Assistant to External Relations Team

Access to affordable higher education is the key to a lifetime of opportunities. And advocacy and outreach efforts are critical to fostering support for students and the institutions they attend. The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities' (WAICU) mission is to ensure educational opportunity. WAICU advances the interests and promotes the development of independent colleges and universities in Wisconsin. We advocate for equitable public policy affecting higher education in Wisconsin and nationally, and cost-effective allocation of public funds to assure freedom of choice for students in selecting an institution of higher education.

The assistant to the external relations team will join a talented team responsible for WAICU’s outreach to state and federal elected officials and policy makers and internal and external stakeholders to promote Wisconsin’s private, nonprofit sector of higher education. These efforts are focused on extending the visibility, reach, and effectiveness of the WAICU mission:
Wisconsin’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities working together for educational opportunity. The ideal candidate will exhibit high standards, excellent communication skills, and have an ability to take initiative, and prioritize daily tasks. A strong ability to take charge and meet tight deadlines will ensure your success in this multi-faceted role.

As the Assistant to External Relations Team here are the responsibilities, we'll entrust you with…

• Assist the executive vice president for external relations in managing internal and external meetings requests and events.
• Support external relations initiatives by helping to manage the organization's relationships with WAICU’s advocacy network and other stakeholders. Support the implementation of grassroots campaigns through advocacy software for mobilizing supporters to engage with policymakers and advocate for the organization's priorities.
• Support executive vice president and external relations team with Wisconsin ethics compliance requirements as mandated by state law.
• Provide support for planning and executing events to engage with government officials, policymakers, businesses, and other stakeholders.
• Prepare a variety of materials from draft, including correspondence, memoranda, emails, agendas, schedules, reports, and meeting materials. Proofread and edit documents for typos, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and general sentence structure. Distribute the work product as directed and ensure that work products are treated to protect confidentiality, as appropriate.
• Support executive vice president for external relations with federal and state compliance requirements.

• Provide general administrative support to the External Relations Team.
• Support the director for marketing and communications to manage website backups, design and information updates, and upgrades.
• Assist the Director of Outreach and High School Partnerships with scheduling, logistical, and informational support to WAICU outreach programs, high school college nights, school counselor workshops and occasional scholarship and internship administration. Attend events as a WAICU representative as needed.
• Coordinate timely distribution and manage inventory of all publications including WAICU outreach materials and publications.
• Support scheduling of school counselor workshops, and other meetings, including meeting planning, online or other forms of registration, catering, meeting materials, post-meeting evaluations, collection of fees, and coordination with meeting hosts and sponsors.

• This person is also a member of the administrative team, answering phones, processing transcript requests, submitting requests for payment, and other related tasks. Work as a team player with other assistants and teams.
• Perform word processing, spreadsheet, and database projects.
• Serve as WAICU Welcome Wednesday event technician. Schedule and set up online meeting options and manage all backup logistics during events.
• Support and maintain the client relationship management database for external relations mailings and publications, both electronic and physical.
• Support WAICU strategic planning initiatives.

• Knowledge of government affairs process
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Must be able to lift twenty-five pounds
• Must have a valid driver’s license for WAICU travel
• Available for a limited number of evening events with some travel required and possible overnight stays.

Positive Attitude, Exceptional Organization Skills, Strong Communication Skills, Accountable, Trustworthy, Adaptable, Detail Oriented, Dependable