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The Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President (SVP) for Communications supports the leadership function of a division committed to providing strategic direction in communications, reputation elevation, marketing, and constituency engagement. Reporting directly to the SVP, the assistant serves as a central point of communication for the full staff reporting to the SVP, and works closely with the SVP’s team members to ensure open communication and progress on issues and special projects.

The Executive Assistant manages the allocation of the Senior Vice President’s time and commitments, prepares background materials, drafts presentations, writes correspondence, and handles logistics for meetings, gatherings, special events, initiatives, and programs hosted by the SVP’s office. The incumbent maintains a strong working knowledge of Brown University’s policies, processes, and operations, engages in writing, editing, and oral communications to assist the SVP in communicating with a broad range of campus partners and stakeholders, and supports the SVP’s role as an executive editor for web content, video, and high‑level editorial and marketing collateral. The assistant engages in research, contributes to management of core platforms and initiatives overseeing dissemination of university communications, and exercises diplomacy and discretion in managing sensitive information.

1. Manage core aspects of the Office of the Senior Vice President, including constituent relations, financial coordination of the central budget, vendor contracts, invoicing, and human resources. Serve as first point of contact for the SVP, triage questions, identify critical issues, consult with direct reports, delegate, and act as liaison between the SVP and OUC staff. Manage vendors, support personnel searches and hiring, coordinate Workday Financial activities, oversee purchase requests and contracts, process financial transactions, manage major purchases, and provide recommendations for system and policy improvements.

   • Serve as a key liaison between the SVP and OUC staff, sharing key information about operations, deadlines, and materials.
   • Work closely and communicate with the SVP to prioritize responsibilities and projects.
   • Receive all telephone communications for the SVP.
   • Support personnel searches involving application management, interview scheduling, and onboarding.
   • Serve as the Workday Financial Coordinator for the Office of the Senior Vice President for Communications and collaborate with the Finance Division’s Financial Analyst for Communications on budget and transactions.
   • Oversee purchase requests and contracts for office purchases and vendor professional service agreements.
   • Process and track financial transactions, prepare expense reports, and manage office charges.

2. Manage the Senior Vice President’s schedule and plan internal and external meetings, and sustain relationships with campus executives, stakeholders, and constituents through responsive scheduling. Track inquiries, prioritize based on institutional matters, coordinate shared events, prepare meeting formats and presentation materials, and organize logistics including space, audio‑visual, catering, travel, and transportation. Manage membership and meetings convened by the SVP, including all‑staff meetings, retreats, and committees such as the Brown Communicators Group and President’s Advisory Council on Communications. Capture after‑action items, research travel details, prepare briefing packets, and maintain the evolving schedule with daily notifications.

3. Contribute to management of core platforms and initiatives overseen by the SVP, including moderation of content for the Today@Brown daily email distribution, event moderation through Events@Brown, data synthesis and brief preparation, and support for major events such as Commencement and Reunion Weekend.

4. Support the Senior Vice President’s role as executive editor for web content, video, and marketing collateral. Work with project managers in Client Relations, News and Editorial Development, and Web and Digital Communications to input or update content edited by the SVP. Use CMS, design software, and digital document sharing platforms to make content edits, audit updates, and ensure consistency across written, visual, and video content.

5. Remain knowledgeable about issues and initiatives affecting the University and higher education to sustain contextual knowledge. Read the Morning Memo, Today@Brown, and News from Brown; participate in Workday Learning and other trainings; and serve on relevant committees such as OUC All‑Staff and Brown Communicators Group.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 5 years of professional experience, preferably in communications, public relations, marketing, or higher education.
• Experience with financial management preferred.

• Excellent writing and editing skills, oral communication, and the ability to distill concepts.
• Full proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Working knowledge of InDesign and Adobe Acrobat.
• Strong computer and transcription skills and commitment to attention to detail.
• Capacity for initiative, problem solving, learning new processes with minimum supervision, and confidence to make decisions.
• Experience with web content management systems and digital project management platforms.
• Strong knowledge of social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).
• Ability to conduct research and share conclusions.
• Demonstrated planning and organizational skills with a strong customer service orientation.
• Capacity to manage multiple tasks with competing deadlines, stay calm under pressure, and prioritize.
• Discretion, diplomacy, and ability to maintain confidential information.
• Professional demeanor, positive image, ability to represent the Office of University Communications.

Benefits information is available at the Brown University website.

Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, in the administration of its policies, programs, and activities. The University recognizes and rewards individuals on the basis of qualifications and performance. The University maintains certain affirmative action programs in compliance with applicable law.