Professional Assistant

University of Colorado Boulder; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 48,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onboarding assistance

Vacation and sick leave

Medical insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Retirement plan

EcoPass

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder’s Campus Dining & Hospitality (CDH) seeks a Professional Assistant to support executive operations and the central administrative office. You will manage complex calendars, coordinate meetings, and facilitate onboarding, HR tasks, and staff communications for CDH and campus partners.

The role requires discretion, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work with a diverse campus community.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 1 year of job-related experience.
• High level of discretion and confidentiality.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Experience in higher education or fast-paced environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and maintain complex calendars for Director and executive staff.
• Manage institutional calendars and staff scheduling; secure rooms and resources.
• Prepare meeting agendas and minutes; track action items and follow-ups.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding for CDH staff with SLEE and campus partners.
• Support HR, payroll, and personnel documentation for CDH staff.
• Supervise and mentor one FTE and student employees in Executive Administration.

Skills

Calendar management

Executive support

MS Office

Discretion & confidentiality

Customer service

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Job Summary

The Campus Dining & Hospitality (CDH) department with the University of Colorado, Boulder is seeking applications for a Professional Assistant! This role is responsible for abroad range of professional-level functions at the executive level CDH and manages the overall administration and business operationsof CDH’s central administrative office. This position coordinatesadministrative functions between the Executive Administration of CDH, CDH operations and the university, and has responsibility indirecting administrative functions and planning for the CDH Director and Associate Directors.

Working with independence and initiative, the individual iscritical to ensuring the Director is organized and prepared eachday for their role. It's essential that the Professional Assistantmaintains accurate and up-to-date schedules, calendars, and meetingnotes. This position coordinates calendars and schedules,exercising a high level of reliability, communication skills,discretion, and judgment. This position also helps with schedulingrooms and completing other administrative duties asnecessary.

The role manages, creates, coordinates, and disseminatescommunication and marketing materials for CDH, in coordination withStudent Affairs Marketing & Communications. This positionassists with the coordination of sales, communication, and billingof over 20,000 nontraditional meals annually with revenue over$100,000. Nontraditional meals include all meals that are not partof the standard meal plans or sold through CU Conference Servicesand require a high level of detailed coordination. This positionprovides backup support for CDH administrative expense system andwill also provide support with key centralized personnel and HRfunctions for CDH. This position serves as the principal CDH staffmember onboarding and offboarding liaison, while collaboratingclosely with Student Life Employee Experience (SLEE) and otherCampus partners, working with and guiding operational managers onprocessing newly hired staff members through a variety ofonboarding tasks.

This position requires a significant level of knowledge of andexperience with university policies and procedures and the abilityto work effectively with campus partners, students, and communitymembers. This position may include supervision and coordination ofstudent employees.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

Who We Are

The Division of Student Life consists of 36 departments that provide studentsupport and services dedicated to helping students becomesuccessful, curious, competent individuals during their time at CU Boulder.

At CU Boulder, dining is more than just a meal—it’s an experience. Our award-winning dining venues serve fresh, sustainable, andinnovative cuisine crafted by a passionate team dedicated to yourwell-being.

Every year, we proudly serve over 3 million meals, fueling healthybodies and minds with options that are as delicious as they arenutritious. From community-building events to hands-on foodeducation, we’re here to help Buffs build lifelong habits for ahealthier future.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Executive Level Support:

• Coordinate and maintain complex calendars for Director,executive staff and department operations. Includes setting upleadership-level meetings for multiple attendees, securingconference rooms, and organizing general calendar workflow anddetermining priorities for calendaring, ensuring all materialsneeded for appointments/meetings are ready and available in atimely fashion.
• Responsible for creating and maintaining the accuracy of theoperational calendar for CDH, which details the days/hours ofoperation for all operations throughout the year. Instruct numerousdining unit management teams on schedule and approved users.
• Analyze calendar to identify potential impacts on campuspartners or operations.
• Ensure operations are supporting strategic partners (i.e.international students, residential students, New Student &Family Programs, Office of Admissions) to provide optimal serviceto students on meal plans, and campus guests.
• Provide the operating schedule so building locking plans fordining operations within residential units and other CU buildingsare accurate and secure.
• Attend Leadership Team and Manager Team meetings asadministrative support; prepare agendas and minutes.
• Maintain a running list of action items and decisions andfollow up with directors on timelines.
• Serve as administrative support and contribute to leadershipmeetings.
• Responsible for daily decision-making and problem resolution inthe executive administration office and makes decisionsindependently to reflect the best interest of the office.
• Ensure Director and senior level staff are informed ofdeveloping and ongoing issues and prioritize business whichrequires action and attention.
• Arrange travel for Director and CDH staff.
• Stay current with travel policies and provide guidance onappropriate practices. Write and edit communication andcorrespondence.
• Represent and work effectively with all internal and externalcustomers of CDH by phone, email, and in-person. Performs dailyindependent decision-making on matters that arise and cannot be immediately addressed by the Director, including referrals.

Administrative Management:

• Serve as the principal administrative contact and liaisonbetween CDH, the university, and external constituents.
• Create a welcoming environment by greeting visitors andresponding to inquiries, requests, and complaints.
• Assist with presentation preparation and responsible formeeting logistics, including room scheduling, AV, copies ofmaterials, etc.
• Assist with major department events, coordinate functionalityof CDH Executive Administrative Office, including officecoverage.
• Serve as principal staff onboarding and offboardingliaison.
• Guide staff members and supervisors in completing SLEE anduniversity onboarding checklists and work with multiple campuspartners to ensure a smooth structured process that optimizes timeand creates a smooth transition and positive impact for new staffmembers.
• Gather feedback from new hires and supervisors to identifyareas for improvement in onboarding and offboarding programs.
• Maintain and order office supplies for the CDH AdministrativeOffice and other units in the department.
• Maintain staff uniform inventory and purchases as neededfollowing procurement and budget guidelines.
• Manage the copy machine supplies, upkeep, and repair.
• Maintain CDH org charts, emergency contact/preferred languagelists for staff roster.
• Assist in coordinating, reviewing, and submitting HR, payrolland personnel documentation as required for CDH staff.
• Assist with maintaining CDH handbooks to reflect currentprocedures and policies.
• Serve as a liaison for campus department communication andcoordination (ex., Parking, etc).
• In depth knowledge of and competency in online file managementsystems and structure to maintain internal documents storage andorganization.
• Analyze internal administrative procedures, policies, andprocesses; recommend and implement procedural or policy changes to improve administrative office management operations.

Supervision:

• Responsible for recruiting, interviewing, hiring, scheduling,timekeeping, training, supervising, and evaluating one (1) FTE andstudent employees working in Executive Administration.
• Mentor team in judgment, discretion, customer service, conflictmanagement and providing high-quality customer service for guestsand staff.
• Ensure standardized operating processes are followed by CDHstaff.

What You Should Know

• Typically Monday through Friday, but schedule will be dictatedby business needs.

What We Can Offer

• The annual salary range for this position is$47,900-$52,000.
• Onboarding assistance is available within Student Life divisionguidelines.

Our outstanding benefits include:

• Paid days off: 22 vacation days, 15 sick leave days, and 11holidays per year.
• Access to medical, vision, dental and life insurance.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• A 10% employer contribution retirement plan.
• EcoPass for free RTD rides.
• Opportunity for career growth within the division of studentlife and the CU Boulder campus!

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's BestLarge Employers, ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks andprograms through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be courageous. Be unique. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education andexperience may substitute on a year-for-year basis.
• 1 year of job-related experience.

What You Will Need

• High level of discretion, judgment, and confidentiality.Demonstrated ability to effectively manage operational calendars.Ability to analyze data, think critically, summarize and identify actionable and supported recommendations, and problem-solveindependently.
• Able to work effectively in a demanding, fast pacedenvironment, balancing multiple priorities and meetingtimelines.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, strongprofessional written and verbal communication skills, including ability to appropriately tailor communication methods based on audience.
• Ability to meet deadlines and remain calm under pressure.
• Strong professional and customer service skills.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge in Microsoft Office Suite,Windows Operating System, and other software programs used by the CDH department, and an ability to support individuals with various working styles.

What We Would Like You to Have

• Previous experience in a higher education or similarhigh-volume, fast-paced environment.
• 3 years of full-time experience in the clerical administrationand coordination of centralized business operations.
• Ability to provide high-level of customer service in anenvironment serving a diverse customer and employee base.
• Ability to provide and contribute to a welcoming and inclusiveenvironment.
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and difficultsituations with sensitivity and discretion.
• Knowledge of university food services.
• Previous lead or supervisory experience is preferred but notrequired.

Essential Services

This position is designated "essential services." The incumbent isrequired to respond to requests for work during campus emergencies(snow, wind, rain, flood and any other natural or man-made event)and report to work for his / her regularly assigned shift duringemergency campus closures.