Senior Administrative Professional to Chair

Senior Administrative Professional To The Chair

The University of Virginia's School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences seeks an Executive Assistant to provide high-level administrative and operational support to a department chair. This position serves as a central point of coordination among the Chair, departmental leadership, faculty, staff, trainees, university officials, clinical partners, and external stakeholders. The Executive Assistant manages complex scheduling, communications, meetings, travel, correspondence, and administrative priorities while exercising discretion, sound judgment, and a high degree of professionalism.

The position supports the Chair's academic, clinical, research, and administrative responsibilities and helps ensure the effective coordination of departmental activities and strategic initiatives. The Executive Assistant is responsible for providing comprehensive administrative support within a complex academic medical environment. The position applies specialized administrative knowledge and organizational skills to coordinate daily operations, anticipate needs, resolve routine issues, and facilitate the Chair's priorities.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Manage the Chair's complex and frequently changing calendar, including prioritizing meeting requests, identifying scheduling conflicts, and coordinating across university, health system, and external organizations.
• Serve as a primary administrative liaison between the Chair and departmental leadership, faculty, staff, trainees, university offices, clinical partners, and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate departmental leadership meetings, faculty meetings, retreats, interviews, presentations, and other special events.
• Prepare agendas, meeting materials, briefing documents, presentations, correspondence, reports, and minutes.
• Track decisions, assignments, deadlines, and follow-up activities resulting from meetings and departmental initiatives.
• Draft, review, and edit communications on behalf of the Chair, ensuring accuracy, professionalism, and consistency.
• Receive and respond to inquiries, independently addressing routine matters and appropriately directing or escalating sensitive or complex issues.
• Coordinate travel arrangements, itineraries, registrations, reimbursements, and related documentation.
• Support faculty recruitment, candidate visits, leadership searches, onboarding activities, and other confidential personnel processes.
• Maintain organized records, files, contact lists, and administrative documentation in accordance with university policies and retention requirements.
• Assist with collecting, organizing, and summarizing information needed for departmental reports, presentations, accreditation activities, strategic planning, and leadership decision-making.
• Handle confidential and sensitive information related to faculty, staff, trainees, patients, and departmental operations with discretion.
• Develop and maintain effective administrative processes that improve communication, coordination, and operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with administrative colleagues throughout the department, School of Medicine, Medical Center, and university.
• Provide administrative support for departmental projects and strategic priorities as assigned.
• Perform other duties necessary to support the Chair and the effective operation of the department.

The position requires the ability to manage multiple competing priorities, work effectively with limited supervision, and adapt to changing departmental needs. The Executive Assistant must be a consummate team player who collaborates effectively, supports shared goals, contributes wherever needed, and builds positive working relationships across the department and organization. The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate initiative, attention to detail, responsiveness, diplomacy, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to professional service.

Minimum Requirements:

• Education:
  
  Bachelor's Degree or combination of education and related experience in lieu of a degree required.
• Experience:
  
  3+ years of relevant experience required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting senior leadership in a university, academic medical center, healthcare organization, or similarly complex environment.
• Experience managing complex executive calendars and coordinating meetings involving multiple senior-level stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Ability to work independently, anticipate administrative needs, and manage competing priorities under time-sensitive conditions.
• Experience coordinating travel, preparing executive-level correspondence, and supporting leadership meetings or special events.
• Familiarity with university or…