Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration

ANNOUNCMENT OF POSITION VACANCY

FLSA Status:

United States of America (Exempt)

Compensation:

$55,000-$60,000.

Commensurate with education and experience. Excellent health and retirement benefits package: Click here for more information!

SECTION I - OUR VALUES CULTIVATE OUR VISION AND CULTURE

At CMU, we believe in acting from a foundation of goodwill. This belief gives us the courage to form meaningful relationships, embark on joint endeavors and take risks in the pursuit of new possibilities. It’s this courage that enables the Mavily to explore new ways of thinking and doing, knowing that there is no perfect solution, no perfect idea.
From this place of humility and courage, we’ve built a culture of resilience. We invest in the future by continuously adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and seizing new opportunities. We recognize that change is constant, and our resilience allows us to embrace it with confidence. Endless curiosity drives us to approach the unexpected as if it were expected, seeing opportunities for discovery and renewal in every challenge. In this community rooted in love and dignity, curiosity thrives, leading to endless opportunities for growth and advancement.
Inspired by the soul of the West—the spirit that our region embodies—we emerge as a force for positive change, harnessing our collective power to build a Human Scale University that reflects our values and brings to life our shared vision of the world we aspire to create.
Colorado Mesa University Core Values
Love - Extending oneself for nurturing the growth of self and others
Dignity - Respecting the intrinsic value of each person and believing that others act from a foundation of goodwill
Courage - Taking risks in the pursuit of new possibilities
Humility - Suspending one’s ego and pride to recognize that no idea is perfect and being open to the input of others
Resiliency - Investing in the future by adapting to changes, overcoming challenges and pursuing Opportunity
Curiosity - Cultivating awe and exploring the unknown
Power - The strength to act collaboratively with individual agency to achieve our goals

SECTION II – THE SEAT

At CMU, we look at every position as a seat. Every seat is vital and the individual in the seat contributes significantly to our mission of providing an affordable and accessible education and forming meaningful and mutually enriching partnerships that support the well-being and vibrancy of our community. As a human centric organization, a priority is to ensure we have the “right seats” in our organization, and that the expectations, ownership and accountabilities are defined and communicated clearly for the success of the individuals holding the seats.

The Executive Assistant (EA) serves as a key catalyst for effective and timely operations within Finance & Administration (F&A). The EA provides specific administrative support to the Senior Vice for Finance & Administration and supports the success of CMU more broadly by: serving as the primary scribe for division L10 meetings; supporting effective quarterly and annual planning for the division; building good relationships across campus; coordinating with other EAs. The EA also acts as an individual contributor with reporting and analysis responsibilities.
Support Finance & Administration reporting deadlines, goals, and milestones through light project management skills and strong interpersonal skills.

OVERVIEW AND ROLE SCOPE OF TEAM AND/OR TASKS

Assist Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration

• Manage the Vice President’s calendar for effective use of meeting time and availability of adequate focus time.
• Coordinate and process travel and purchasing requests for Vice President and divisional personnel and candidates.
• Anticipate the Vice President’s needs by proactively identifying supply requirements, resolving calendar conflicts, and preparing necessary materials prior to need arising.
• Confirm expectations by clarifying the timeliness, scope, and quality of work to be completed.
• Provide administrative support to the Vice President’s projects.

Facilitate Finance and Administration’s Success within CMU

• Coordinate routine and ad-hoc meetings (e.g., leadership, retirement, and budget), including scheduling, agenda prep, materials distribution, and minutes tracking.
• Support internal and external communication by drafting, editing, and reviewing correspondence, and engaging with faculty, staff, students, and external partners.
• Serve as a connection for campus personnel, students and leaders, providing guidance to appropriate procedures, resources, and document routing.

Support Finance and Administration’s Effective Operations

• Organize and maintain electronic filing system using Microsoft SharePoint.
• Develop and maintain professional reports, charts, and presentations to support leadership decision-making using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Maintain Finance and Administrations web presence.
• Serve as the Scribe for division L10 meetings
• Coordinate data gathering and responses for Colorado Open Records Act requests

Provide Reporting and Analysis of Finance and Human Resources Data

• Develop and maintain Workday Reports
• Validate Human Resource and Finance data in Edify
• Analyze budget, financial, health insurance, and other data as assigned
• Prepare and or review external finance reports, e.g., WICHE Tuition and Fee Survey
   

ROLES

• Assist Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration
• Facilitate Finance and Administration’s Success within CMU
• Support Finance and Administration’s Effective Operations
• Provide Reporting and Analysis of Finance and Human Resources Data

ACCOUNTABILITY TO RESULTS           

• Expected Rock (quarterly goals) completion is 80%.

CORE PROCESSES

Owned:

• Routine CORA Process Administration

• Finance & Admin Board Document Prep

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
DISCLAIMER - This position description is only a summary of the typical functions of this seat, and not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and areas of accountability. 

SECTION III – OUR DESIRES FOR RIGHT FIT

For the success of our mission and our teams, we desire to have individuals who are a “Right Fit” in our seats. We define “Right Fit” as those who embrace our culture, demonstrate our values, understand the seat and what is required. We seek individuals who want this seat, desire to be a part of a bigger vision and have the capacity to be a successful member of our CMU team.

CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS

• Analyze information and deliver insights to support executive decision-making.
• Understand financial and administrative structures, policies, and procedures of the university.
• Able to exceptionally manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrate a willingness and ability to collaborate with others within and outside the department.
• Requires ability to exercise discretion, judgment, and decision-making, particularly as it relates to compensation, legal, Board, and personnel communications and processes.
• Maintain a high level of professionalism in all interactions and communications.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE FOR RIGHT FIT

• An earned Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or combination of education and experience necessary to
  • provide administrative support in a complex business environment and
  • effectively use software tools to maintain documents and data sets
• Experience relating to the essential duties above.
• Ability to prioritize assignments, assist in event planning, organize work, demonstrate initiative and follow-through, and complete multiple tasks with critical deadlines with minimal or no direction.
• Able to exercise independent judgment in an ambiguous environment, regarding the prioritization of competing demands.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team and establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with diverse groups of internal and external constituencies.
• Must demonstrate the ability to exercise good judgment and discretion in handing confidential information.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

The language skills include:

• Ability to read, analyze and interpret general written materials, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations.
• Ability to write reports and prepare and conduct verbal and visual presentation of materials. 
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from top management, public groups, and board of directors.

REASONING ABILITY

Strategic and analytical reasoning skills are necessary. Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the individual is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear. The individual must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the individual in this position will encounter while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The individual typically performs the duties of the job in an open office setting. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud at times, with several disruptions throughout the day.

Deadline: Review of applications will begin on September 21, 2026, and will continue weekly until the position is filled.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants will be asked to complete an online application by creating a profile and then providing personal and demographic information. In addition, please be prepared to upload a:

• Cover letter

• Resume

• Copy of transcripts for all degrees completed (if your transcripts include a social security number or birthdate, please redact that information before uploading the document. Official transcripts will be required upon hire)

Colorado Mesa University is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and who have a demonstrated commitment to improving the levels of access and success for underrepresented students within higher education.
Colorado Mesa University is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial and/or motor vehicle history. Applicant must be able to verify U.S. employment eligibility. Colorado Mesa University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a culturally diverse faculty, staff and student body. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact the CMU Human Resources Office by phone or email. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and the type of accommodation needed.