.

From an office management perspective, the decisions in maintaining the calendar from the office of the VP for External Affairs and in ordering and tracking items, and monitoring the budget can have a very positive or a very deleterious on the college to the extent that they are or are not well executed.

Responsibility for Accuracy:

Common errors include those in a typical office setting: a typo in a document or report, misinforming someone due to an information or procedural change that we might not be aware of, leaving someone off a distribution list, or an email, a calendar schedule error, and transposing telephone numbers. There is a high likelihood that the error will be caught by proofing and double-checking with the vice president or other External Affairs employee(s). Work is verified as needed.

Financial Impact: The employee is responsible for office material assets including office computer(s), printers, monitors, phone, scanner, etc. Additionally, late or inaccurate reporting to Human Resources or Payroll can affect the processing of faculty/staff payroll, such as misplacing a contract or not processing intent to hire paperwork.

Budgetary: The employee does not have budget authority but will use budget tracking and purchasing software to assist in the tracking of various budgetary accounts under the office of External Affairs.

Judgement and Decisions: The employee operates independently to manage office and set-up for efficiency; to maintain the office’s calendar, subject to final approval from the VP. Coordinate with External Affairs direct reports in regards to office calendars. The employee operates independently, contacting numerous constituencies to track and verify contracts and expenditures as needed.

Nature of Contacts: The employee has contact with the president and the president’s office, with the other vice president’s and their offices, with purchasing, human resources, all other divisions/departments and their respective staff members in the college; Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR staff), State of Tennessee auditors, outside vendors and community members. The contact is frequently to provide or get information to coordinate meetings, conferences, webinars, purchase orders, travel requests, leave requests, etc. Will be required to travel to and work with other Campus personnel.

Physical Demands: Much of the work requires sitting in front of a computer and using the hands and fingers to type or use a computer mouse. Also, required to travel between buildings on campus. There may be infrequent travel including driving PSCC vehicles for training and conferences. Must be able to detect incorrect computation on paper and computer, detect color in Excel spreadsheets and other reports; making color copies; detect originals from copies. The employee must be able to prepare reports in Excel including graphics. This position involves extended periods of time viewing a computer screen. when communicating with students, other employees and faculty to answer their questions, to prepare minutes and to listen to audio training from computer. Occasional physical expectations such as moving tables, chairs, etc in setup of meetings and events.

Hazards: Typical office risk of paper cuts, minor scrapes and bruises. Eye strain resulting from visual demands. Neck and back strain from extended desk work and stress. Carpal Tunnel and other repetitive motion disorders are potential risks are high due to extensive repetitive motions.

Full-time Employment Benefits:

• Insurance Options: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Short/Long-term Disability, FSA/HSA 
• Wellness Incentive Program, if enrolled in health plan
• Educational Assistance: Fee Waiver, Spouse/Dependent discounts, Audit/Non-Credit, Reimbursement Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Retirement Options: Tennessee traditional pension plan option (TCRS), 401k with $100 company match, 457, 403b
• Employee Discount program with over 900+ companies
• 14 Paid Holidays/Year Includes paid days off the last week of December
• Sick Leave Bank
• Longevity Pay
• Many opportunities for professional development

Special Instructions to Applicants: To be considered for a position at Pellissippi State, you must create an on-line application. Your skills, abilities, qualifications, and years of experience will be evaluated using only what is recorded on your application. Work experience that is not listed on the application will not be considered towards compensation. Please note: attaching a resume does not substitute for completion of the application form. Part-time work experience is calculated at 50% of full-time experience. Please note: to scan, upload, or attach documents, a computer and scanner are available at the Hardin Valley Campus Educational Resources Center, if needed.

Pellissippi State Community College is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA employer

If you have any problems or questions please contact Human Resources at Pellissippi State Community College’s Human Resource Office at 865-694-6607 or by email at recruiting@pstcc.edu.

If you are interested in this position, click on Apply located below or Apply Now in the upper right-hand corner. 

#mrp