Administrative Coordinator
Harper College.com
Office
Palatine, IL, United States
Full Time
Responsible for performing advanced and confidential administrative support for the Chief of Staff and Vice President of External Affairs as part of the Office of the President. Duties include coordinating meetings, managing special events, and preparing presentations, briefing materials, and post-meeting talking points and summaries. Provides operational and project management support for legislative affairs, government relations as well as other high-level assignments. Provides support to the Office of the President and the External Affairs Division, as needed.
Manages and performs the administrative support functions of the Chief of Staff and Vice President of External Affairs, including mail, phone, and email correspondence; preparing confidential correspondence, reports, agendas and documents; and manages sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality.
Organizes the meeting agendas for college leadership meetings including President’s Learning Council and Operations Council and provides support for these meetings, including managing presentation materials, supporting documents and scheduling participants outside of normal attendees.
Prepares monthly President’s Report including establishing timeline, outreach to contributors, drafting and editing of the report, and final formatting for publishing.
Assists with and supports the execution of the college’s comprehensive engagement plan for federal and state elected officials. Maintains the database for relationship tracking with elected officials; outreach to legislative aides on behalf of the Chief of Staff and Vice President of External Affairs; oversees all related contact and distribution lists related to legislators and updating/distribution of materials such as legislative briefs, talking points, legislative summaries, factsheets, testimony, reports, letters and other collateral. Serves as event coordinator for all legislative events such as on campus meetings, tours, President’s Legislative Breakfasts, managing all aspects of event planning and execution. Maintains and gathers information for Harper information folders for distribution at legislative meetings and events.
Provides project management for special projects, as related to the Strategic Plan, Operational Plan, or by presidential designation.
Participates in events, programs and committees, such as special task forces, legislative events, town halls, campus visits, and other meetings.
Maintains effective communication with staff and administrators and responds to inquiries in accordance with established procedures. Contributes to overall office efficiency by supporting workflow coordination and assisting with operational processes as needed.
Performs general accounting functions such as preparing and processing purchase orders, expense reports, reimbursements, and check requisitions in accordance with established procedures. Prepares internal reports; participates in budget monitoring, planning and management.
Coordinates travel arrangements, including booking transportation, accommodations, and preparing itineraries.
Serves as back-up for organizing Board packets for monthly executive sessions, committee meetings and regular meetings, if necessary.
Responsible for complex calendar scheduling and maintaining calendars.
Welcomes visitors, answers calls, provides information, and directs inquiries to the appropriate resources.
Processes incoming mail and prepares outgoing mail and orders office supplies as needed.
Responsible for other duties as assigned by the Chief of Staff and Vice President of External Affairs.
Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:
Work is primarily indoor and sedentary in nature. Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings and weekends required based on events.
Technology And Equipment Used:
Utilizes standard office technology, software, equipment, and virtual/hybrid conferencing tools, to support administrative operations and event coordination.
Minimum Acceptable Qualifications:
Education: Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred. Associate degree required with specialized training in administrative and office practices and procedures. Relevant professional certifications in administrative, organizational, or office operations are a plus.
Experience: Five years’ executive assistant/office management experience with demonstrated administrative skills supporting senior executive level management. Demonstrated experience with high-level problem solving, project management, procurement management, event planning, and travel coordination. Strong follow-up and follow-through skills. Detail-oriented with the ability to multi-task. Strong interpersonal skills with ability to interact effectively across internal and external organizational structures. Ability to show grace under pressure. Strong organization skills. Ability to analyze and
interpret financial data and prepare financial reports, statements and/or projections. Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting, and cost control procedures.
Advanced computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Adobe Acrobat Pro, Webex and AI tools, such as ChatGPT. Oracle Fusion a plus.
Personal and Professional Characteristics
Presents a positive, friendly and welcoming demeanor. Establishes trust and maintains confidentiality. Self-starter with ability to manage multiple priorities. Organized, attentive to detail and is conscientious in completing tasks in a timely manner. Works well with others and is a team player.
Effective written, verbal and technology-based communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies and management levels in a diverse community.
