Job Openings
Executive Assistant to the Vice President and General Counsel
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Vice President and General Counsel (VPGC) is MIT’s chief legal officer. He is responsible for shaping MIT’s approach to legal affairs, compliance and policies, and leading the Office of the General Counsel as well as the Risk Management and Compliance Services Office. He also is a member of MIT President Kornbluth’s senior team.
Position Overview: The VPGC seeks a poised and professional Executive Assistant who has a deep understanding of the role of a Vice President at the Institute and who will provide exceptional executive level administrative support. The Executive Assistant will seamlessly manage the VPGC’s demanding and complex schedule. He/she must be detail-oriented, proactive, quick and efficient in managing meetings and appointments and must prioritize competing demands for the VPGC’s time. The Executive Assistant must be a critical thinker who can manage multiple assignments and use independent judgment in decision making to accomplish tasks that can be urgent, confidential and sensitive in nature. He/she must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and collaborate with colleagues supporting the Institute’s senior academic and administrative leadership. He/she must exhibit a high degree of professionalism and trustworthiness, and will provide excellent support in a demanding but collegial environment.
Essential Functions:
- Act as first point of contact, greet in-person visitors and serve as gatekeeper to the VPGC;
- Coordinate and manage the VPGC’s calendar; work with individuals inside and outside the Institute to quickly and effectively schedule, and make real-time calendar adjustments;
- Coordinate complex and detailed domestic and international travel and itineraries, and prepare expense reports;
- Track action items and commitments for the VPGC;
- Manage day-to-day operations of the VPGC suite;
- Triage incoming issues from the MIT community or externally, with little supervision;
- Develop and maintain excellent relationships with staff and leadership at the highest levels at MIT, and with clients, outside law firms, and other contacts;
- Generate reports, presentations and other materials, including highly complex and confidential materials, submitted to the Senior Team, Executive Committee, MIT Corporation, and faculty;
- Draft, proofread, and conduct fact and citation checking of documents and correspondence;
- Conduct online research;
- Organize and manage physical and electronic records in OGC’s document management system;
- Work with VIP IT team to quickly troubleshoot technology issues;
- Arrange conference space as necessary; coordinate catering, equipment and/or A/V needs;
- Perform other office-wide duties for OGC as needed.
Supervision Received: The Executive Assistant reports directly to the Vice President and General Counsel.
Qualifications & Skills:
- A minimum of seven years’ experience as an executive assistant;
- Experience working with high-level or C-suite executives within a large organization or university environment preferred;
- Excellent organizational, time management, project management, writing and proofreading, and communication skills;
- Extensive experience with complex calendar management;
- Experience dealing with sensitive, highly confidential matters, that require the utmost degree of diplomacy and confidentiality;
- Ability to work well under pressure while handling multiple tasks simultaneously is essential;
- Ability to troubleshoot, anticipate, and meet strict deadlines, and manage a sustained and frequently high volume of work with speed, efficiency, accuracy and attention to detail;
- Experience dealing with a wide variety of people with tact, courtesy and professionalism;
- Advanced-level computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Suite, document comparison tools, Zoom, Adobe, and DropBox required;
- Experience with document management systems required; experience with iManage/Work10 preferred;
- High School diploma required; Bachelor’s degree preferred;
- MIT experience or experience working in academia, or legal environment preferred.
OGC works on a hybrid schedule. This position requires flexibility in hours and in-office days as required by the VPGC. Occasional evening, early morning, and/or weekend hours may also be necessary. With this position, being available by email and text is important. Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check.
Interested applicants should apply via the MIT Careers webpage: Job code 25052. This is a pay grade 8 position. More information on the MIT pay structure is available on the HR website.