Special Assistant to the President

Expectation and Condition of Employment

Howard Payne University, a church-related institution affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, seeks to employ evangelical Christians who are dedicated to teaching and service as they model the principles of the Christian faith and the University’s sincere religious beliefs.

Howard Payne University (hereafter, University) is committed to the integration of learning and Christian faith in the pursuit of truth. Employees are expected to embrace the Christian Mission Statement and Core Values of the University and must support the University’s affirmation of traditional Christian and Baptist beliefs by leading lives of service through active involvement in Christian activities both on campus and through a local church.

Mission Statement

Howard Payne University is a Christ-centered academic community dedicated to excellence by developing and equipping the whole person for intellectual inquiry, personal and professional integrity, and service to God and humanity.

Core Values of Howard Payne University

We believe and affirm that the University as an institution and each individual called to serve the Lord at Howard
Payne should strive to demonstrate a commitment to these five Core Values:

• Centered on Christ   (cf. Col. 3:17, Matt. 7:24)
• Focused on Community   (cf. Eph. 4:4-6, 1 Pet. 3:8)
• Called to Service   (cf. Mark 10:45, Phil. 2:3-5)
• Committed to Excellence   (cf. Gen. 1:31, 1 Cor. 9:24)
• Dedicated to Stewardship   (cf. Gen. 2:15, 1 Pet. 4:10)

As a condition of employment, employees agree to be paid by Direct Deposit. Applicants offered contingent employment based on the University obtaining a clean background check agree the contingent offer of employment may be revoked based on the information obtained in the background check.

If offered employment, your acceptance will indicate that you have read and agree to the Expectations and Conditions above.

Application Procedure

To be considered for this position, please submit the following:

• a letter of application addressing in detail how you meet the position requirements
• a resume or CV (curriculum vitae)
• unofficial transcripts, and
• a completed HPU Employment Application

Job Summary

Provide high-level support to the President and Board of Trustees. May also train and supervise student assistants. The President may assign additional duties.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. The president may assign other duties as necessary.

1. Manages the daily operations of the President's office
2. Manages the President's calendar and independently schedules appointments
3. Screens incoming calls and correspondence and responds independently when possible
4. Schedules meetings, arranges programs, events, and conferences and manages all related details
5. Prepares for the Board of Trustees meetings
6. Arranges complex and detailed travel plans and itineraries, compiles documents for travel-related meetings
7. Handles information requests, prepares confidential correspondence, reports, and complex documents
8. Continually monitors and assess office policies and procedures, making adjustments and recommendations for efficient practices
9. Conducts research as requested
10. Assists with University Advancement, Enrollment and Retention initiatives and special projects when necessary
11. Represents the University at luncheons, dinners and various events when necessary
12. Assists the President with any and all tasks as he sees fit
13. Provide leadership in the implementation of the Strategic Plan

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no supervisory responsibilities

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Modeling Christian Faith – Must be committed to modeling the Christian faith; displays a proven record of modeling the Christian faith in business operations, management roles, customer service functions, and interactions with others; is committed to continuing to model Christian faith in a manner consistent with the University’s mission Statement and core values
2. Analytical – Synthesizes complex or diverse information, collects and researches data, uses intuition and experience to complement data, designs work flows and procedures
3. Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner, gathers and analyzes information skillfully, develops alternative solutions, works well problem solving as part of a group, uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics
4. Project Management – Develops effective project plans, coordinates projects, communicates changes and progress, completes projects on time and budget, and manages project team activities effectively
5. Technical Skills – Assesses their own strengths and weaknesses, pursues training and development opportunities, and strives to build knowledge and skills continuously, shares expertise with others
6. Customer Service – Manages difficult or emotional situations effectively, solicits feedback to improve service, responds to requests for service and assistance promptly and effectively, meets the commitments they make to others
7. Interpersonal Skills – Focuses on solving conflict without blaming others, consistently maintains confidentiality, listens to others without interrupting them, keeps their emotions under control, remains open to others' ideas and tries new things
8. Oral Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations, listens and gets clarification, responds well to questions, demonstrates effective group presentation skills, participates actively in meetings
9. Written Communication – Writes clearly and informatively, edits their work for correct spelling and grammar, varies their writing style as needed, presents numerical data effectively, is able to read and interpret written information effectively
10. Teamwork – Balances the needs of the team and individual responsibilities effectively, exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views, gives and welcomes feedback, contributes to building a positive team spirit, puts the success of the team above their own interests, is able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives, supports everyone's efforts to succeed
11. Change Management – Develops workable implementation plans, communicates changes effectively, builds commitment and overcomes resistance effectively, prepares and supports those affected by change, monitors transition and evaluates results
12. Delegation – Delegates work assignments effectively, matches the responsibility to the appropriate person, gives employees the authority to work independently, sets expectations and monitors delegated activities, provides recognition for results
13. Quality Management – Looks for ways to improve and promote quality, demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness
14. Cost Consciousness – Works within their approved budget, develops and implements cost saving measures, conserves University resources
15. Ethics – Treats everyone with respect, keeps commitments, inspires others to trust them, works with integrity and ethically, upholds the University's Mission Statement and Core Values
16. University Support – Follows policies and procedures consistently, completes administrative tasks correctly and on time, supports the University’s Mission Statement and Core Values, Benefits the University through external community and professional activities, supports affirmative action and respects diversity
17. Judgment – Displays willingness to make decisions, exhibits sound and accurate judgment, supports and explains reasoning for decisions, includes appropriate people in the decision-making process, makes timely decisions
18. Motivation – Sets and achieves challenging goals, demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles, measures themselves against a high standard of excellence, takes calculated risks to accomplish goals
19. Planning/Organizing – Prioritizes and plans work activities effectively, uses time efficiently, plans for additional resources, if necessary, sets goals and objectives, organizes and schedules other people and their tasks, develops realistic action plans
20. Professionalism – Approaches others in a tactful manner, reacts well under pressure, treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position, accepts personal responsibility for their own actions, and follows through with commitments
21. Quality – Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness, looks for ways to improve and promote quality, applies effective feedback to improve performance, and monitors their own work to ensure quality
22. Adaptability – Adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands for one’s time, changes approach or method to fit the situation effectively, is able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events effectively
23. Attendance/Punctuality – Is consistently at work and on time, ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent, arrives at meetings and appointments on time
24. Dependability – Follows instructions, responds effectively to their supervisor’s direction. Takes responsibility for their own actions and keeps commitments. Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals. Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan
25. Initiative – Volunteers readily, undertakes self-development activities, seeks increased responsibilities, takes appropriate independent actions and calculated risks, looks for and takes advantage of opportunities to improve situations, asks for and offers help when needed

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each Essential Duty and Responsibility listed above satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the Essential Duties and Responsibilities.

1. Education and Experience – Bachelor’s degree preferred; or two to five years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience
2. Language Skills – Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals in English. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of students, employees of the University and the public
3. Math Skills – Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, and percentages. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra
4. Reasoning Ability – Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form in English
5. Computer Skills – To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of commonly used Internet browsers, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Raiser’s Edge
6. License – Must be at least 21 years of age and maintain a valid Texas driver's license to drive any vehicle, including personally owned vehicles, on behalf of the University 
7. Physical Demands – The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the Essential Duties and Responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the Essential Duties and Responsibilities
   1. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel, talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus
8. Work Environment – The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the Essential Duties and Responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the Essential Duties and Responsibilities
   1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles and toxic or caustic chemicals used in the cleaning and maintenance of university grounds and buildings. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate