Lead Administrative Assistant

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) operates at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care. It is a community where expertise is valued, knowledge is expanded, and abilities are challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and uniqueness is celebrated.

About the Role

This position provides comprehensive administrative support to the Vice-Chair for Surgical Research and associated faculty. Responsibilities include handling highly confidential information, managing faculty appointments and promotions, coordinating complex calendars and travel, processing expenses and credentialing, and serving as a liaison between faculty and staff. The role involves organizing meetings and events, supporting research and lab operations, maintaining office records, and managing multiple projects with shifting priorities.

Responsibilities

• Process a high level of extremely confidential and sensitive information relating to faculty affairs, research & grant activities, and personnel issues.
• Screen and handle complex incoming phone calls; process incoming and outgoing mail.
• Monitor and help process faculty appointments, reappointments, and promotions.
• Process VA credentialing for Vice Chair.
• Serve as a liaison between faculty and staff for the Vice Chair, resolving issues or escalating to the appropriate person.
• Arrange and coordinate complicated calendars, including extensive travel, difficult meeting schedules, and appointments, anticipating needs and changes.
• Make travel arrangements for Vice Chair, other Surgical Research faculty, and visiting speakers.
• Submit expenses for reimbursement or payment via Workday, reviewing expenses for compliance with departmental and Vanderbilt policies.
• Plan meetings for various committees with members from many different departments and coordinate special events and other activities.
• Manage multiple projects concurrently, meeting deadlines and adapting to shifting priorities.
• Provide support for activities on national committees or other professional affiliations.
• Prepare agendas, memos, and correspondence on behalf of the Vice Chair.
• Assist other faculty with various administrative details such as scanning, saving files electronically, and creating spreadsheets.
• Develop and maintain all appropriate office files relating to personnel, budget & grant activities, and affiliated matters.
• Support Vice Chair with lab activities including scheduling weekly or bi-weekly personnel meetings and scheduling interviews for potential research faculty.
• Support lab members, such as preparing FedEx labels for national and international research samples, occasionally scheduling their “defense committee” meetings, and arranging travel for lab faculty/staff.

Core Accountabilities

• Organizational Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact the team and other related teams.
• Problem Solving/Complexity of Work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precedent.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas.
• Team Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues

• Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance and gain knowledge in new areas.
• Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
• Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

Delivering Excellent Services

• Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
• Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
• Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.

Ensuring High Quality

• Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
• Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
• Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

Managing Resources Effectively

• Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
• Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
• Makes Data-Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.

Fostering Innovation

• Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
• Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.
• Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED.
• 5 years of relevant work experience.

Benefits

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement, and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.