Senior Executive Assistant

About the Position

Reporting directly to the President, the Senior Executive Assistant provides executive-level support in a close working relationship. The Senior Executive Assistant serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters for the President. The Senior Executive Assistant will be responsible for areas such as maintaining complex schedules/ calendars, coordinating meetings, making travel arrangements, processing expense reports, composing correspondence, taking meeting minutes, researching, updating, and producing data for reports and other materials. The Senior Executive Assistant also serves as a liaison to the executive office team and executive and senior management teams; organizes and coordinates external relations efforts; and oversees special projects as needed. The Senior Executive Assistant must be comfortable working within a fast-paced environment that is mission-driven, results-driven and oriented to the communities we serve. The ideal individual will have the ability to exercise exceptional judgment in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative, project management and organizational skills, and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The Senior Executive Assistant will have the ability to work independently on projects, from conception to completion, and must be able to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion.

This role is not a member of the Bargaining Unit. 

The Senior Executive Assistant will be responsible for providing leadership and driving success in the following key areas:

Specific Position Responsibilities

·        Maintains complex schedules/calendars, coordinating meetings and acting as a “gatekeeper” to ensure that the President’s schedule is followed & respected creating win-win situations for direct access to the President’s time, and attention.

·        Provides support to the President when preparing for and following up from internal and external meetings.

·        Ensures follow-up tasks from internal and external meetings are completed in a timely fashion, including preparation and debrief of meetings.  

·        Supports the Executive Leadership Team and Senior Leadership Team to plan and coordinate logistics for meetings and retreats, and conduct notetaking and track follow up from meetings as needed.   

·        Provides a bridge for smooth communication between the President and internal departments; demonstrating leadership to maintain credibility, trust and support with senior leadership and staff.  

·        Reconciles expenses and completes expense reports for the President and helps to ensure payroll reports are correct.

·        Arranges complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agenda including compiling documents for meetings and travel.

·        Stays on top of time-sensitive requests for the President including contracts management, invoice processing, and renewals as applicable.

·        May communicate directly, and on behalf of the President with Board members, partners, other executives, senior leadership, staff, media/reporters, and others, on matters related to NILC's programmatic initiatives and scheduling needs.

·        Works closely and effectively with the President to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately. Acts as a "barometer," having a sense for the issues taking place in the environment and keeping the President updated.  

·        Successfully completes critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting personal correspondence, and other tasks that facilitate the President’s ability to effectively lead.  

·        Prioritizes conflicting needs; handles matter expeditiously, proactively, and follows-through on projects to successful completion, often in a fast-pace and with deadline pressures. 

·        Collaborates with staff from other departments to conduct and compile thorough research for upcoming meetings with elected officials, funders, movement leaders, the media, etc. 

·        Works with the development team and leadership as needed in coordinating the President’s strategic initiatives and activities.

·        Works with the President and other ELT/Senior EAs as needed in coordinating strategic initiatives and activities.

·        Follows up on contacts made by the President and supports the cultivation of ongoing relationships with external partners.

·        Support any other special projects President oversees.

·        May be a part of a larger cross functional project using the MOCHA framework/methodology

Supervisory Responsibilities

·       May assist in managing outside consultants, third party administrators, and vendors as needed.

Shared Organization Responsibilities

·       Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.

·       Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level.

·       Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.

·       Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.

·       Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.

·       Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidence, and showing consistency between words and actions.

·       Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need.

What We’re Looking for in This Role

·        Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, racial, economic, and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.

·        Collaborative, proactive, and action oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike.

·        Demonstrates sound judgement in decision-making, honesty, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality.

·        Excellent verbal and written communication skills: Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the organization, take thorough meeting notes, communicate meeting plans, and collaborate to ensure follow up on meeting action items

·        Self-starter with a strong ability to move a large volume of daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC’s broader organizational needs and goals.

·        Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment

·        Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills: ability to proactively define problems, conduct research, and coordinate competing priorities  

·        Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, and others  

·        Emotional maturity, change agility, and comfort with ambiguity  

·        Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be effective independently

·        Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response

Qualifications Required

·        High school diploma required.

·        7+ years of experience supporting C-Level executives, preferably in a non-profit or social justice organization.   

·        Experience working directly with members of an Executive Leadership Team.

·        Knowledge of and ability to apply the principles, policies and practices related to techniques of association, administration, and functions of a highly sensitive and confidential nature.

·        Ability to recognize sensitive material and maintain a high degree of confidentiality.

·        Available to work flexible hours required.

·        Intermediate to expert level proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point), Adobe Acrobat, and other administrative platforms.

·        Strong knowledge and experience with expense systems, travel booking, and other administrative tools and software.

·        Experience with project management and collaboration tools (Asana, Trello, others).  

Preferred Qualifications

·       Associate’s or bachelor’s degree preferred

·       Experience with project management and collaboration tools (Asana, Trello, others) a plus

·       Strong work tenure: 10+ years of experience supporting C-Level executives, preferably in a non-profit organization preferred

At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization. We encourage you to apply and let us know in your cover letter why you are qualified and the right fit for this role and NILC.

Work Environment

Location & Travel:

NILC's offices are located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California. For this role, up to 10-20% of overnight interstate travel may be required; travel is typically quarterly to the NILC Washington, DC office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights.

Compensation & Benefits:

NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy is to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization. The salary range for this role is $73,100 – $91,400.

NILC's benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, STD, and LTD insurance, healthcare and dependent care FSA, stipends and/or reimbursements for wellness, phone, and internet, generous paid time off, a robust holiday schedule, an employee assistance program (EAP), along with additional voluntary insurance packages.

Physical Demands

·       Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods

·       Communicating with others to exchange information.

·       Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.