About this role
Working at USF
With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF‘s rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.
About USF
The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.
Compliance and Federal Notices
This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.
Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws:
The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. This job description does not constitute an employment contract.
Salary Range: $60,000 to $70,000 annually Organizational Summary: The University of South Florida College of Education serves a community of over 2,200 students and 130 faculty members dedicated to advancing high-quality education through excellence in research, teaching, and learning. Accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and fully approved by the Florida Department of Education, the college offers innovative teacher training and collaborative graduate programs aimed at developing educational leaders. In partnership with school districts across the Tampa Bay region, the college is committed to extending proven educational initiatives and exploring new approaches to preparing lifelong learners. Whether pursuing initial teaching certification or advancing professional development through graduate studies, the college provides comprehensive resources and support to help students achieve their educational and career goals. Position Summary: The Executive Assistant serves as a trusted partner to the Dean and a central point of coordination for the Dean's Office. The position manages the Dean's time, information, commitments, meetings, communications, and administrative workflow while providing responsive support to College and University leadership and external stakeholders.
The position requires the ability to anticipate needs, manage multiple priorities and competing demands, coordinate effectively with multiple associate deans and senior leaders, exercise sound judgment, independently research and synthesize information, maintain exceptional confidentiality, and bring matters to completion without requiring repeated intervention from the Dean.
Success requires both executive judgment and a willingness to personally execute the administrative details necessary to keep the Dean and Dean's Office operating effectively.
Key Responsibilities: Executive Calendar, Administrative Support, and Follow-Through
Serves as the primary gatekeeper for the Dean's time and attention and strategically and operationally manages the Dean's calendar. Exercises sound judgment and appropriate authority in making routine scheduling, access, referral, and prioritization decisions consistent with the Dean's priorities. Communicates decisions diplomatically and confidently, including when requests should be declined, deferred, shortened, delegated, or redirected. Regularly assesses the Dean's calendar and workload, identifies conflicts and capacity concerns, and recommends appropriate adjustments.
Schedules meetings and appointments, coordinates participants and logistics, resolves conflicts, and protects sufficient time for preparation, strategic work, priority initiatives, travel time, and other responsibilities rather than simply filling available calendar time.
Anticipates the Dean's needs and ensures preparation for meetings and engagements by developing agendas and assembling background information, presentations, correspondence, briefing materials, and other necessary documents.
Personally manages the transactional work associated with executive support, including scheduling meetings; preparing agendas and meeting materials; booking travel and preparing itineraries; processing travel documentation and reimbursements; drafting and formatting correspondence; maintaining records and files; coordinating meeting logistics; and supporting events and executive engagements.
Maintains reliable systems for tracking decisions, assignments, commitments, requests, and deadlines. Proactively follows up with responsible individuals, obtains missing information, identifies stalled matters, communicates status and next steps, and ensures appropriate closure without requiring repeated intervention from the Dean.
Leadership Coordination, Communication, and Service
Coordinates effectively with multiple associate deans and other senior leaders with complex and sometimes overlapping portfolios, priorities, and demands. Navigates competing requests and interpersonal dynamics with professionalism, diplomacy, composure, consistency, and sound judgment. Responds constructively to direct feedback, changing priorities, and ambiguity.
Serves as a professional representative of the Dean and College with senior university leaders, faculty and staff, students, donors, alumni, community and industry partners, school district leaders, candidates, and other VIP stakeholders. Provides responsive, courteous, solutions-oriented service and takes ownership of inquiries and requests through resolution whenever possible.
Triages incoming communications, determines appropriate priorities and referrals, gathers information needed for responses, drafts correspondence on behalf of the Dean, and ensures timely follow-through. Communicates decisions, responsibilities, deadlines, and completed actions clearly and maintains appropriate documentation.
Confidentiality, Discretion, and Executive Judgment
Serves in a position of exceptional trust and maintains strict confidentiality regarding personnel matters, leadership discussions, institutional decisions, organizational changes, strategic planning, and other sensitive information.
Exercises mature judgment regarding what information may be shared, with whom, and when. Understands that information encountered through proximity to the Dean may be preliminary, incomplete, privileged, sensitive, or inappropriate for discussion outside the Dean's Office. Maintains appropriate professional boundaries while developing positive and productive working relationships throughout the College and University.
Research, Executive Materials, and Quality Standards
Independently researches issues relevant to College and University leadership using authoritative sources, including university, State University System, AAU, governmental, accreditation, and peer institution resources. Identifies appropriate sources and synthesizes findings into concise, accurate, decision-ready briefings, summaries, comparisons, and background materials.
Prepares polished presentations, reports, agendas, correspondence, meeting materials, and other executive documents. Work produced by the Dean's Office is expected to meet a consistently high standard for accuracy, organization, writing, visual presentation, and attention to detail. Materials should be executive-ready and appropriate to the audience without requiring substantial correction, reformatting, or redesign by the Dean.
Demonstrates advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook and calendar management, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word, as well as Canva or comparable visual-design tools. Uses technology to organize work, track commitments, manage information, improve collaboration, and streamline administrative processes and demonstrates the ability to learn new productivity and AI enabled tools.
Travel, Meetings, and Events
Coordinates the Dean's travel, including transportation, accommodations, itineraries, briefing materials, documentation, and reimbursement processes. Coordinates executive meetings and events from preparation through completion, including agendas, materials, logistics, notes, decisions, action items, and follow-up. Supports College events and high-profile engagements as needed.
Work Schedule and Responsiveness
This position primarily operates during normal university business hours; however, executive-level support occasionally requires responsiveness outside regular working hours. The Executive Assistant must have the flexibility to occasionally work evenings or weekends when required by urgent matters, executive travel, major events, time-sensitive communications, or significant College or University needs. The Dean's Office values reasonable work boundaries and does not expect routine after-hours work; however, the individual must recognize when circumstances require timely attention and respond appropriately.
Minimum Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent with at least five years of experience in administrative or office support roles, or a Bachelor’s degree with three years of related experience. Additional education may not be substituted for this experience requirement. Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree. • Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S. • SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements • A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed: • (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree; • (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree; • (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree; • (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or • (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree • Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment. • Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310. Preferred Qualifications: Formal education beyond the minimum qualification is not required. Particular consideration will be given to demonstrated executive-support experience, judgment, technological capability, discretion, service orientation, initiative, quality of work, and reliable execution.
• Significant experience providing executive or high-level administrative support, preferably to a senior executive in a complex organization. • Demonstrated ability to manage a complex executive calendar, exercise appropriate judgment regarding access and priorities and protect time for high-priority work. • Exceptional judgment, discretion, professional composure, adaptability, and ability to respond constructively to feedback. • Demonstrated initiative and a strong record of ownership, follow-through, and bringing assignments and requests to completion without repeated oversight. • Experience preparing executive agendas, meeting materials, correspondence, presentations, travel arrangements, and records with a high degree of accuracy and polish. • Strong visual judgment and demonstrated ability to produce polished, professional, executive-level presentations and materials. • Ability to independently research unfamiliar issues, identify authoritative information, and synthesize findings into useful executive materials. • Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and customer-service skills, including the ability to interact professionally with senior leaders and VIP stakeholders. • Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word and proficiency with Canva or comparable visual-design tools. • Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage multiple simultaneous priorities, deadlines, stakeholders, and workstreams. • Ability to anticipate needs, take appropriate action without continuous direction, and recognize when an issue requires escalation. • Experience developing or using systems to track decisions, assignments, deadlines, follow-up, and completion. • Experience in higher education, government, nonprofit, corporate, or another complex organizational environment is preferred but not required. • Performs other duties as assigned.