Admin Specialist Senior Health

Job Summary

The Gilbert S. Omenn Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (DCMB) is seeking an Administrative Specialist Senior to provide high-level executive, operational, and strategic administrative support to the Chair of the Department.

Responsibilities

• Executive Administrative Support to the Chair (60% Effort)
• Manage the Chair's complex, high-volume calendar and email inbox;
• Review and prioritize all incoming correspondence, triage and flag action items, draft responses to incoming requests, resolve scheduling conflicts proactively, and coordinate cross-functional meetings;
• Prepare the Chair for daily schedules, classes, meetings, and speaking engagements by assembling briefing portfolios, agendas, historical correspondence, and background materials;
• Actively monitor schedule progression to ensure on-time meeting transitions, providing proactive pacing reminders when meetings run over;
• Carefully coordinate comprehensive domestic and international travel itineraries, lodging, registrations, global telecommunications, and virtual/in-person conferences alongside timely expense and PCard reconciliations;
• Provide expert, high-level administrative assistance including proofreading, editing, and formatting of scientific manuscripts, letters, course/class materials, recommendation letters, and executive presentations on behalf of the Chair;
• Partner with the department or institutional webmaster to keep the content on the Chair's website and academic profile current;
• Maintain highly confidential files, managing sensitive departmental and personnel information with the utmost discretion.
• Department Leadership and Governance Support (25% Effort)
• Coordinate Chair-led leadership committees, faculty meetings, retreats, strategic planning sessions, and special academic initiatives;
• Manage all associated logistical arrangements, including room reservations, hybrid/AV technology setups, catering, travel coordination, and detailed itineraries for visiting dignitaries;
• Draft and distribute department-wide communications from the Chair, including announcements, leadership updates, and faculty-facing policy messages.
• Faculty Affairs and Academic Support (10% Effort)
• Coordinate administrative processes related to faculty recruitment (including planning, organizing, and managing on-campus visits and travel itineraries for potential recruits), onboarding, annual performance evaluations, promotion and tenure reviews, and joint/dry appointments.
• Other Duties as Assigned (5% Effort)
• Other duties and special projects as assigned by the chair.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible administrative experience.
• Experience: 7+ years of high-level administrative experience, preferably supporting senior executives, directors, division chiefs or department chairs within an academic, healthcare, research, or higher education setting.
• Executive Support: Demonstrated mastery in executive calendar management, complex travel coordination, global telecommunications, and meeting preparation.
• Communication: Superb written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated expertise in proofreading, copyediting, and polishing executive-level correspondence and academic materials.
• Faculty Credentials Support: Demonstrated experience working with, reviewing, updating, and formatting academic faculty Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and NIH-format Biosketches for institutional records and recruitment files.
• Discretion: Absolute commitment to discretion, integrity, and professional boundaries when handling highly sensitive personnel information.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Dropbox and Zoom.

Skills

• To be successful in this role, the candidate must demonstrate the ability to:
• Exercise initiative, tact, poise, and a service-oriented attitude when interacting with senior faculty, executive leaders, and external institutional partners;
• Manage multiple high-priority tasks and highly confidential personnel information with absolute discretion and integrity;
• Self-direct work, anticipate executive needs, and follow up on outstanding issues in a timely manner;
• Apply exceptional organization, time-management, and multitasking abilities with high attention to detail.

Desired Qualifications

• Prior experience working within the University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, or a peer academic medical center.
• Knowledge of U-M policies, procedures, and systems related to faculty affairs (e.g., M-Pathways, Standard Practice Guidelines).
• Knowledge of academic publishing, manuscript preparation, and editorial submission guidelines.
• Basic understanding and interest in using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to draft emails, compile documents, automate follow-ups, and summarize complex texts.