Executive Assistant

Department: Advancement and Alumni Relations

Classification: Gen Admin Supv 1/Coord 1

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations division is a comprehensive development and alumni relations enterprise with a staff complement of approximately 135 FTE. Functional units within Advancement include development/fundraising, alumni relations, donor relations and stewardship, advancement communications, special events, gift processing, research, prospect management, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, information systems and management, and infrastructure services.

Advancement and Alumni Relation’s mission is to build strong, lifelong relationships with George Mason University's alumni and constituents, while matching their philanthropic interests with the university’s aspirations and priorities. The division is committed to serving the needs of the university, our alumni, and the greater community by providing access to quality education and lifelong learning. Respect, service, integrity, collaboration, diversity, transparency, and creativity are the values that guide our work and culture.

About the Position:

The Executive Assistant has the primary responsibility to provide C-suite level administrative support to the Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations/President of the George Mason University Foundation Inc. The Executive Assistant will be responsible for day-to-day management of the VP’s schedule, calendar, and timelines. The position has oversight of the VP’s financials and is responsible for all travel coordination.

Responsibilities:

Calendar, Scheduling, and Day-to-Day Management:

• Manages the Vice President's complex calendar and time commitments and prioritizes in alignment with VP goals and strategies;
• Prepares the VP for upcoming engagements by organizing a daily agenda, follow-up, and action items;
• Briefs the VP regularly on inquiries and issues;
• Coordinates appointments and meetings with direct reports, donors, trustees, faculty, and others, both inside and outside the university community;
• Confirms meeting times and participation daily;
• Arranges meetings, coordinating space, equipment, catering, and room setup according to program/meeting requirements;
• Attends meetings with the VP to collect meeting notes as needed;
• Proactively prepares meeting materials and prep documents for VP’s daily review;
• Coordinates advancement-related events, meetings, and activities with the Office of the President, Provost, Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance, and University Deans, preparing briefings and providing logistical support in the execution of these activities, working closely with those offices to coordinate joint activities and programs between those offices and the VP's office, and greets visitors to the VP's office;
• Submits research requests to the systems team as needed, and provides detailed confidential information to the VP and OTP in a timely manner;
• Manages and approves timesheets for senior staff (VP direct reports), and maintains accurate records of time out of office;
• Forwards correspondence to the correct office for action;
• Screens all VP's incoming mail and takes action or redirects to the appropriate university office for response;
• Answers all phones for the VP, taking messages or fielding/answering all routine and non-routine questions;
• Receives, reviews, and logs paperwork for VP's signature;
• Coordinates, procures, and ensures appropriate delivery of the VP's stewardship, including notes, acknowledgement letters, flowers, and gifts;
• Coordinates ongoing gifts for prospects, volunteer groups, and co-leads for EOY VP gift initiatives;
• Supports data analysis activities, contributes to data reports as directed, and collects, compiles, and distributes data and reports to the VP, senior staff, various University constituents, and outside vendors as appropriate;
• Exercises sound judgment about issues requiring engagement of the VP, while independently responding to senior leaders, donors, employees, and schools/units, or initiating administrative projects, where appropriate;
• Conducts research on topics of both strategic and tactical importance, as directed by the VP or in support of Advancement, to include collecting, analyzing, and reporting on data gathered across Advancement, the University, or elsewhere via various data gathering means, including internet searches, calls, and correspondence with faculty and other professionals, using Advancement and University databases and systems, and conducting surveys which may require understanding of basic statistics; and
• Serves as a steward of highly confidential information and acts as a trustworthy liaison between the Office of Advancement and internal and external stakeholders.

VP Financial Oversight:

• Oversees reconciliation of BOA transactions to ensure transactions are correct and completed in a timely manner;
• Serves as a backup for reconciliation, as needed;
• Oversees cash and mileage reimbursements in MFG;
• Oversees Gift Inventory tracker in accordance with GMUF guidelines and Gift inventory management; and
• Oversees receipt and management of physical inventory gifts;

Travel Coordination and Oversight:

• Oversees event registration and travel details, including flights, trains, hotels, registration, and car rentals;
• Oversees payment of flights with the operations team (state funds);
• Confirms conference registration and travel arrangements before travel; and
• Prepares detailed briefings for conferences and regional tour travel detailing travel arrangements, speaking engagements, and conference schedules;

Supervision of Staff:

• Responsible for wage personnel management, setting goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the university’s plans and vision, and communicates them to direct reports;
• Organizes workflow and ensures that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks;
• Monitors employee productivity and provides constructive feedback and coaching;
• Receives complaints and resolves problems;
• Maintains timekeeping and personnel records;
• Passes on information from upper management to employees and vice versa;
• Prepares and submits performance evaluations;
• Hires and trains new employees; and
• Ensures adherence to legal and university policies and procedures and undertakes disciplinary actions if the need arises.

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Plans, promotes, coordinates, and monitors special events as directed by the Vice President;
• Provides secretarial support to the Board of Visitors, Development Committee, including outreach to committee members to secure prep meetings and confirm attendance;
• Draft meeting minutes following each committee meeting and serve as a backup to the Secretary pro-term in the event of their absence.
• Owns special projects and ensures proper strategy, planning, coordination, and execution to achieve desired outcomes;
• Maintains professional presence as first contact on behalf of the Vice President; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned within the scope of the role. 

Required Qualifications:

• Significant experience with executive calendar management (six to nine years);
• Experience handling confidential information;
• Experience anticipating the needs of a C-suite executive and ensuring necessary information and logistics have been coordinated prior to the actual time of events and activities on the calendar;
• Experience writing general correspondence;
• Considerable experience with executive administrative support;
• Excellent writing and communication skills;
• Exceptional attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and consistency;
• Expert-level skill in MS Outlook and calendaring, and advanced Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.);
• Outstanding customer service skills demonstrated by the ability to interact effectively with administrators, faculty, and staff, as well as partners outside of the University;
• Excellent organizational and prioritizing skills;
• Ability to perform duties under limited supervision and a limited time frame;
• Ability to make rapid, independent decisions regarding high-priority requests; and
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field;
• Experience in higher education;
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with staff and external constituents;
• Experience with project management;
• Experience with Affinaquest (Salesforce) or similar software;
• Knowledge of various University policies including FOIA; and
• Knowledge of basic data analysis.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Executive Assistant at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume for review.

GMU students cannot be considered for this position.

Posting Open Date:  October 21, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  November 5, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes