Sociology Executive Assistant

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Michigan Sociology Department is seeking a highly organized Executive Assistant to provide executive-level support to the Chair, Chief Administrator, and departmental leadership. The role includes coordinating calendars, meetings, travel, and records, while safeguarding confidential information and ensuring timely, policy-aligned work.

The successful candidate will manage complex priorities, draft communications, and help optimize departmental workflows in a collaborative

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least three years of progressively responsible administrative experience as an executive assistant or in a comparable administrative role.
• Professionalism, emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and discretion handling confidential information.
• Experience supporting senior leaders; managing calendars, projects, and records.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills; able to prioritize and handle multiple deadlines.
• Proactive, clear communication with supervisors about deadlines, workload, and decisions.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive-level administrative support to the Chair, Chief Administrator, and departmental leaders as assigned.
• Manage the Chair's calendar, email, and task lists; coordinate meetings and travel arrangements.
• Coordinate schedules for weekly and monthly meetings; prepare materials and record minutes.
• Draft and distribute correspondence; ensure adherence to policies and confidentiality.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of department, LSA, and University policies; suggest process improvements.
• Oversee records management, website content updates, and purchasing card reconciliations.

Skills

Executive support

Calendar management

Confidential handling

Communication

Project coordination

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Zoom

Job description

Who We Are

The Sociology Department traces its origins back to 1932 and has a proud history studying social life, social change, inequality, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. We are one of the top sociology departments in the world. To learn more, please visit the Department of Sociology website: https://lsa.umich.edu/soc
This is an opportunity to join a supportive and welcoming team of professionals who are passionate about their work in an environment that prioritizes individual professional growth for staff. The Sociology Staff are a team of dedicated and creative professionals that support students and faculty in providing exceptional, engaging, and innovative opportunities for teaching, learning, and research. Our focus is developing and sustaining a collaborative and inclusive culture, which encourages outreach and engagement throughout our department, institution, community, and society. The Executive Assistant is a key member of this team.

Job Summary

The Sociology Department in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Executive Assistant. This role has two main components: 1) Provide executive-level support to the Chair, Chief Administrator, and departmental leadership; and 2) Serve as a lead coordinator for the department's largest and most important initiatives.

This position requires an individual who can independently manage complex and shifting priorities, anticipate needs, monitor deadlines, and communicate clearly and proactively with the Chair and Chief Administrator about outstanding work, competing demands, risks, and required decisions. The successful candidate will exercise sound judgment, maintain appropriate discretion, and ensure that work is accurate, timely, and aligned with departmental, College, and University policies.

We seek a resourceful, service-oriented professional who demonstrates emotional intelligence, technical skill, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively and empathetically with a wide range of people. The Executive Assistant will be expected to evaluate current practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop more efficient and reliable processes. The position offers opportunities to expand skills and responsibilities while contributing to the work of a highly regarded academic department.
This position reports to the Chief Administrator, Elizabeth Jahn, and receives a significant portion of their day-to-day work from the Department Chair, Elizabeth A. Armstrong. This position will require on-site work a minimum of four days per week during the academic year.

Responsibilities*

The distribution of effort will fluctuate throughout the year and from year-to-year based on the academic calendar, faculty lifecycle, and departmental priorities.

45% Administrative Support for the Chair's Office

• Provide executive-level administrative support to the Department Chair, Chief Administrator, and other departmental leaders as assigned.
• Manage the Chair's calendar, email, and task list with discretion and independent judgment. Assess priorities, resolve scheduling conflicts, create meetings on the Chair's behalf, and provide daily and weekly calendar and task overviews.
• Maintain departmental calendars, including planning and scheduling meetings, videoconferences, and travel arrangements for visitors as needed.
• Anticipate upcoming needs and deadlines, independently follow through on assignments, and proactively communicate with the Chair and Chief Administrator about outstanding work, competing priorities, potential delays, and decisions requiring their attention.
• Coordinate the logistics and support for weekly executive committee meetings, biweekly faculty administrator meetings, monthly faculty meetings, and other meetings convened by the Chair's Office. Develop agendas in consultation with the Chair and other stakeholders; prepare and distribute meeting materials; record and maintain minutes; document decisions and action items; and follow up to ensure that assigned actions are initiated and completed.
• Draft, edit, and distribute correspondence and other materials on behalf of the Chair. Interpret policies and adapt communications appropriately for different audiences.
• Develop and maintain a thorough knowledge of relevant department, LSA, and University policies. Apply that knowledge to administrative work and identify questions or matters requiring consultation or escalation.
• Create, edit, and maintain sensitive or confidential reports, records, and documents. Safeguard the office's operational integrity by treating confidential information with the utmost discretion in accordance with applicable university and departmental policies.
• Develop and maintain reliable information-management and records-retention practices across systems such as Google Drive, Dropbox, shared drives, and departmental email.
• Maintain relevant content on the department's website and intranet, ensuring that information is accurate, current, accessible, and appropriately organized.
• Manage the Chair's purchasing card, monthly reconciliation, travel and hosting reimbursements, and related records in accordance with University policies.
• Regularly assess Chair's Office workflows; document position-specific and Chair's Office procedures; identify inefficiencies or gaps; and recommend and implement process improvements in consultation with the Chair and Chief Administrator.
• Coordinate preparations for the department's External Review (Fall 2027), including maintaining the project timeline; coordinating contributions to the departmental self-study; managing communications, schedules, meetings, and site-visit logistics; tracking deadlines and deliverables; and proactively informing the Chair and Chief Administrator of progress updates, outstanding work, and decisions needed.
• Provide backup coverage and administrative assistance across the department as needed.

35% Faculty Affairs - The level and complexity of effort within this area will vary based on annual faculty lifecycle activities.

• Develop and maintain expertise in faculty lifecycle processes, including recruitment, appointments, annual reviews, tenure and promotion, leaves, lecturer appointments and reviews, award nominations, service agreements, retirements, memorials, and related activities.
• Manage multiple faculty affairs processes simultaneously, establishing project plans and timelines, monitoring milestones, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring that submissions are complete, accurate, and timely.
• Serve as a primary departmental contact for faculty affairs questions. Clearly communicate requirements, responsibilities, documentation standards, and deadlines to faculty members, departmental leaders, and other participants.
• Provide the Chair and Chief Administrator with regular status updates on active faculty affairs matters. Proactively identify missing materials, approaching deadlines, policy questions, or circumstances that may affect timely completion.
• Coordinate tenure-track faculty searches, including maintaining applicant records, supporting search committees, scheduling interviews and campus visits, arranging travel, developing itineraries, and coordinating meetings and presentations. Support the preparation and submission of appointment materials in accordance with LSA and University policies and procedures.
• Coordinate faculty annual reviews, including collecting and organizing materials, maintaining records, monitoring deadlines, supporting the faculty conflict-of-interest and conflict-of-commitment review process, and assisting with the preparation and distribution of annual salary letters.
• Coordinate tenure and promotion processes by establishing case timelines, communicating requirements, collecting and reviewing materials for completeness and accuracy, organizing dossiers, and submitting cases in accordance with LSA and University policies and procedures.
• Coordinate faculty and lecturer appointment, reappointment, and review processes, including processes for Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO) appointments, as assigned. Track faculty and lecturer appointment status and maintain accurate historical and current records.
• Coordinate faculty leave and tenure-clock exclusion requests in collaboration with faculty, the Chair, and the Chief Administrator, including submissions through the LSA Faculty Lifecycle system.
• Collaborate with the Chair and Associate Chair to prepare and submit faculty award nominations and service agreements.
• Review faculty affairs workflows, templates, tracking methods, and communications; recommend and implement improvements that increase accuracy, transparency, efficiency, and continuity.

20% Departmental Events and Other Activities

• Plan, coordinate, and execute departmental events, including colloquium lectures, receptions, faculty and staff gatherings, and other special programs. Develop timelines and budgets as appropriate and coordinate room reservations, accessibility needs, audiovisual support, catering, communications, speaker travel and lodging, itineraries, reimbursements, event setup, hosting, and post-event follow-up.
• Represent the department with professionalism and provide welcoming, responsive support when communicating and working with speakers, visitors, donors, alumni, faculty, students, staff, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist with LSA Advancement and University alumni-relations activities that support the department's strategic priorities, including annual solicitation letters, donor acknowledgments, and Giving Blueday activities.
• Evaluate event and project practices and recommend improvements that enhance efficiency, accessibility, participant experience, and the effective use of departmental resources.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least three years of progressively responsible administrative experience as an executive assistant or in a comparable administrative role.
• Demonstrated professionalism, emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and discretion in handling confidential information and sensitive situations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior leaders; managing complex calendars, projects, and processes; and maintaining detailed records.
• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to independently prioritize work, manage multiple assignments and deadlines, and adapt effectively when priorities change.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, exercise initiative, anticipate needs, and follow assignments through to completion while contributing effectively to a collaborative, service-oriented team.
• Ability to communicate proactively and clearly with supervisors about deadlines, workload, project status, competing priorities, and decisions needed.
• Demonstrated critical-thinking, problem-solving, resourcefulness, and decision-making skills, including the ability to remain calm and effective while managing concurrent tasks.
• Experience evaluating administrative practices and identifying and implementing process improvements.
• Demonstrated adaptability, including the ability to learn new systems, assume additional responsibilities, and modify work practices in response to evolving priorities and departmental needs.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including experience drafting and editing correspondence, reports, meeting materials, and other documents for formal and informal audiences.
• Demonstrated accuracy and attention to detail, particularly when preparing official communications and time-sensitive or confidential materials.
• Ability to work effectively, respectfully, and sensitively with a diverse community and to handle challenging situations with tact, diplomacy, and a responsive, service-oriented approach.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, and Zoom, or the demonstrated ability to learn comparable systems quickly.
• Willingness to learn new systems, assume additional responsibilities, and adapt work practices to meet evolving departmental needs.

Desired Qualifications*

• Five or more years of progressively responsible administrative support experience, preferably in an academic setting.
• Experience supporting an executive or senior academic leader, including complex scheduling, agenda preparation, minute‑taking, travel arrangements, and event coordination.
• Experience with academic faculty affairs processes, including faculty recruitment and hiring, annual reviews, tenure and promotion cases, faculty leaves, lecturer appointments or reviews, awards, and retirement processes.
• Working knowledge of university policies and procedures, particularly those related to faculty academic affairs.
• Experience with University of Michigan administrative systems and the LSA Faculty Lifecycle system.
• Experience maintaining web content in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) or a comparable content‑management system.
• Familiarity with digital accessibility standards and practices.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes .

Work Schedule

This is a full‑time, year‑round position with somewhat flexible working hours. During the academic year, the Executive Assistant works a hybrid schedule spending four days on campus with the option of working remotely one day per week. The period from mid‑May to mid‑August allows for more flexibility at the discretion of the Chief Administrator and Chair.
The schedule needs to align with both the Chair's schedule and the department's ongoing operational needs. Some evening and weekend hours are required. These hours will be scheduled well in advance and are only required a few times each year.
Please note that new employees will be asked to work 100% in person for the first three months in the position.

Additional Information

The salary range for this position is $59,500 to $74,500, please note a higher salary may be offered based on the selected candidate's experience.

As one of the world's great liberal arts colleges, LSA pushes the boundaries of what is understood about the human experience and the natural world, and we foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world.

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checksare performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.