At Houston Methodist, the Sr Executive Assistant position is a highly skilled professional responsible for performing complex assignments to include maintaining an executive's schedule, and planning appointments, board meetings, conferences etc. This position supports an Executive Officer, Senior Vice President, or Chairman in an administrative capacity performing many high-level tasks, including managing information technology, making travel arrangements, and creating presentations or proposals. The Sr Executive Assistant position attends meetings and keeps minutes and is responsible for handling highly confidential documents, protecting an organization's confidential information, communication and information management, and events. This position acts as a liaison to internal and external contacts in a manner that promotes the professional image of Houston Methodist and extension of executive leadership, interacting with all levels of the organization, from front-line clerical and clinical personnel and medical staff.

This particular position will report directly to the senior vice president of system patient access, and the incumbent must be flexible, able to work in multiple systems including Microsoft Teams, Excel, and PowerPoint, and be a team player.  Work and priorities can shift with this growing team, so it will be important for the candidate to be agile and reliable.  Previous experience supporting executives is preferred.

HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience.

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Displays cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion principles

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Maintains assigned senior executive's calendar. Schedules/coordinates meetings, conferences and WebEx/conference calls, special events, appointments and keeps executive informed of schedule change prior to meeting or appointment.

• Role models healthy relationships in the work environment such as mitigation of conflict, leading problem solving and resolution efforts. Provides proactive and creative recommendations on how to meet goals and handle identified risks and deviations. Recommends initiatives to improve department scores for employee engagement on department scorecard.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Reads, sorts and analyzes incoming correspondence, memos, submissions, emails, abstracts, protocols, and reports in order to determine their significance and plan their distribution. Composes, proofs, types, and distributes letters, memos, reports, spreadsheets, presentations and related outgoing materials.

• Prepares agendas and makes arrangements for committee, board, and other meetings. Records, maintains, and distributes minutes of executive and/or Board meetings. Attends meetings in order to record minutes.

• Conducts research, compiles data, and prepares papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees and boards of directors.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures documentation (agendas, minutes, presentations, etc.), is complete, timely, accurate, and in accordance with standards and policies, in order to ensure a successful outcome.

• Handles highly confidential documents, protecting an organization's confidential information, communication and information management. Performs data monitoring/maintenance for the department with minimal supervision. Ensures quality and timely execution of deliverables. Coordinates deadlines related to multiple deadlines including but not limited to reports and presentations.

• Organizes and expedites the flow of work through the executive offices in a timely manner to assist in alleviating the executive workload. Participates in performance improvement activities to support department/entity goals.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, minimizing incidental overtime. Utilizes time efficiently and helps other team members.

• Assists in the preparation and tracking of annual operating budget. Efficiently and cost effectively schedules and coordinates travel arrangements. Initiates office equipment (copy machine, fax machine and printers, etc.) service calls and follows up to ensure that required maintenance/repairs are performed in a timely manner.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Identifies and assumes responsibility of own learning needs and seeks continuing education opportunities to meet those needs. Completes and updates the individual development plan (IDP) on an on-going basis. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management.

• Offers innovative solutions through participation in performance improvement projects and activities. Follows up on action items to ensure completion of assignments.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

• Secondary level education preferred

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Five years experience supporting senior management

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• N/A

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Ability to prioritize, frequently and quickly shift tasks, and adapt to a rapidly changing environment

• Exhibits sound, good judgment and critical thinking skills

• Ability to create graphs and spreadsheets

• Possesses excellent customer service skills

• Ability to be versatile and adaptable to all situations

• Ability to take and transcribe dictation is preferred

• Demonstrates ability to work alone or with a team

• Use of personal computer and related software (such as Microsoft, Excel and PowerPoint, Access, Outlook and Publisher

• Proficient in spelling, punctuation, grammar and other English language skills

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs No
• Business professional Yes
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Houston Methodist (HM) is one of the nation’s leading health systems and academic medical centers.  HM consists of eight hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, and seven community hospitals throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area.  HM also includes an academic institute, a comprehensive residency program, a global business division, numerous physician practices and several free-standing emergency rooms and outpatient facilities.  Overall, HM employs over 25,000 employees.   Houston Methodist is supported by a wide variety of business functions that operate at the system level to help enable clinical departments to provide the best patient care and service in a spiritual environment.

In 2019 Houston Methodist and its physicians treat more than 6,333 international patients from more than 76 countries. Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services’ consulting and education divisions also provide advisory services and training and development to health care organizations around the world.