Assistant Manager / Personal Assistant, Office of the Provost

About the role

The Office of the Provost at SMU is looking for an Assistant Manager / Personal Assistant to provide secretarial and administrative support to the Vice Provost (Faculty Matters) and the Associate Provost (Faculty Matters). The role also supports the broader Office of the Provost administration, including finance, procurement and event logistics.

Key responsibilities

• Provide general secretarial and administrative support, manage calendars and arrange meeting schedules.
• Prepare travel documents, including flights, accommodation and travel folders; process claims such as entertainment and DART claims.
• Custody the Vice Provost's email account and support event and programme logistics for faculty matters.
• Review documents requiring approval to ensure compliance with SMU policies, and handle Purchase Orders, bank payments, invoices, staff and transportation claims and credit card statements.
• Support finance and procurement, including creating purchase orders, and manage procurement of office supplies such as stationery and pantry items.
• Act as the administrative point of contact for the Provost, as assigned.
• Support taskforces, committees and senate matters, including note-taking, minutes preparation and follow-up on action items.
• Collate and coordinate input from units reporting to the Vice Provost for reporting and record keeping.

Required profile

• Diploma or degree with at least 3 years of experience as an office manager, personal assistant or administrative executive.
• Prior budgeting, finance or procurement experience is an advantage.
• Strong organisational, multitasking and problem-solving abilities, and strong interpersonal, communication and writing skills.
• Ability to adapt to change, learn continuously and work both as part of a team and independently.
• Candidates without the stated qualifications but with relevant work experience may still apply; remuneration depends on qualifications and experience.

Required skills

• Proficiency in MS Office.