Careers @ MSU

Working/Functional Title

Assistant to CFEI Directors

Position Summary

Michigan State University Extension is committed to fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment, which requires all staff to contribute toward a vision for success regardless of title or position within the organization. We strive to create a positive culture, access to resources, and a sense of belonging for staff, partners, and programming participants. This means that all staff at MSU Extension are dedicated to the following:

• We work together to ensure that programming is available to all audiences, creates meaningful and positive impacts for participants, and demonstrates partnership and collaboration across communities.
• We understand that a welcoming and respectful environment is built through the efforts of everyone.
• We foster an environment that welcomes a broad range of perspectives and experiences, ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute and thrive.
• We ensure that every team member is prepared with the skills and resources to contribute to our welcoming and supportive culture.
• We foster an environment that values a range of perspectives, skills, and experiences by working to ensure access to programming for communities.
• We commit to continuous learning and engagement to better serve Michigan residents and meet the evolving needs of communities.
• We recognize that broad accessibility and collaboration are essential elements of our work and are vital to organizational and programmatic success.
• We embrace a culture of understanding, coaching, and feedback toward achieving a vision of success for the entire organization and its staff.
• Together we will achieve success and we commit to these goals in our work, continued education, and ongoing efforts.

POSITION SUMMARY

Interacts with administrators, staff, faculty, and the public to represent the supervising administrators. Monitors and reports personnel and budgetary matters. Provides administrative support to institute leadership.

This position serves as the administrative support for the Director and Associate Director for the Community, Food and Environment Institute (CFEI) of Michigan State University Extension (MSUE). In this position, you will fulfill a wide variety of responsibilities that require professional judgment, independent decision-making, and professional experience in order to represent the director, associate director, and MSU Extension to multiple high-level internal and external stake holders, as well as community leaders. Essential to your success in this position is the ability to develop and maintain positive and cordial relationships with Extension and College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) executive leadership, including the MSUE administrative team, university officials, and internal and external partners. An important element will be acting as a liaison between the Director and Associate Director of the Community, Food and Environment Institute and all of the above-mentioned units and individuals in order to provide information and feedback.

Your administrative support responsibilities include drafting correspondence for the director and associate director, triaging requests for meetings and managing the complex and very tight calendars with independent ability to “bump and reschedule", or cancel appointments to facilitate physical presence across the state of Michigan. You will be expected to interpret, summarize, and relay sensitive information or materials to keep the director and associate director well informed. You will book travel and submit reimbursement requests, as well as lead or assist in the planning of various events and meetings. You will also provide supervision for student and support staff employees in the future.

Further, you will work in collaboration with the organizational design staff member and subject matter experts to support the development of online educational programs related to community and economic development, natural resources, food systems, and finance and homeownership education. This support will include providing online assistance in the development of and support for self-paced and instructor-led training of institute classes, seminars, works hops, and related projects, in consultation with and under the direction of the aforementioned team.

This position will work from the Michigan State University campus, located in East Lansing, Michigan.

Characteristic Duties/Responsibilities

• Prepares correspondence for the Administrator, including drafting responses, and sorting, reviewing, and distributing mail.
• Monitors the operations of the Institute to ensure that procedures and policies are followed and to keep administrators informed.
• Compiles information to produce periodic reports.
• Maintains administrators’ calendars, including scheduling meetings and making travel arrangements.
• Assists in supervising and training office personnel to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Office and/or Institute.
• Reads and summarizes materials to keep the Administrators informed of pertinent events and information.

Specific Responsibilities Include

• Provides direct high-level administrative support to the Director and Associate Director of the Community, Food and Environment Institute.
• Maintains executives’ calendars to ensure time is effectively scheduled.
• Provides supervision for student and support staff employees.
• Confirms agenda items and speakers, prepares agendas, and disseminates material for various meetings.
• Coordinates meetings and conferences that include university administrators, community executives, government officials and external partners and stakeholders.
• Gathers and updates visuals, slide decks, etc. for meetings and conferences.
• Manages equipment set up for presentations, webinars, videoconferencing, audio conferencing, and troubleshooting equipment failures, and assists during and after sessions, including any necessary follow-up .
• Acts as a resource to provide guidance and support to CFEI staff, county support staff, etc. for off campus activities that require assistance in managing equipment set up for presentations, webinars, videoconferencing, audio conferencing, and troubleshooting equipment failures, including assisting during and after sessions, and any necessary follow-up.
• Communicates and interacts with institute work teams to monitor technology-related needs such as equipment and support for virtual meetings.
• Creates documents, newsletters, interactive forms, organizational charts, and presentations using programs such a s Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, Adobe, Qualtrics, or other applicable software programs.
• Provides support across institute on the u se of technology, such as Microsoft Teams, Canva, PEARS, etc., to carry out institute-wide efforts, including planning, communication, etc.
• Under direction of subject matter experts, assist work teams in developing and maintaining training materials that enhance the learning experience of clients.
• Works with organizational educational design staff member; aids in the creation of online content and assists with quality control testing, auditing, and implement revisions as directed.
• Works with institute teams in supporting self-paced and instructor-led training, including creating online events for programming, and assists with maintaining programming-related webpages.
• Manages the course files and employee access to the institute’s Microsoft Teams space.
• Maintains a technology inventory, including, as needed, arranging for distribution of technology.
• Ensures confidential handling of sensitive information and confidential correspondence.
• Acts as primary contact for phone calls, inquiries and visitors meeting with the Director and Associate Director.
• Assists in handling a multiline phone system, prioritizing, and directing calls to the correct source(s).
• Schedules travel for the Director and Associate Director, including international, national, and local.
• Processes travel authorizations and vouchers, including serving as the primary contact for the Director and Associate Director’s transportation, using online scheduling system and coordinating payment process, ensuring all documentation is provided.
• Develops and maintains positive and cordial relationships with Extension and College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) executive leadership including the MSUE administrative team, the CANR Dean, Assistant/Associate Deans, department chairs, university officials, and internal and external partners.
• Develops and maintains positive and cordial relationships with Extension educators & specialists.
• Other duties as assigned including diverse project management responsibilities.

Minimum Requirements

• Knowledge equivalent to that which would normally be acquired through a high school education with course work in word processing, typing, shorthand, and grammar.
• Five to eight years of related and progressively more expansive work experience in maintaining account ledgers, word processing, editing, composing correspondence, spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing, and/or presentation software.
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• This position requires or will require prior to the completion of the probationary period: knowledge of basic personal computer terminology and operations, and the ability to use e-mail and the Internet.

Desired Qualifications

• Prior supervision experience.
• Five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience providing high-level secretarial support for multiple high-level staff in a fast-paced, dynamic, and complex organization.
• Effective oral and written communication skills .
• Demonstrated ability for accuracy and thoroughness.
• Proficiency in use of technology (e.g., Zoom, Qualtrics, Microsoft 365 including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook for mail/calendaring , spreadsheets, scheduling, virtual learning platforms, Internet browsers/web research, etc.), and ability to learn new skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships intra- and inter-organizationally.
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity, knowledge, and use of appropriate approaches, skills, and techniques, which reflect an understanding and awareness of social, cultural, and economic diversity of the target population served.
• Proven ability to work independently and problem solve in a multi-tasking environment with numerous deadlines.
• Excellent organizational, planning, time management, and project management skills.
• Experience with MSU policies and procedures for booking and processing travel, including transportation and coordination of payment process.
• Familiarity with set-up and use of equipment used during presentations and meetings, including, but not limited to video-conferencing and audio-conferencing equipment, and troubleshooting equipment failures.
• Self-starter who can effectively work both independently and in a team environment with the ability to serve in both leadership and contributor roles.
• Bachelor’s degree in educational systems development or a related educational programs development area, and/or field related to the area of expertise.
• Ability to lift and carry educational materials, equipment, etc. up to 25 lbs.
• Proven ability in establishing and working with a diverse network of constituents and community members across race, color, gender, national origin, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, veteran status, socioeconomic class, and other differences.
• Other skills and/or physical abilities as required to perform duties of the position.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

Current resume/CV.

Cover letter.

Four (4) professional references including two (2) current or previous supervisors.

Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5

Bidding eligibility ends April 29, 2025, 11:55 PM