Executive Assistant to the Interim Executive Director and Sr. Associate Vice President, Learning Innovation

Colorado State University; United States; On-site; USD 64,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Colorado State University is seeking an Executive Assistant to the Interim Executive Director and Sr. Associate Vice President, Learning Innovation.

This role partners with leadership to manage calendars, travel, and communications, ensuring clarity and operational flow across CSU’s evolving division. The position emphasizes discretion, timely decisions, and high-level administrative support in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or HS diploma with 5 years related work experience.
• 3+ years of professional experience providing executive, senior administrative, operational, or high-level office support.
• Ability to manage complex calendars, competing priorities, confidential information, and time-sensitive work with accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, warmly, and professionally with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, calendar management, document preparation, presentation support, spreadsheets, and collaborative platforms.
• Discretion, sound judgment, initiative, follow-through, and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage the leader’s calendar, commitments, travel, and daily workflow to support effective leadership and alignment with priorities.
• Prepare the leader for meetings by coordinating agendas, briefing materials, background information, correspondence, presentations, and follow-up actions.
• Serve as a professional point of contact for the Division of Learning Innovation with stakeholders.
• Draft and organize executive communications, meeting notes, correspondence, and materials reflecting division voice and professionalism.
• Support strategic initiatives, leadership meetings, retreats, governance, and onboarding by tracking timelines and deliverables.
• Maintain executive office systems, shared calendars, records, and planning tools to promote clarity and continuity.
• Anticipate needs, reduce friction, and create a calm executive office experience for divisions and partners.
• Build relationships across division, colleges, administrative units, and external partners to support coordination and service excellence.
• Supervise student employees or project-based support as assigned.

Skills

Calendar management

Communication

Discretion

Microsoft Office Suite

Time management

Executive support

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The Executive Assistant to the Interim Executive Director and Sr. Associate Vice President, Learning Innovation serves as a trusted executive partner in a new, university-wide division designed to expand access, strengthen learner success, and advance the future of teaching and learning at Colorado State University. This position helps create the rhythm, clarity, and operational flow that enable the Interim Executive Director/Sr. Associate Vice President to lead effectively across a complex ecosystem of university partners, divisional teams, external stakeholders, and strategic initiatives. The Division of Learning Innovation connects CSU's academic excellence, workforce relevance, and land-grant mission to learners across Colorado, the nation, and the world. Through CSU Online, Professional and Continuing Education, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Learning Innovation for Extension Programs, the division designs and supports high-quality learning experiences across the learner lifecycle, from open learning and noncredit credentials to degree pathways and workforce-aligned programs. Reporting to the Interim Executive Director/Sr. Associate Vice President, this position provides high-level, confidential executive support, including calendar and priority management, executive communications, meeting preparation, travel coordination, stakeholder engagement, and strategic administrative support. The Executive Assistant anticipates needs, protects time and focus, brings order to complexity, and helps ensure that the leader’s attention is aligned with the highest-impact priorities of the division and university. This position requires exceptional professionalism, discretion, service orientation, judgment, communication, and follow-through. Success in this role does not require prior higher education experience; it requires the ability to support a senior leader in a fast-moving, high-touch, mission-driven environment where relationships, details, timing, and trust matter deeply. This position is based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Regular on-site presence is expected to support executive operations, leadership engagement, and divisional coordination. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required. For full consideration, all materials must be RECEIVED no later than 11:59 PM Mountain Time on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.

Essential Job Duties

• Executive Support & Priority Management: Manage and strategically prioritize the leader’s calendar, commitments, travel, and daily workflow to support effective leadership, timely decision-making, and alignment with divisional and institutional priorities.
• Prepare the leader for meetings, events, and engagements by coordinating agendas, briefing materials, background information, correspondence, presentations, and follow-up actions.
• Executive Communications & Relationship Coordination: Serve as a professional and trusted point of contact for the Division of Learning Innovation, exercising sound judgment, discretion, warmth, and responsiveness in interactions with university leaders, divisional staff, faculty, learners, external partners, and community stakeholders.
• Draft, coordinate, proofread, and organize executive communications, meeting notes, correspondence, and materials that reflect the voice, priorities, and professionalism of the Division of Learning Innovation.
• Strategic Coordination & Divisional Operations: Support strategic initiatives, leadership meetings, retreats, governance activities, searches, onboarding processes, and special projects by tracking timelines, deliverables, decisions, and next steps.
• Maintain executive office systems, shared calendars, records, contact lists, planning tools, and administrative processes that promote clarity, continuity, and operational excellence.
• Service Experience & Operational Excellence: Anticipate needs, reduce friction, solve problems, and create a calm, organized, and welcoming executive office experience for those engaging with the leader and the Division of Learning Innovation.
• Build strong working relationships across the division, colleges, administrative units, and external partners to support coordination, collaboration, responsiveness, and service excellence.
• Supervision: This position does not supervise full-time employees. The position may coordinate the work of student employees, temporary staff, or project-based support as assigned.

Conditions of Employment

• Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for all new hires).
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.
• Regular on-site presence in Fort Collins, Colorado is expected.
• Occasional flexible work hours, including evenings and weekends, may be required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, OR High School Diploma (or GED) plus 5 years related work experience will be considered for degree equivalency.
• 3+ years of professional experience providing executive, senior administrative, operational, project coordination, client service, or high-level office support.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex calendars, competing priorities, confidential information, and time-sensitive work with accuracy and professionalism.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, warmly, and professionally with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite or comparable productivity tools, including calendar management, document preparation, presentation support, spreadsheets, and collaborative platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion, sound judgment, initiative, follow-through, and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a senior leader, executive office, board, owner, principal, cabinet-level leader, or high-visibility leadership role in a complex organization.
• Experience creating a polished, responsive, and high-quality experience for executives, clients, guests, partners, community members, or other key stakeholders.
• Experience managing logistics, events, meetings, travel, communications, executive briefings, or special projects where timing, relationships, and details are critical.
• Ability to anticipate needs, bring order to ambiguity, solve problems proactively, and create systems that help leaders and teams operate with greater clarity and effectiveness.
• Experience working in a mission-driven, service-centered, public-facing, entrepreneurial, or operationally complex environment.
• Interest in contributing to the growth, culture, and impact of a new division focused on access, learner success, innovation, and the future of higher education.

Salary Range

$64,000 - $80,000

Employee Benefits

Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it's a thriving community that is transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact. Review our detailed benefits information. Explore the additional perks of working at CSU. For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our compensation calculator.

Background Check Policy Statement

Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.

EEO

Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Inspired by its land-grant heritage, Colorado State University is committed to excellence and engagement, setting the standard for public research universities in teaching, research, service and extension for the benefit of the citizens of Colorado, the United States, and the world.

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