Associate, Academic Affairs

Summary

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. APLU seeks an Associate, Academic Affairs to provide administrative and logistical support to the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA), including APLU’s Council on Academic Affairs (CAA), a forum for discussion among university provosts or senior vice presidents around issues and trends in higher education and the public mission, and its related committees and taskforces, including the Committee on Faculty Affairs (CFA). Successful candidates will have strong meeting coordination, event planning, and administrative support skills. They will also have a facility with Excel and data and possess a keen attention to detail. This full-time position is based in Washington, DC. The incumbent must be eligible to work in the United States, reside in DC, MD, or VA, and pass standard background checks. They are eligible for a hybrid work schedule. For more information, consult www.aplu.org.

Background

APLU is a membership organization that fosters a community of university leaders collectively working to advance the mission of public research universities. The association’s membership consists of more than 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations spanning across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. territories, Canada, and Mexico. Annually, member campuses enroll 5.3 million undergraduates and 1.5 million graduate students, award 1.5 million degrees, employ 1.4 million faculty and staff, and conduct $67 billion in university-based research.

Responsibilities

• Provide general administrative support for the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA), including the Council on Academic Affairs (CAA) and the Committee on Faculty Affairs (CFA), including scheduling, notetaking, agenda management, office operations, contract administration, etc.
• Coordinate the logistics, planning, and administrative aspects of conferences, meetings, and events (both virtual and in-person) for OAA, including CAA, CFA, and grant-funded projects, such as obtaining, reviewing, and evaluating hotel contracts, drafting/compiling meeting materials, providing on-site support, etc.
• Coordinate data management for OAA, including ensuring data is up to date in APLU’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, and other databases and spreadsheets, processing CRM uploads, requesting reports from the CRM and reviewing them for accuracy, and managing contact requests that come in through the website.
• Draft and edit documents, emails, and other communications. Distribute communications using email marketing software as needed.
• Assist in the development of content and maintenance of the OAA’s online presence, including webpages, social media outlets, and blog entries as needed.
• Manage general OAA inboxes, ensuring that incoming emails are responded to appropriately and on a timely basis.
• Update and maintain the Office of Academic Affairs files, records, and archives.
• Maintain positive relations with a diverse group of member university representatives through in-person, virtual, and email interactions.
• Provide support for the financial activities of OAA including CAA, CFA, and grant-funded projects, by coordinating with APLU’s Office of Finance, processing payments, reconciling credit card accounts, etc.
• Participate as an integral member of the OAA Team and APLU and contribute to a welcoming and collegial workplace.
• Perform other duties as requested.

Preferred Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional administrative support experience. Work experience at a college/university, a higher education organization, a non-profit organization, or a non-profit involved with higher education issues is a plus.
• Experience planning and coordinating events, including workshops, webinars, and conferences.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. Comfort interacting with professionals at all levels.
• Demonstrated organizational skills. Ability to take direction from, and communicate with, multiple team members, keep track of activities and priorities on multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to identify potential issues and bring them to the attention of the appropriate team members as they arise.
• Ability to maintain poise, professionalism, focus, consistency, and accuracy under pressure.
• Experience with Office365 is highly preferred, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Teams, Planner, and SharePoint as well as experience managing virtual meetings, especially via Zoom.
• Experience using a customer relations management (CRM) system and databases is a plus. Comfort using and learning new technologies.
• Commitment to the work of OAA and APLU.
• Ability to travel domestically three or more times a year.