How to Apply
A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.
Mission Statement
Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally. Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.
Job Summary
The Division of Geriatric & Palliative Medicine is seeking an Administrative Specialist Senior to provide high-level executive, operational, and strategic administrative support to the Division Chief/Geriatrics Center Director/Associate Dean for Population Science.
This role serves as the primary coordinator for this leader's administrative portfolio, managing a complex calendar, facilitating leadership and governance bodies, coordinating faculty affairs processes, and leading special administrative projects.
This position requires a premium level of professionalism, absolute discretion, excellent independent judgment, and the ability to anticipate executive needs within a highly dynamic academic medical school environment. The selected candidate will represent this leader in communications with Medical School administration, Michigan Medicine leadership, faculty, staff, and external collaborators.
Responsibilities*
Executive Administrative Support
- Manage complex, high-volume calendar, resolve scheduling conflicts proactively, and coordinate cross-functional meetings.
- Prepare daily schedules, meetings, and speaking engagements by assembling briefing portfolios, agendas, historical correspondence, and background materials; actively monitor schedule progression to ensure on-time meeting transitions, providing proactive pacing reminders when meetings run over.
- Coordinate comprehensive domestic and international travel itineraries, lodging, registrations, telecommunications, and virtual/in-person conferences alongside timely expense and PCard reconciliations.
- Provide expert, high-level administrative assistance including proofreading, editing, and formatting of scientific manuscripts, letters, course/class materials, recommendation letters, and executive presentations.
- Maintain highly confidential files, managing sensitive divisional and personnel information with the utmost discretion.
- Draft and distribute division-wide communications from the Chief, including announcements, leadership updates, and faculty-facing policy messages.
Organizational and Population Science Support
- Coordinate leadership committees, faculty meetings, retreats, strategic planning sessions, and special academic initiatives; manage all associated logistical arrangements, including room reservations, hybrid/AV technology setups, catering, travel coordination, and detailed itineraries for visiting dignitaries.
- Coordinate initiatives across departments, centers, institutes, clinical programs, and community partners.
- Maintain an integrated view of research and strategic portfolios.
- Track milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks, and outcomes for major initiatives.
- Support development and implementation of strategic plans related to population health, health equity, prevention, implementation science, data science, or community-engaged research.
- Prepare status reports and executive-level dashboards.
Faculty Affairs and Academic Support
- Coordinate administrative processes related to faculty recruitment (including planning, organizing, and managing on-campus visits and travel itineraries for potential recruits), onboarding, and annual performance evaluations.
Other Duties as Assigned
- Other duties and special projects as assigned.
Required Qualifications*
- Education: Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible administrative experience.
- Experience: 7+ years of high-level administrative experience, preferably supporting senior executives, directors, division chiefs or department chairs within an academic, healthcare, research, or higher education setting.
- Executive Support: Demonstrated mastery in executive calendar management, complex travel coordination, telecommunications, and meeting preparation.
- Communication: Superb written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated expertise in proofreading, copyediting, and polishing executive-level correspondence and academic materials.
- Faculty Credentials Support: Demonstrated experience working with, reviewing, updating, and formatting academic faculty Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and NIH-format Biosketches for institutional records and recruitment files.
- Discretion: Absolute commitment to discretion, integrity, and professional boundaries when handling highly sensitive personnel information.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Dropbox and Zoom.
Skills You Have
To be successful in this role, the candidate must demonstrate the ability to:
- Exercise initiative, tact, poise, and a service-oriented attitude when interacting with senior faculty, executive leaders, and external institutional partners.
- Manage multiple high-priority tasks and highly confidential personnel information with absolute discretion and integrity.
- Self-direct work, anticipate executive needs, and follow up on outstanding issues in a timely manner.
- Apply exceptional organization, time-management, and multitasking abilities with high attention to detail.
Desired Qualifications*
- Prior experience working within the University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, or a peer academic medical center.
- Knowledge of U-M policies, procedures, and systems related to faculty affairs (e.g., M-Pathways, Standard Practice Guidelines).
- Knowledge of academic publishing, manuscript preparation, and editorial submission guidelines.
- Basic understanding of and interest in using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to draft emails, compile documents, automate follow-ups, and summarize complex texts.
Why Join Michigan Medicine?
Michigan Medicine is one of the largest health care complexes in the world and has been the site of many groundbreaking medical and technological advancements since the opening of the U-M Medical School in 1850. Michigan Medicine is comprised of over 30,000 employees and our vision is to attract, inspire, and develop outstanding people in medicine, sciences, and healthcare to become one of the world?s most distinguished academic health systems. In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world-class institution. Work at Michigan Medicine and become a victor for the greater good.
What Benefits can you Look Forward to?
- Excellent medical, dental and vision coverage effective on your very first day
- 2:1 Match on retirement savings
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Work Schedule
- Hours: Full-Time (40 hours per week, Monday - Friday).
Work Locations
- Location: Hybrid work schedule requiring three (3) days per week of onsite presence at our Ann Arbor, MI campus, with the remaining days worked remotely in accordance with department guidelines.
Additional Information
The U-M Medical School Department of Internal Medicine Division of Geriatric & Palliative Medicine is at the forefront of continuously improving patient care, conducting relevant, cutting-edge research, and training the next generation of leaders in geriatric and palliative medicine.
Background Screening
Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.