Executive Assistant for The Kenyon Review

The Kenyon Review is a small nonprofit literary arts organization dedicated to fostering creativity, community, and literary excellence. We publish a quarterly literary journal, host online and residential workshops, and work collaboratively with a dedicated board of trustees to achieve our mission.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Support

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the Editor, including calendar management, correspondence, and travel arrangements.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and documents for leadership and board use.
• Monitor and prioritize incoming communications, responding on behalf of leadership when appropriate.

Operational Support

• Provide extensive administrative support for the Director of Youth Programs, Director of the Writers Workshops and Special Projects Administrator in preparation for and during execution of residential and online programs.
• Assist in managing the organization's administrative tasks, including file management and database updates.
• Support the Production Manager and Operations Manager with data entry related to information systems, subscriptions tracking, and mailings.

Board Management and Liaison Duties

• Serve as the primary point of contact and liaison between the organization and the board of trustees.
• Administer the OnBoard software platform.
• Prepare board materials and Trustee reports, including compiling board kits ahead of Board of Trustees meetings.
• Coordinate board meetings, including scheduling, preparing agendas, printing and distributing materials, and recording minutes.
• Manage board communications, ensuring timely and accurate updates on organizational activities and decisions.
• Support board committees with logistics, document preparation, and follow-up on action items.

Development & Grants

• Work closely with the Editor, Special Projects Administrator, and Operations Manager to draft grant proposals and reports; research and identify new potential funding sources.
• Gather and organize documentation needed to support grant reporting.
• Assist in donor communications, including drafting thank-you letters and maintaining donor records.

Conferences, Events & Outreach

• Coordinate conference registration, travel arrangements, booth logistics, and scheduling — including for the annual AWP conference — in partnership with the Production Manager.
• Conduct market research for outreach and audience development to support contests, special features, guest-edited folios, and fellowship applications.
• Support the KR Reading Series and help host visiting writers during campus visits.
• Coordinate outreach, promotional logistics, and administrative planning for issue launch events and other organization-affiliated events.

Communications and Outreach

• Maintain an updated calendar of events and deadlines for the organization.
• Assist with website updates, newsletter and event promotion, and outreach efforts to literary communities as needed.
• Maintain marketing materials files, including photographs, photograph permissions waivers, contest winners, workshop participant feedback and testimonial documents

Organizational & Strategic Support

• Assist the Editor in short- and long-term strategic organizational planning (shared with the Production Manager).
• Other duties as assigned by the Editor

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required.
• At least 2–4 years of experience in administrative, executive assistant, or nonprofit support roles.
• Experience working with trustees or senior leadership preferred.
• Grant writing, fundraising, or donor-development experience preferred.
• Event or conference planning experience a plus.

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities with attention to detail.
• Proficiency in office software (e.g., Microsoft Office, Google Workspace) and familiarity with Monday.com and FileMaker Pro.
• Proficiency with, or willingness to learn, OnBoard.

Personal Attributes

• Professional demeanor and ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Creative problem solving.
• Proactive, resourceful, detail- and solution-oriented.

Compensation

$58,000–$68,000 (commensurate with expanded scope of responsibilities; subject to final review).

How to Apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

Kenyon College is a nationally prominent, private liberal arts college where academic excellence goes hand in hand with a strong sense of community and close relationships among students and professors.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries at Kenyon are competitive and commensurate with experience. In addition to an attractive salary, Kenyon offers benefits for employees and their family members. Children of employees are eligible for 100% tuition waivers at Kenyon, and through the Great Lakes Colleges Association, children of employees are eligible for 90% tuition waivers at twenty-three other of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges.

We also offer health, dental and vision insurance, TIAA retirement, and many other benefits, including provisions for a spouse, families, and domestic partners. Details about benefits as well as conditions of employment are described more fully in our Staff Handbook.

Kenyon is a unique place to live and work. To discover why it should be your next home, click here.

Kenyon College is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from all qualified individuals. It is the College's policy to evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental disability, age, religion, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy or state, local, or federal law. Kenyon College has a strong commitment to an inclusive environment that welcomes all voices and perspectives.