Summary/Objective The Executive Support Services position provides high level administrative and business support to Merit's President, senior executives, and the Merit Board of Directors. Serves as liaison between the President, the Merit Board of Directors, staff, various committees, and vendors. Supports Merit's Director of Human Resources for timekeeping, personnel action requests and other reporting responsibilities. The position reports to the VP for Finance & Administration/CFO.
Evenings, weekends, and travel are sometimes required. Responsibilities Essential Functions for this position are followed by an (E).
As the Executive Support Services position, the key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Executive Support (60%) Serves as Merit's receptionist, welcoming visitors, answering or referring inquiries and monitoring deliveries. (E) Provides a broad variety of administrative tasks for the President including managing an active calendar of appointments; completing expense reports; composing and preparing correspondence that is sometimes confidential; arranging complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agendas; compiling documents for various meetings. (E) Provide high level administrative and business support to Merit's Board of Directors. (E) Works with the President and CFO to plan, schedule and manage meetings with Merit's Board of Directors as well as staff events throughout the year. (E) Researches, prioritizes, and follows up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the President, including those of a sensitive or confidential nature. Assists in determining appropriate course of action, referral, or response. Assist executives, Merit's Marketing Department and/or the Business & Facilities Manager with scheduling and planning large meetings, when needed. Works closely and effectively with the President to keep him/her well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately. Provides the "gatekeeper" role regarding inquiries for the President's time and office. (E) Assist with preparation of materials for the President including correspondence for the president's signature. Provides confidential administrative support for executives and other committees and special projects as assigned or self-initiated. Process expense reports for payment and maintain necessary financial records. (E) Provides leadership to build relationships crucial to the success of the organization, and manages a variety of special projects for the President, some of which may have organizational impact. Adhere to compliance with applicable rules and regulations set in bylaws. (E) Obtain and/or maintain Michigan Notary Public license (E) Serve as the backup to ensure all facility reports and requests are routed to the Business & Facilities Manager Other duties as assigned. Human Resources Support (30%) Processes HR-related transactions (including PAR transactions) in the areas of recruitment, staffing, compensation, benefits, personnel records, employee relations, training, equal opportunity/affirmative action, and other confidential forms and records for all regular and temporary staff. (E) Assist the Director of Human Resources with coordinating internal onboarding activities and schedules. (E) Maintains and updates various tracking files (not all-inclusive) for vehicle use exception requests, performance reviews, organizational chart, staff contact list, employee handbook, etc and follows-up with management/staff as necessary. (E) Maintains HR data integrity in Merit's NetSuite system. (E) Coordinates annual Employee Service Awards recognition for the unit. Generates ad hoc reports and information for management, Finance team, Director of Human Resources, and others as needed. (E) Participates on committees/special projects as needed. Time-Keeping (10%) Serve as the unit time-keeper, acting as a resource for staff inquiries/issues. (E) Create and maintain static groups. (E) Assist employees/supervisors with any time reporting/approval issues, questions or concerns, contacting UM Payroll as necessary. (E) Communicate deadlines for time reporting and approval to staff. (E) Other Duties Please note this job description is not designated to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Supervisory Responsibility This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
Work Environment This job operates in a professional office environment.
Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to move throughout the building to greet visitors and be able to communicate with various team members. Position Type/Expected Hours of Work The employee must be available to work in-person at Merit's office 4-5 days per week during the approximate hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The employee must work 40.0 hours each week to maintain full-time status. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.
Travel Travel may be required.
Required Qualifications Bachelor's Degree preferred and a minimum of 5 years of experience in performing executive support functions, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Ability to organize and coordinate a large and diverse workload with attention to detail and meet deadlines in a timely manner while demonstrating flexibility when priorities and deadlines change. Capacity to exercise initiative, independent judgment, diplomacy, and confidentiality with a positive service-oriented attitude. Ability to manage conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously, proactively, and follow-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures. Strong problem-solving, decision-making, analytical, organizational and critical thinking skills. Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to work cooperatively with staff from various departments. Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills with a strong customer focus and an ability to interact with a wide variety of individuals in a professional manner. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point), Adobe Acrobat, and social media platforms. Collaborate and work as a team player. Assist with workload(s) outside of defined job descriptions is expected. Excellent work ethic and commitment to the mission of the organization. Experience working in a fast-paced professional environment and ability to work under pressure independently and in teams. Good judgment and discretion is a must. Desired Qualifications Knowledge of University policies, procedures and regulations Knowledge of University human resource functions Experience editing executive documents. Experience working in Concur and NetSuite. Experience in conference planning or event organization. Michigan Notary Public license. About Merit Network
A great university is made so by its faculty and staff, and Michigan is recognized as one of the best universities to work for in the country. The Michigan culture is known for engaging faculty and staff in all facets of the university to create a workplace that is vibrant and stimulating.For two consecutive years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has placed U-M in its "Great Colleges to Work For" survey. In particular, the university earns high marks for strong relations between faculty and administrators, a collaborative system of governance, strong pay and benefits, and a healthy work/life balance.
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