(Hybrid) Special Assistant, Administration

The President's Office at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Special Assistant.

About the Opportunity

This position provides logistical and operational support to the West Virginia University Board of Governors, the WVU Research Corporation (WVURC), the Office of General Counsel, and Executive Initiatives, while managing complex, confidential, and time-sensitive matters that advance WVU's mission and institutional objectives.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Board of Governors Duties

The Board has responsibility for the financial, business, and educational policies and affairs of the University consistent with all relevant laws and regulations governing the Board and/or higher education. As such, this position plays a vital and day-to-day role in the governance and integrity of West Virginia University.

• Supports the West Virginia University Board of Governors in all aspects of their operations and concomitantly supports the senior leadership team in their responsibilities to the Board of Governors.
• Coordinates compilation of the agenda for regular Board meetings and those of Board committee meetings, ensuring appropriate timing of issues to meet internal and external deadlines, as well as consults to assure meetings comply with all laws, regulations, and policies that pertain to the WVU Board of Governors.
• Assures completion and transmission of appropriate official documents to memorialize and implement Board actions as well as compliance with various reporting requirements.
• Consults and produces the Board schedule of meetings and completes all required postings including filing with the Secretary of State's office within prescribed deadlines. This includes regular meetings, all committee meetings, and emergency meetings.
• Apprises university-wide constituencies of due dates for agenda items as well as Board meetings.
• Tracks and ensures all mandated agenda items are appropriately scheduled.
• Plays key role in coordinating resources, advising participants and assuring all logistics.
• Receives, reviews, and processes all agenda items and prepares agenda books for all Board meetings, including committee meetings.
• Provides leadership in implementing board support software and serves as primary administrator of the paperless board meeting program.
• Makes and/or supports travel and hotel arrangements for Board members and travel reimbursements consistent with all university regulations and policies. Communicates with Board members on meeting arrangements, individually and collectively, as appropriate.
• Takes and transcribes meeting notes for all Board meetings, including committee meetings and publishes minutes to constitute the official record of the Board.
• Assures appropriate disposition of approved agenda items (e.g., process County Extension appointments, transmit annual policy list to Higher Education Policy Commission, obtain authorizing signatures, etc.), which are critical to the operating integrity of the University.
• Responsible, either directly or in support, for compliance with the prescribed requirements for processing policies being considered by the Board, which includes public posting, compilation of comments, preparation of materials, posting revisions and comments, etc.
• Responsible for ensuring all Board members meet training/educational requirements set forth by State Legislature and implemented through the Higher Education Policy Commission. This includes tracking and identifying/developing opportunities for the required hours as well as submitting justification to the Policy Commission for approval.
• Maintains and updates historical record of the Board.
• Provides administrative assistance to Chair of the Board, as well as committee chairs, as needed, including scheduling meetings.
• Serves as a liaison for the University and the Board with the Higher Education Policy Commission by submitting required reports, responding to requests, triaging information, and assuring training requirements are met.
• Responsible for maintaining the Board of Governors website, including posting of all agendas, meeting minutes, as well as updating all navigation within the site (i.e., membership information, policies, procedures, etc.)
• Other duties in support of Board's role for the University.

Research Corporation Duties

The WVU Research Corporation (WVURC) was created as a not-for-profit corporation in 1985 to support research at West Virginia University. The WVURC is a fiscal agent for WVU, which as a component of West Virginia state government, is authorized by statute to contract with WVURC to provide research assistance for state institutions of higher education. WVURC receives and administers funds awarded by external agencies including NSF for research and other sponsored activities, in a manner deemed by statute to enhance the competitive position of state institutions of higher education for research and development, more expeditiously facilitate expenditures for equipment and material for research projects, and simplify and expedite acquisition and utilization of research grants.

• Provide administrative support for the WVU Research Corporation board meetings, including scheduling, sharing agenda, assuring meeting logistics, and taking minutes for the meetings.
• Assure deadlines are met and actions by the Board are recorded and implemented.
• Gathering, organizing and sharing materials for the Board meetings.
• Maintaining history of actions, decisions, and relevant materials related to the WVURC Board.
• Posting meetings and ensuring filing deadlines are met with the Secretary of State.
• Provide follow-up administrative support and other duties as needs arise.

WVU Office of the General Counsel

The Office of General Counsel provides quality legal advice, guidance, and service in support of West Virginia University's mission. More specifically, the Office of General Counsel provides a full range of legal services to the University in a variety of areas, including, but not limited to: business transactions, litigation, real estate, employment, immigration, corporate governance, student issues, statutory and regulatory compliance, healthcare, copyright, and intellectual property. The broad scope of responsibilities and the unpredictable nature of the work requires unique administrative support. This position will maintain duties as needed, with deference to the required support and timelines for the Board of Governors, including but not limited to:

• Support attorney(s) on special projects, cases, litigation.
• Organization of materials around special projects, litigation, case management, or other work of the Office of General Counsel.
• Scheduling of attorney time and otherwise supporting the day-to-day work of attorney(s).
• Contributing to the management of timelines and deadlines related to cases, regulatory compliance, court orders, and other legal services managed by the Office of General Counsel.

Executive Initiatives Duties

This position will be asked to provide staff support for executive initiatives and external partnership work and partnerships.

• Prepare and/or organize briefing documents
• Maintain records for follow-up and tracking
• Prepare and send correspondence
• Support follow-up as requested such as gathering information, coordinating follow-up meetings or carrying out other actions to follow-through on outstanding tasks with donor(s) or corporate partner(s).
• Other tasks as requested by the Vice President and Chief of Staff.
  

• Bachelor's degree
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience involving work in higher education, work in legal field/law office, or equivalent complex and regulated environment.
• Strong record of responsibility and experience in administrative support which evidences the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed above.
• Experience in a legal or regulatory environment is preferred.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Strong commitment to ethics and integrity
• Excellent organizational skills, including exemplary ability to simultaneously process multiple tasks, meet deadlines, communicate with multiple people and constituencies at the same time;
• Demonstrated ability handling highly confidential and sensitive matters.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively and efficiently handle multiple, simultaneous, and complex tasks and projects
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research and utilize critical analysis skills
• Demonstrated excellent writing skills, and the ability to gather and organize large quantities of information to present a succinct presentation of complex issues and to independently draft and prepare clear and concise correspondence, memoranda, reports and comprehensive meeting agendas, in final form, requiring collection of materials from a variety of sources
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and departments, as well as external stakeholders and regulating authorities
• Ability to rapidly acquire and continually update and understand the policies and procedures of the University, the State and other regulatory bodies.
• Ability to learn and master the paperless Board materials portal to create, organize, upload and manage materials, as well as other digital resources for the Board.
• Ability to maintain and update the WVU BOG website utilizing appropriate software and protocols
• Ability to work independently with discretion and judgement

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.