Executive Assistant, Dean’s Office

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is seeking experienced, motivated, and dedicated leaders and educators to participate in the design and delivery of an innovative four-year medical school curriculum that engages medical students in active and novel learning.

Job Description:

Job Title: Executive Assistant, Dean’s Office

Reports to: Senior Executive Assistant to the Dean and CEO

FLSA Classification: Exempt (Salary)

Location: Bentonville, Arkansas (On-site)

Date Reviewed: 06/15/2026

Who We Are 

Founded in 2021, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is a nonprofit, four-year MD program that will enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles. The school’s culture embraces self-care to empower students to care for their own well-being as well as their patients’. The school’s state-of-the-art medical education facility is located in Bentonville, Arkansas on the Crystal Bridges campus, home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute. The school has been granted preliminary accreditation status by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

About The Position

The Executive Assistant, Dean’s Office is a key position that provides executive, administrative and operational support to the office of the Dean.  This position supports the needs of the Dean and CEO and contributes to its effective functioning in support of the organizational priorities and strategic initiatives.  

This role supports communications, scheduling, travel, and protocols related to the Office of the Dean and CEO. The position involves complex duties requiring significant discretion in handling highly confidential information and sensitive matters, as well as the ability to proactively balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

The Executive Assistant demonstrates a proactive and solutions-oriented approach to problem solving, works independently with minimal direction, and functions as a high performing‑ member of the team. This position plays a key role in supporting leadership priorities, coordinating complex activities, and ensuring administrative and project workflows run efficiently. Success in this role requires strong organizational judgment, adaptability, and the ability to operate effectively in a dynamic organizational environment while supporting evolving priorities and maintaining high-quality executive and administrative support.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Administration / Operations

• Provide high-level administrative support by managing informational, administrative, and organizational matters, including researching, compiling, and organizing information.
• Provide operational support to the Senior Executive Assistant to the Dean and to the Dean including management of calendars, arranging travel, coordinating communication and correspondence.
• Monitor and maintain electronic filing systems for the Dean, including SharePoint.
• Participate and take notes in internal meetings and/or phone calls, tracking follow up items.
• Assess and prioritize the urgency and importance of situations and take appropriate action.
• Document commitments made by the Dean or designated staff during meetings and ensure appropriate communication and administrative follow-up.
• Manage internal and external correspondence.
• Provide support, such as writing and editing emails, and preparing communications and presentations on the division’s behalf.
• Anticipate the executive leadership team's operational needs and respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities.
• Track, monitor and follow-up on projects and action items that stem from the Dean and work closely with members of the leadership team to receive regular updates on outstanding items.
• Assist with preparation and administration of project budgets and reporting activities, tracking departmental expenses and preparation of business expense reports for the Dean’s Office.
• Manage, coordinate, and arrange travel and travel-related activities, including hotel booking, transportation, and meal coordination in support of the Dean's Office.
• Identify opportunities to improve administrative workflows and communicate recommendations to leadership to support efficient service delivery. 
• Collaborate, and engage with faculty and staff of the School of Medicine to ensure consistency and efficiency with respect to the activities and all processes and procedures of the school.
• Liaise, and align support to and with the dean’s office with other departments.
• Interface with external partners to organize and support medical school goals and project goals as assigned.
• Proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability, especially with deadline pressures
• Executive and special projects assigned by the Dean or Senior Executive Assistant to the Dean managed and executed as assigned with precision, as well as a high level of customer service.
• Coordinate with internal support functions and external partners to facilitate timely resolution of operational and administrative needs.
• Handle confidential and non-routine information with the utmost discretion.
• Provide support to Board liaison as needed.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support evolving organizational needs.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, communications, public administration, or a related field preferred. Equivalent experience may be considered for exceptional candidates.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience providing executive support, administrative operations support, project coordination, or similar work supporting senior leaders required. Experience within nonprofits, healthcare organizations, higher education institutions, startups, or similarly complex environments preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting executive scheduling, travel coordination, communications management, meeting preparation, financial tracking, and coordination of multiple priorities.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate multiple initiatives simultaneously, and maintain organized, accurate work while balancing evolving priorities and deadlines.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify challenges, develop practical solutions, exercise sound judgment, and maintain strong attention to detail while supporting executive operations.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners to support organizational priorities, timelines, operational objectives, and efficient administrative processes in a collaborative environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint, along with experience using project management, collaboration, and enterprise systems such as Asana, Salesforce, Workday, or similar platforms.
• Experience with or the ability to quickly learn specialized software systems, communication tools, and organizational platforms used to support executive operations and administrative workflows.
• High level of professional integrity and the ability to handle sensitive issues and situations with discretion.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, remaining adaptable and resilient.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those required by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Physical Demands: In the work environment described, position requires sitting at a desk and utilizing a computer and a telephone for prolonged periods of time and good eye/hand coordination, bending and stretching, and physical stamina to lift and transport a minimum of 10 pounds. Visual acuity to review written materials is required for this job.

Work Environment: Work is performed full-time (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) in a professional, climate-controlled office environment with standard office equipment, including computers, printers, and telephones. This role requires working in an open setting near colleagues. The noise level is typically low to moderate. The role also requires interaction with both the public and internal team members in a professional and courteous manner. Some local travel will be required, and a flexible schedule may be necessary to accommodate business needs, including occasional evening and weekend work hours.

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement and background check. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States.