Executive Assistant to the President

University of New Mexico; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

University of New Mexico in Albuquerque seeks an experienced Executive Assistant to the President’s Office. You will manage the President’s calendar, travel, and executive workflow, coordinating with the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff, and collaborating with leaders, faculty, students, alumni, donors, and officials.

You will anticipate needs, exercise sound judgment, and build trusted relationships across a large, diverse university environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; at least 5 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.
• Completed degrees above minimum education may substitute for experience on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Manage the President's complex calendar, travel, and executive workflow.
• Evaluate requests for meetings, events, and engagements to maximize effectiveness.
• Anticipate deadlines and commitments; adjust priorities accordingly.
• Prepare briefing materials, agendas, talking points, and background information.
• Track decisions, commitments, and action items with follow-up and accountability.
• Serve as a liaison among the President, executive leadership, Board of Regents, faculty, staff, students, and external partners.
• Draft and coordinate executive correspondence with professionalism and discretion.
• Handle highly confidential matters with integrity and diplomacy.

Skills

Executive support

Calendar management

Travel coordination

Communication

Microsoft 365

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft 365

Outlook

Teams

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Position Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join the President's Office team as we welcome UNM's new President, Dr. Steven Goldstein. As one of the President's key operational partners, the Executive Assistant plays a pivotal role by managing daily priorities, commitments, and workflow, ensuring that the President's time and attention remain focused on the issues that matter most.

Working closely with the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant will collaborate with executive leaders, faculty, students, alumni, elected officials, donors, and community partners. Success in this role requires exceptional judgment, political awareness, professionalism, and the ability to anticipate needs before they arise.

The ideal candidate is an experienced executive support professional who combines exceptional organizational ability with strategic thinking, sound judgment, and outstanding interpersonal skills. They are comfortable navigating ambiguity, anticipating executive needs, and building trusted relationships across a diverse and complex organization.

If you thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy solving complex organizational challenges, and are motivated by helping visionary leaders succeed, we encourage you to apply.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the President's complex calendar, travel, and executive workflow while balancing competing needs in a dynamic environment.
• Evaluate requests for presidential meetings, events, communications, and engagements, exercising sound judgment to maximize the President's effectiveness and institutional impact.
• Anticipate emerging issues, deadlines, and commitments, proactively adjusting priorities and ensuring the President is prepared to respond.
• Coordinate comprehensive briefing materials, agendas, talking points, and background information for meetings, travel, public appearances, and key decisions.
• Track presidential decisions, commitments, and action items, ensuring timely follow-up and accountability across the institution.
• Serve as a trusted liaison among the President, executive leadership, the Board of Regents, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders.
• Draft and coordinate executive correspondence and communications with professionalism, accuracy, and discretion.
• Handle highly confidential matters with exceptional integrity, diplomacy, and sound judgment.

Conditions of Employment

Position may require attendance at evening, weekend, and off-campus events. May require travel on behalf of the President's Office.

Employees in this job title are subject to the terms and conditions of an employment contract. Employment contracts are typically subject to review and renewal on an annual basis.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree; at least 5 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing executive-level support to a president, vice president, or other senior organizational leader.
• Experience working in higher education.
• Demonstrated success managing highly complex executive calendars and rapidly changing priorities.
• Experience coordinating and supporting governing board, cabinet, or executive leadership meetings.
• Outstanding written communication skills, including preparing executive correspondence, briefing materials, presentations, or reports.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment in prioritizing executive requests and managing politically sensitive or high‑profile situations.
• Exceptional relationship‑building skills and executive presence, with the ability to interact confidently with senior leaders, elected officials, donors, alumni, and community partners.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and modern collaboration technologies.
• A reputation for professionalism, discretion, integrity, and exceptional customer service.

Benefits

This is a benefits eligible position. The University of New Mexico provides a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. For more information, refer to the Benefits home page.

ERB Statement

As a condition of employment, eligible employees working greater than .25 FTE as determined by the New Mexico Education Retirement Act must make mandatory retirement contributions. For more information, review the Benefits Eligibility at a Glance grid.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

The University of New Mexico requires all regular staff positions successfully pass a pre‑employment background check. This may include, but is not limited to, a criminal history background check, New Mexico Department of Health fingerprint screening, New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department fingerprint screening, verification of education credentials, and/or verification of prior employment. For more information about background checks, visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3280.html. Refer to https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3200.html for a definition of Regular Staff.