As the University’s largest and most varied academic unit, the College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Science is comprised of artists, learners, performers, scholars, scientists, and teachers, and acts as a central hub where many of the University's disciplines intersect. The Office of the Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences (CAHSS) is the college’s administrative center directly responsible for guiding, coordinating, and applying academic, financial, and human resources policies for 22 departments, programs, schools, and centers housed in CAHSS. Nearly all 6,000 undergraduates at the University take liberal arts courses with us, and about one-third of these students declare a first major in a CAHSS program. Most of our departments, programs and schools offer masters or doctoral programs. CAHSS scholars, artists, instructors, staff, and students collaborate in a shared quest for knowledge about the human condition and the development of skills to improve our local and global communities.
Position Summary
The Executive Assistant provides executive-level administrative support to the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences and plays a central role in supporting the efficiency and effectiveness of the Dean’s Office. The Executive Assistant must be a proactive and highly professional partner and project manager. The Executive Assistant anticipates manages, prioritizes, and facilitates all scheduling, workflow, communications, and special projects in furtherance of the mission of the College. The Executive Assistant will collaborate with the Associate Deans, Directors, and other personnel to prioritize, act on and complete responsibilities in support of meetings, communications, events, and assignments, as well as general office support to ensure smooth functioning of the office. The successful candidate will model and exhibit professionalism, pride, sound judgment, listening, thoroughness, speed, teamwork, attention to detail, and a commitment to respectful, compassionate engagement, inclusion, and customer service.
Essential Functions
- Anticipates, manages, prioritizes, and facilitates the Deans’ calendars, schedules, travel, and workflow (timelines and deadlines), with exceptional accuracy with the goal of advancing the work of the Dean’s office in an efficient, effective and entrepreneurial manner
- Serves as a first point of contact between the College and other departments and units across DU’s campus and off-campus external contacts.
- Coordinates travel schedule and travel booking through official booking platform.
- Maintain Dean’s Office Annual Planning schedule overview for cyclical processes and events.
- Works closely with CAHSS Marketing and Communications and Advancement teams to coordinate Dean presence and speaking responsibilities (including remarks and event briefings) at University and College events, occasionally attending and assisting with events setup.
- Work with CAHSS Advancement and Marketing and Communications team on the development of Dean presentations for groups such as Campaign Council, Alumni Council, and Board of Trustees.
- Facilitate prompt, responsive, clear, and professional communications between the Dean’s office and other constituents, including, without limitation, faculty, staff, students, the Provost’s Office, the Chancellor’s Office, Advancement, other units, alumni, and board or council members.
- Manages assigned listservs/groups, interacts and communicates with a strong degree of judgment, confidentiality and discretion.
- Review, advise and proof any communications to be sent from the Dean.
- Work with CAHSS Marketing and Communications team to identify highlights for monthly note from the Dean, proof draft, and coordinate timely posting.
- Coordinate with Advancement on the dissemination of weekly thank you letters to CAHSS donors.
- Prep agendas, attend, takes notes, and distribute high level recaps for bi-weekly Chairs & Directors meetings.
- Manages the entire life cycle of the annual faculty review process and the faculty promotion, tenure, and midpoint review processes, as well support for faculty searches.
- Manages annual promotion, tenure, and midpoint review processes including collecting names of those up for review, names of final departmental committees, forming divisional committees in alignment with CAHSS composition policies, supporting kick off meetings with divisional committees, finalizing timelines, gathering and preparing documentation, and advising committees in accordance with DU and CAHSS policies. Reviews all dossiers and preps letter recommendation templates for the Dean.
- Manages faculty annual review process including identification of supervisor reporting routes. Works in coordination with Institutional Research to ensure all workflows are set up and implemented in compliance with university and college policy.
- Initial review of requests and accompanying materials for faculty search on-campus interviews.
- Maintains detailed and meticulous records management and maintenance of all CAHSS policies and procedures.
- Collaborates with the Business & Operations team to keep reliable records and work in collaboration with the Dean’s office to assure compliance, including not limited to faculty searches, sabbaticals, contract renewals, faculty promotion and review timelines, departmental Chair and Director terms, retirements and resignations, and retention offers.
- Learns, follows and advises on the University of Denver’s and CAHSS’s policies and procedures.
- Track any changes that need to be made to CAHSS policies and procedures, especially to CAHSS Promotion & Tenure.
- Performs monthly reconciliation and submission of Dean’s expense reports on a monthly basis.
- Draft, update, and maintain org charts and directories as needed.
- Review contracts and MOUs prior to the Dean’s signature.
- Identify and implement improvements to current policies and procedures.
- Manages various operational functions of the Deans’ Office, including acquiring office supplies, maintaining shared printers and work spaces, and assisting with general administrative needs.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- A team player with outstanding interpersonal skills and a professional demeanor; willingness and ability to deal with internal and external constituents in a professional, confidential, friendly, and responsive manner via phone, email, and face-to-face meetings.
- Demonstration of deep consideration for team members and colleagues, including an acute awareness of how their actions and requests impact colleagues and team members.
- Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion and a high degree of integrity with a strong ability to maintain confidentiality and behave in an ethical manner.
- Skilled at adapting and prioritizing the workload according to the evolving priorities of CAHSS and ability to pivot for spontaneously in the pursuit of CAHSS mission and priorities.
- Willing and able to hear and respond to feedback generatively.
- Excellent written, verbal communication and editing/proofreading skills.
- Self-starter, independent with strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
- Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving, with strong decision-making capability.
- Possession of an entrepreneurial spirit, such that new ideas and projects are generated as the initial activities in the portfolio become more efficient. Curiosity is welcomed, passion projects can be generated once the initial tasks are efficiently mastered.
- Ability to attend and support events that may take place after closing time and on weekends. In such cases, work-hour shifting is provided.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
- Three (3) years of relevant administrative, project management, communications, or customer service experience.
- Demonstrated interest and capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, and generating creative solutions in dynamic organizational settings.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous experience in providing administrative support at the executive level.
- Experience in higher education.
- Demonstrated intercultural competencies.
- Five (5) years of progressively responsible administrative and office management experience.
Working Environment
- Standard office environment.
- Noise level is quiet to moderate.
Physical Activities
- Ability to work in front of a computer for an extended period.
- Occasionally required to move about the office/campus
Work Schedule
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. In accordance with the University’s flexible work policy, this position is eligible to be considered for partial remote work. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on the division and team specific needs.
Application Deadline
For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) June 10, 2025.
Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.
Salary Grade Number:
The salary grade for the position is 10.
Salary Range:
The salary range for this position is $62,000-70,000.
The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.
Benefits:
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.
Please include the following documents with your application:
1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.
All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.