Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel – Legal Affairs

This is a complex and responsible administrative position that involves the performance of high-level administrative and legal secretarial work and requires substantial exercise of initiative and independent judgment. The position reports to and supports the University’s Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel and requires extensive contact with all levels of internal and external colleagues, leaders, staff, faculty, students and the public. As such, tact, confidentiality and professionalism are essential. Work is done with considerable independence within established policies and guidelines and is reviewed by the supervisor. Excellent and effective communication skills are essential.

Office hours are usually Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m., however, may vary or fluctuate during periods of increased operational need. The tentative appointment date for this position is planned for January 2026.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Perform varied administrative and legal secretarial work to ensure efficient and effective operation of the Office of Legal Services (the “Office”), including but not limited to the following:

Prepares and processes legal documents such as agreements, letters, policies, etc.

Manages confidential communications with clients, internal and external colleagues, leaders, board members, staff, faculty, students and the public.

Conducts docket searches with various courts and undertake related research as needed.

Coordinates document management system for the Office.

Prepares various presentations for General Counsel as needed.

Actively manage General Counsel’s calendar.

Answers phone and greets visitors and direct as appropriate.

Plans Division of Legal Affairs events and meetings, including reserving space and utilizing the University’s online catering system, CaterTrax.

Monitors inventory and orders supplies for the Office.

Maintains and update the Office directories, emergency contact list and photo archive.

Submits facility service and Information Technology requests for the Office.

Maintains web resources for the Office with up-to-date information.

Attends internal and external learning and development programs as directed by General Counsel.

Provides support to the other executive administrative assistants as needed.

Completes other duties as assigned.

Manages/implements the budget for the Division of Legal Affairs, including but not limited to the following:

Prepares payments and process invoices, including to outside counsel.

Maintains database of legal fees/costs and reconcile monthly with Banner.

Manages Procurement Card accounts and generate timely monthly reports.

Maintains Excel “shadow” spreadsheet of operating budget expenses and reconcile monthly with Banner.

Provides General Counsel with budget analyses as requested, generally mid-fiscal year and towards the fiscal year end.

Provides salary analyses to General Counsel and implement approved annual increases and periodic bonuses to Legal Affairs employees via Salary Planner when appropriate.

Prepare Legal Affairs reports as follows:

Maintains spreadsheet used to track cases for annual reports to external auditors and for semi-annual reports to President.

Acts as liaison with external auditors relating to claims management and use of outside counsel, assist auditors with preparation of annual audit letter requests to specific firms, and draft Duquesne’s internal response (based on prior year’s response) for review and finalizing by General Counsel.

Acts as a liaison with the Office of Human Resources, including but not limited to the following:

Prepares job descriptions, personnel requisitions and hiring/change of status documentation as needed.

Maintains and track vacation and leave time for General Counsel’s direct reports.

Enters payroll for the Office using Banner.

Act as liaison with the University’s insurance broker as follows:

Report new claims, lawsuits and charges of discrimination filed with various agencies (such as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Office of Civil Rights) to the University’s insurance broker.

REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum qualifications:

Work requires a high school diploma with an academic field of study.

Requires over 5 years of progressively responsible and related work experience. Prior experience supporting senior management in an institution of higher education’s legal department or in a law firm is highly desirable, or any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Effective administrative skills required.

Preferred qualifications:

Business school training and/or an Associate’s degree in business or a closely related field of study from an accredited institution and/or a paralegal certificate is preferred.

Alternately, the successful candidate may possess any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Ability to work independently;

Excellent interpersonal skills with a customer service orientation;

Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;

Excellent organizational skills with the ability to be attentive to the details;

Thorough knowledge of and proficiency in using the current Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel (including the use of pivot tables), PowerPoint and Access; willingness to learn new technologies relevant to the position;

Knowledge of Human Resources, Purchasing, and Payroll systems, preferably Banner;

Ability and willingness to assist with other tasks in the Office as needed; enthusiastically seeks out work and new assignments; shows interest and initiative in taking on new and challenging assignments;

Good problem-solving skills with a can-do approach;

Ability to work independently on complex and confidential issues related to the day-to-day operations of the office;

Ability to initiate and follow through with work responsibilities and to meet deadlines.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.

Ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University. The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references. Candidates interested in this position should apply by November 15, 2025.

Duquesne University was founded in 1878 by its sponsoring religious community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Duquesne University is Catholic in mission and ecumenical in spirit. Motivated by its Catholic identity, Duquesne values equality of opportunity both as an educational institution and as an employer.