Executive Staff Assistant

Working/Functional Title

The College of Law Executive Staff Assistant provides high-level administrative, operational, and project support to the Dean and Chief of Staff.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate the calendars, meeting requests, travel arrangements, reimbursements, and priority commitments of the Dean and Chief of Staff.
• Balance competing priorities and independently resolve scheduling conflicts.
• Maintain a shared system for tracking executive priorities, action items, communications, deadlines, and follow-up assignments.
• Sort, review, prioritize, and route incoming correspondence and communications.
• Aid in preparing reports, surveys, briefing materials, presentations, and executive correspondence.
• Keep the Dean and Chief of Staff apprised of important events, issues, deadlines, and emerging matters.
• Represent the Dean's Office in interactions with university administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, and external constituents.
• Support the Dean and Chief of Staff in coordinating strategic initiatives, operational projects, and institutional priorities.
• Track requests, assignments, and deadlines arising from Executive Leadership Team and other leadership meetings.
• Cover the coordination of collection of information from administrative and academic units.
• Monitor compliance with reporting deadlines and facilitate required submissions.
• Aid the Chief of Staff with ABA, AALS, U.S. News, governance, and other institutional reporting processes.
• Prepare issue summaries, briefing materials, decision-support documents, and executive reports.
• Maintain organized records and version control for reports, submissions, and executive projects.
• Serve as liaison to executive assistants and administrative staff across Michigan State University.
• Coordinate communications with the President's Office, Provost's Office, vice presidents, deans, and major administrative units.
• Coordinate communications with Advancement and Alumni Relations.
• Serve as liaison to external organizations including AALS, ABA, Big Ten Law Schools, and the State Bar of Michigan.
• Serve as a point of contact for faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, trustees, and visitors.
• Draft routine correspondence and acknowledgments on behalf of the Dean.
• Coordinate and track responses to inquiries and ensure timely follow-up.
• Maintain confidentiality, professionalism, civility, and discretion in all communications.
• Establish and maintain confidential physical and electronic files.
• Aid in responses to confidential and time-sensitive matters, including FOIA requests, legal matters, and OIE issues.
• Schedule and support faculty meetings, leadership meetings, Faculty Advisory Council meetings, and other committees.
• Prepare, assemble, and distribute meeting materials.
• Maintain meeting records, follow-up items, and action trackers.
• Provide meeting summaries and follow-up memoranda as requested.
• Hire and co-supervise student workers in the Dean's Suite.

Minimum Requirements

• Knowledge normally acquired through a high school education with course work in word processing, typing, shorthand, and grammar;
• Five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive University work experience in maintaining account ledgers, word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software;
• Editing, composing correspondence, taking dictation;
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Juris Doctor degree;
• Experience in a university executive office or a private or public law firm working to support a managing partner or the leadership team;
• Excellent management of confidential office protocols and complex calendars;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Experience working with computer applications including legal databases;
• Experience with project management software;
• Extensive knowledge of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Cisco Webex;
• Expert knowledge of the Microsoft Suite including Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint and well as familiarity with complex internet systems;
• Knowledge of the legal profession;

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

• Resume,
• Cover letter,
• Three professional references.

Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5

Website

www.law.msu.edu

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Bidding eligibility ends

July 14, 2026 at 11:55 P.M.