Executive Assistant Career Advancement and Community Engagement

Lake Forest College; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Lake Forest College seeks an Executive Assistant for Career Advancement and Community Engagement to provide multifaceted administrative and project support, helping advance student success and strengthen employer and community partnerships.

The role requires coordinating calendars, travel, budgets, event planning, and communications, while developing partnerships with local organizations and managing data, reports, and social media content.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• At least two years of related administrative experience required.
• Experience in higher education or career services preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; able to learn CRM systems and social media platforms.

Responsibilities

• Providing administrative and leadership support for key projects, priorities, and outreach related to Career Advancement and Community Engagement.
• Serving as a project/event/budget manager and point of contact for campus, employers, and community partners to ensure successful execution of priorities.
• Researching and compiling information, reports, and data to support strategic decision-making and programming.
• Assisting in planning, promoting, and coordinating career advancement, networking, and community engagement opportunities for students, alumni, and community partners.
• Helping develop partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions to expand student internship and college engagement opportunities.
• Building and maintaining relationships with campus partners and college stakeholders.
• Representing Lake Forest College values in all communications and interactions.
• Preparing and editing correspondence, meeting agendas, and presentations with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Managing calendars, scheduling meetings, and coordinating travel arrangements.
• Maintaining organized electronic budget and filing systems and processing invoices and expense reports.
• Developing programming, event marketing, and social media content.
• Collaborating with campus and community partner marketing and communications teams to promote events, partnerships, and student success stories.
• Organizing and preparing materials for meetings, conferences, and campus or community events.
• Recording meeting minutes, tracking follow-up actions, and ensuring timely completion of project and priorities.
• Coordinating logistics for events hosted by Career Advancement and Community Engagement teams.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Time management

Self-motivation

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

CRM systems

Social media platforms

Job description

The Executive Assistant for Career Advancement and Community Engagement provides multifaceted administrative and project support in the areas of career advancement and community outreach and engagement. This role helps ensure seamless execution of key projects and priorities that advance the College’s mission to foster student success and strengthen employer partner and community engagement. The Executive Assistant serves as liaison among faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, Trustees, community members, employers, and campus partners, handling sensitive information with discretion and professionalism. The nature of this full-time position will include occasional evening and/or weekend work.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing administrative support and leadership for key projects, priorities, and outreach related to Career Advancement and Community Engagement.
• Serving as a project/event /budget manager and point of contact for campus, employers, and community partners to help ensure successful execution of assigned priorities.
• Researching and compiling information, reports, and data to support strategic decision‑making and programming as it relates to the areas mentioned above.
• Assisting in planning, promoting, and coordinating career advancement, networking, and community engagement opportunities for students, alumni, and community partners.
• Helping develop partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions to expand student internship and college engagement opportunities.
• Building and maintaining relationships with campus partners and college stakeholders (students, alumni, parents, Trustees, employers, and community members).
• Representing Lake Forest College values in all communications and interactions.

Administrative & Operational Support

• Preparing and editing correspondence, contact reports, meeting agendas, and presentations with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Managing calendars, scheduling meetings, and coordinating travel arrangements.
• Maintaining organized electronic budget and filing systems and processing invoices and expense reports.
• Developing programming, event marketing, and social media content.
• Collaborating with campus and community partner marketing and communications teams to promote events, partnerships, and student success stories.

Meeting & Event Coordination

• Organizing and preparing materials for meetings, conferences, and campus or community events.
• Recording meeting minutes, tracking follow‑up actions, and ensuring timely completion of project and priorities.
• Coordinating logistics for events hosted by Career Advancement and Community Engagement teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required.
• At least two years of related administrative experience is required.
• Prior experience in a similar role in higher education and career services or community engagement is preferred.
• Candidates must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, be a self‑starter, have strong organizational, detail‑orientation, and time management skills, and be able to proactively manage multiple tasks and meet assigned deadlines.
• The successful candidate must also be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, and be comfortable learning new software, working with data, CRM systems, and various social media platforms.
• The ability to interact positively and effectively with college stakeholders is an integral part of this role.

Full benefits information including eligibility details is located at: www.lakeforest.edu/offices-and-departments/human-resources/employee-benefits

If you are interested in learning more about employment at Lake Forest College, please visit Working at Lake Forest | Lake Forest College.