Executive Assistant

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 10-05-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences is central to UC Santa Cruz's mission as a leading public research university. The division provides foundational science and mathematics education for students across the campus and is home to more than 4,000 undergraduate majors, a broad portfolio of graduate programs, and internationally recognized research.

Across the division, students and researchers explore questions ranging from the fundamental structure of matter and the origins of the universe to the complex systems that sustain life on Earth. The division's academic programs prepare students to address some of society's most consequential challenges, including climate change, human health, environmental sustainability, emerging technologies, and scientific literacy.

Since the university's founding, Physical and Biological Sciences faculty have expanded the boundaries of knowledge through disciplinary and interdisciplinary research. Faculty, students, and staff collaborate across departments, research institutes, professional programs, and specialized facilities, creating distinctive opportunities for hands-on learning, scientific discovery, and public impact.

The Division:
- Includes nine academic departments
- Serves more than 4,000 undergraduate majors
- Offers undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs
- Provides foundational science and mathematics instruction for students throughout UC Santa Cruz
- Supports internationally recognized research institutes, centers, laboratories, and field programs
- Advances discovery across the physical, biological, mathematical, environmental, health, ocean, and space sciences
- Creates opportunities for students to participate directly in research and experiential learning

More information can be found at https://science.ucsc.edu/

JOB SUMMARY

Under the direction of the Assistant Dean and Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant provides professional, confidential, and high-level administrative support to the Dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences and helps ensure the effective operation of the Dean's Office. The position independently manages the Dean's complex calendar and executive workflow; coordinates leadership meetings, events, communications, and follow-up; oversees office operations and financial transactions; and provides administrative and project support to the Assistant and Associate Deans. The Executive Assistant serves as a trusted liaison with faculty, staff, students, campus leaders, external partners, and other executive offices, and independently researches, analyzes, and resolves complex administrative issues. The incumbent exercises a high degree of judgment, initiative, political acumen, confidentiality, and discretion in setting priorities, anticipating needs, developing solutions, and managing multiple high-priority demands in a fast-paced academic environment.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $95,000 - $115,000/year. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri, with the occasional evening or weekend
• Shift Includes: Day, Evenings, Weekend

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 007385 (EXEC AST 4) - Grade 22

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

40% - Executive, Calendar, and Administrative Support

• Independently manage and optimize the Dean's complex and frequently changing calendar, ensuring accurate scheduling of meetings, travel time, on- and off-campus appointments, and dedicated work blocks; evaluate requests, anticipate conflicts, establish priorities, resolve issues proactively, and communicate changes promptly to all stakeholders.
• Manage the Dean's executive workflow and serve as a gatekeeper, ensuring that urgent, sensitive, and high-impact matters are identified, routed, and addressed appropriately.
• Coordinate communications and administrative processes for work conducted in direct support of the Dean, often involving confidential personnel, academic, financial, or institutional matters.
• Provide executive-level administrative support to the Assistant and Associate Deans, including scheduling, correspondence, official communications, meeting preparation, and event coordination as needed.
• Research, compile, analyze, and summarize information; prepare background materials, briefing documents, talking points, reports, presentations, and draft responses for the Dean and divisional leadership.
• Monitor and manage the Dean's Office email accounts; triage correspondence, draft and distribute communications, coordinate review and signature requests, and ensure that confidential personnel or institutional documents are handled and routed appropriately.
• Track delegated assignments, decisions, commitments, and deadlines; brief the Dean and leadership on pending matters and ensure thorough, timely follow-through.
• Screen and respond to inquiries on behalf of the Dean's Office, resolving issues independently when appropriate and escalating matters requiring executive attention.
• Maintain well-organized electronic and paper records and exercise a high degree of discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.

20% - Meeting, Event, and Award Coordination

• Independently coordinate divisional leadership, department chair, committee, and campus partner meetings; develop timelines, prepare and distribute agendas and background materials, document decisions, and track action items.
• Coordinate recurring department chair and divisional leadership meetings for the Dean.
• Plan and coordinate divisional events, including faculty and student award ceremonies, receptions, leadership meetings, retreats, open houses, and external visits.
• Oversee complex logistics for meetings, conferences, reviews and events, including scheduling, facilities, hybrid participation, catering, travel, accessibility needs, and reimbursements.
• Administer assigned divisional award and recognition processes, coordinating with committees, honorees, campus partners, and external participants and ensuring that requirements and deadlines are met.
• Support advisory committees, including membership and appointment communications, meeting logistics, records, and coordination with faculty leads and campus offices.
• Coordinate the executive-office components of departmental external reviews and other high-level visits, including executive and central-administration schedules, committee correspondence, visitor arrangements, honoraria, travel documentation, and reimbursements.
• Identify and resolve operational or logistical problems and make recommendations regarding event scope, schedule, resources, and procedures.

20% - Dean's Office Operations and Financial Administration

• Coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Dean's Office and suite, establishing and maintaining efficient administrative systems, procedures, records, shared resources, and service standards.
• Manage reservations and operating expectations for Dean's Office and divisionally administered meeting spaces and coordinate office coverage, mail, reception, and visitor support.
• Initiate, track, reconcile, and maintain documentation for financial transactions, including travel and entertainment reimbursements, mileage, purchase orders, procurement, catering, invoices, and other office expenditures, in accordance with University policy.
• Arrange and administer business travel for the Dean, divisional leaders, and approved visitors; prepare itineraries, communicate University requirements, reconcile expenses, and coordinate required senior-officer or exception approvals.
• Use and reconcile assigned University purchasing and travel cards and initiate purchases and service requests through approved systems; consult with Purchasing and divisional financial staff regarding contracts, policy exceptions, and unusual transactions.
• Monitor office expenditures and commitments, identify discrepancies or missing documentation, coordinate corrections, and provide status information or summaries to divisional staff and leadership.
• Maintain the physical security and confidentiality of the Dean's Office and suite, including access control and appropriate handling and retention of sensitive materials.
• Provide work direction, training, and quality review for student assistants, temporary staff, or other employees assigned to support Dean's Office operations.

15% - Project, Communication, and Liaison Support

• Lead or coordinate assigned administrative projects, reports, reviews, and divisional initiatives from planning through completion, developing work plans, tracking deliverables, coordinating contributors, and resolving barriers.
• Collect, evaluate, organize, and synthesize information for divisional communications, presentations, reports, and data requests; identify gaps and obtain clarification or additional information as needed.
• Serve as a principal point of contact for the Dean's Office and communicate with diplomacy and political acumen on behalf of the Dean and divisional leadership.
• Maintain divisional communication channels and distribution groups and support newsletters, announcements, message-center content, intranet resources, and website updates.
• Maintain executive-office reference resources and tracking tools, including leadership and emergency contact lists, recurring-meeting schedules, faculty awards and recognitions, committee rosters, and official correspondence archives.
• Track tasks and deadlines for high-priority initiatives, maintaining reliable and proactive follow-through with all stakeholders.
• Develop and recommend process improvements that increase the efficiency, accuracy, responsiveness, and continuity of executive-office operations.

5% - General Administrative Support

• Provide backup and surge support for high-priority divisional activities and executive-office needs.
• Support commencement, emergency-management communications, and other time-sensitive or university-wide activities assigned to the Dean's Office.
• Maintain current knowledge of applicable University policies, procedures, systems, and resources and apply them appropriately to assigned work.
• Perform other administrative duties and special assignments as needed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Advanced organizational and time-management skills, with demonstrated ability to independently manage a complex executive calendar, competing priorities, and rapidly changing demands.
• Demonstrated reliability, responsiveness, sound judgment, and consistent follow-through on sensitive and time-critical work.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, and quality, including the ability to independently review and correct work before completion.
• Advanced ability to organize and coordinate executive-office operations, establish priorities, anticipate needs, and develop effective administrative systems and procedures.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to research and synthesize information, evaluate alternatives, and resolve complex or unprecedented administrative issues with a high degree of autonomy.
• Excellent written communication skills with the ability to draft, edit, and proofread executive-level correspondence, reports, briefings, and presentations.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, including active listening and diplomacy.
• Strong interpersonal skills and political acumen to navigate sensitive situations and communicate effectively with senior leaders and diverse internal and external constituencies.
• Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment in handling highly confidential or sensitive personnel, academic, financial, and institutional information.
• Demonstrated project-management skills, including developing work plans, coordinating multiple contributors, tracking deliverables, and completing complex assignments within demanding timeframes.
• Experience performing or coordinating financial transactions such as purchasing, travel and entertainment reimbursement, invoice processing, reconciliation, and recordkeeping.
• Advanced proficiency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to learn and use organization-specific administrative, financial, and collaboration systems, including Slack for internal communications and Asana for task management.
• Demonstrated commitment to professional, respectful, responsive, and inclusive service and ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Thorough knowledge of UC Santa Cruz or comparable higher-education administrative structures, policies, protocols, and procedures.
• Substantial experience supporting a dean, vice chancellor, chair, or other senior executive in a complex higher-education or similarly decentralized organization.
• Experience independently coordinating high-profile meetings, events, reviews, or executive projects involving multiple senior stakeholders.
• Knowledge of applicable records-management, privacy, accessibility, and student-information requirements, including FERPA where relevant.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• Ability to ascend/descend ladders with or without accommodation.
• Ability to safely perform the physical requirements necessary to move light to moderate objects up to 60 lbs., with or without accommodation.
• The selected candidate will be required to work primarily on campus, with periods of remote work possible based on operational needs. If a hybrid work schedule is confirmed, the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Ability to occasionally work overtime with little or no advance notice.
• Ability to respond to emergencies after hours as necessary.
• Ability to work overtime including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays to meet operational needs, and work an alternate work schedule shift as required.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information, and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.