Executive Assistant

Job Summary

The Department of Human Genetics, part of Michigan Medicine, is seeking an Executive Assistant to support the department's academic mission.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate meetings and provide complex calendar and scheduling support for the Department Chair.
• Schedule meetings involving multiple internal and external stakeholders; resolve scheduling conflicts and communicate changes professionally and promptly.
• Prepare and process expense reports and Emburse transactions for the Department Chair, Chief Department Administrator, visiting speakers, short courses, and lectureships, ensuring compliance with departmental and institutional policies.
• Research and resolve reimbursement, travel, purchasing, and payment discrepancies.
• Coordinate departmental events, seminars, lectureships, visiting speaker programs, retreats, and other academic or community-building events.
• Manage event logistics, including room scheduling, catering, equipment, vendor coordination, invitations, RSVPs, event communications, materials preparation, day-of support, and post-event follow-up.
• Collaborate with department leadership, faculty, staff, and external guests to ensure event objectives are met.
• Coordinate visiting speaker logistics, including travel, lodging, itineraries, reimbursements, honoraria, and related communications.
• Support major annual events such as the department picnic, faculty retreat, annual retreat, and other department-sponsored activities.
• Provide administrative and programmatic support for the Genetics Training Program, including coordinating program activities, tracking deadlines, supporting trainees, and ensuring compliance with NIH and program policies.
• Process trainee appointments, reappointments, changes, and terminations in xTrain.
• Compile program data and prepare xTRACT tables for annual progress reports and renewal applications.
• Enter and update trainee stipend, tuition, and benefit payments in student financial and HR systems.
• Coordinate Short Course seminars and the GTP Retreat, including agendas, poster sessions, travel, reimbursements, and honoraria.
• Update website content related to the Genetics Training Program.
• Support department-sponsored academic activities, including coordinating student and research fellow attendance at the American Society of Human Genetics conference and organizing the department's alumni event at the conference.
• Aid staff and faculty arrangements for student recruitment activities at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists conference.
• Provide support for the department's Genetics Immersion Program, which introduces high school students to genetics.
• Serve as the department's primary purchasing back-up, assisting with Marksetsite+ and Amazon Business purchases and preparing purchase orders based on submitted purchase request forms.
• Ensure purchasing activities comply with university and departmental policies.
• Provide general front office support, including answering phones, greeting visitors, accepting packages, opening and closing the office, maintaining shared spaces after hosted events, scheduling conference rooms, and distributing mail.
• Provide welcoming, professional service to faculty, staff, students, visitors, and external partners.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, higher education administration, or another related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Three years of relevant experience including demonstrated experience coordinating events and managing complex scheduling/calendar management.
• Demonstrated experience planning and coordinating events, meetings, seminars, or conferences, including managing logistics such as timelines, budgets, room scheduling, catering, travel arrangements, vendor coordination, event communications, and day-of support.
• Demonstrated experience arranging travel and visit agendas for outside visitors.
• Experience preparing expense reports, reconciling transactions, or using Emburse or similar systems.
• Familiarity with University of Michigan travel, reimbursement, procurement, and financial policies and procedures.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, accuracy, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to interruptions or changing needs.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, solve problems, and maintain confidentiality.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, and Google Workspace.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and partner professionally and effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, visitors, vendors, and external partners.
• Demonstrated professionalism, reliability, flexibility, and commitment to excellent service.

Desired Qualifications

• Four or more years of relevant administrative, academic program, student services, research administration, event coordination, or executive support experience.
• Experience in a university, medical school, or research environment.
• Experience with programmatic support for training grants, student programs, academic programs, or recruitment activities.
• Experience with NIH systems such as xTrain and xTRACT.
• Proficiency with Marketsite+, Purchasing Software, and Qualtrics.