Senior Advisor
DEPARTMENT: President’s office
CLASSIFICATION: Cadre
TYPE OF CONTRACT: CDI Full-Time
SUPERVISOR: President of the University (with a dotted-line relationship to the Chair of the Board of Trustees)
Position Summary
The Senior Advisor to the President and Executive Secretary to the Board of Trustees serves as a principal strategic and operational partner to the President and the Board, ensuring the effective functioning of the University’s highest governing body. This role combines high level governance support, institutional project management, and executive coordination with exceptional discretion, judgment, and professionalism.
Acting as a trusted steward of confidential matters and a key point of continuity between trustees, senior leadership, and external stakeholders, the Senior Advisor and Executive Secretary supports the President and Board in advancing institutional priorities, maintaining governance excellence, and cultivating strong relationships with trustees and external constituents. The position requires intellectual agility, impeccable professional demeanor, and the ability to manage complex, sensitive work with calm authority.
Key Responsibilities
Presidential and Executive Support
- Act as a strategic partner to the President in coordinating priorities, initiatives, and decision-making across the institution.
- Identify issues requiring presidential attention and proactively surface risks, dependencies, and opportunities.
- Support the President in preparing for high-level meetings, presentations, and engagements involving trustees, senior leaders, and external stakeholders.
- Provide high-level strategic and operational support to the President on matters involving the Board, senior leadership, and external stakeholders.
- Help manage information flow to and from the President, ensuring clarity, prioritization, and appropriate follow-through.
- Anticipate issues requiring presidential attention and ensure appropriate preparation, documentation, and follow-through.
- Support special initiatives, strategic projects, and presidential priorities that require coordination across divisions or with trustees.
- Track presidential and Board-driven initiatives, ensuring accountability, progress, and timely execution
- Serve, when appropriate, as a proxy or representative of the President in meetings or communications.
Board Governance and Strategic Support
- Plan, coordinate, and support all meetings of the Board of Trustees and its committees, including agendas, briefing materials, resolutions, minutes, and follow up actions.
- Ensure Board materials are accurate, strategically framed, timely, consistent, and aligned with institutional priorities.
- Advise the Board Chair and Committee on Trustees on governance processes, trustee engagement, and Board dynamics, drawing on institutional knowledge and best practices.
- Support the Board Secretary in maintaining official Board records and the Committee on Trustees in maintaining official Board policies, processes, and practices, in compliance with legal, accreditation, and regulatory requirements.
Project Management and Institutional Coordination
- Manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects originating from Board directives or presidential initiatives, ensuring clarity of scope, timelines, and accountability.
- Track Board decisions and action items, monitor progress, and ensure timely reporting and execution.
- Coordinate effectively with students, senior leaders, legal counsel, advancement, communications, and academic leadership, as well as with faculty, staff, and students across the institution.
Confidentiality, Judgment, and Institutional Stewardship
- Handle highly sensitive, confidential, and often privileged information with absolute discretion and sound judgment.
- Exercise diplomacy, emotional intelligence, and institutional loyalty in navigating complex governance and political environments.
- Serve as a trusted advisor and stabilizing presence during periods of transition, crisis, or heightened scrutiny.
External Relations and Professional Representation
- Serve as a key ambassador for the President’s Office and the University in interactions with trustees, donors, alumni, government officials, and other external constituents.
- Welcome and engage both internal constituents and external stakeholders with warmth, professionalism, and confidence, reflecting the values and stature of the institution.
- Ensure that all Board-related interactions and communications reflect the highest standards of professionalism and institutional tone.
Other appropriate duties assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
- Significant experience (typically 8–12+ years) in senior administrative, governance, or executive support roles within higher education, nonprofit, or comparable complex organizations.
- Demonstrated experience supporting a governing board, CEO/president, or senior executive at a strategic level.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Proven ability to manage complex projects, competing priorities, and sensitive situations with composure and precision.
- Absolute discretion, integrity, and sound judgment.
Preferred
- Experience in higher education governance or a deep understanding of university structures and culture.
- Experience of senior executive officer role preferred.
- Familiarity with legal, fiduciary, and accreditation considerations affecting boards of trustees and a willingness to navigate both the French and US higher education and compliance landscapes.
- French language speaking ability would be an asset but is not essential
Core Competencies and Attributes
- Strategic thinker with strong organizational instincts
- Calm, authoritative presence and impeccable professional demeanor
- Politically astute and emotionally intelligent
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and reliable under pressure
- Service-oriented, with a deep respect for institutional mission and tradition
- Confident working with senior leaders, trustees, faculty, staff, and high-profile external constituents
Working Style and Expectations
This role requires flexibility, discretion, and availability aligned with the demands of a president’s office and board schedule, including occasional evenings, weekends, and travel. The Senior Advisor is expected to operate with independence, initiative, and a deep sense of institutional responsibility.
APPLICATIONS
To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] and title the email in the following convention: “First and Last name + Senior Advisor”.
Any candidate who applies must have the appropriate work authorization for employment in France.
Job Types: Full-time, Contract, Permanent
Pay: 60,000.00€ - 65,000.00€ per year
Work Location: In person
