Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer

 

ABOUT HOT BREAD KITCHEN

Since 2008, Hot Bread Kitchen has empowered New Yorkers who face barriers to economic opportunities through transformative careers in New York City’s food industry. We offer small business development programs, culinary skills training, and job placement, bolstered by individualized, wraparound supportive services. Our small business program, HBK Incubates, supports entrepreneurs as they transform their food businesses into sustainable income sources. Culinary Fundamentals, our award-winning culinary training program, provides access to high-quality jobs for those starting their careers in the food industry. Our upskilling programs enable incumbent workers to gain further skills, leading to higher wages and career advancement. We work diligently alongside our network of over 200 food employer partners and more than 250 nonprofit and government partners to ensure our graduates are set up for success both at home and in their careers.

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Hot Bread Kitchen seeks an exceptionally organized, proactive, and trusted Executive Assistant to the CEO to provide high-level administrative and operational support to the Chief Executive Officer. This role is critical to supporting the CEO’s focus on strategic leadership, internal and external engagement, and organizational growth.

 

The Executive Assistant will manage complex scheduling, communications, and information flow; anticipate needs; exercise sound judgment; and serve as a key internal partner to the CEO and senior leadership team. The ideal candidate brings discretion, strong project-management skills, and the ability to operate calmly and effectively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

 

A personable manner with a customer service focus is essential. Ideal candidates will have experience as an Executive Assistant for a busy CEO, and will have previously supported a for-profit or not-for-profit Board of Directors. The successful candidate will thrive in Hot Bread Kitchen’s fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and collaborative culture.

 

Key Responsibilities:

Executive Support

  • Manage the CEO’s complex and full calendar, scheduling internal meetings, board engagements, external commitments, and travel with precision and foresight

  • Ensure the CEO is prepared for meetings by assembling agendas, briefing materials, and background information

  • Draft, edit, and manage correspondence on behalf of the CEO, ensuring clarity, professionalism, and alignment with organizational priorities

  • Provide wide-ranging support for internal and external events and travel involving the CEO, including occasionally in the evenings and on weekends.

  • Serve as a gatekeeper and trusted liaison, managing information flow and prioritizing requests appropriately

  • Utilize Slack, Asana, Google suite, and Salesforce to conduct daily work responsibilities

  • Perform special projects for the CEO or other teams, as needed.

Board & Governance Support

  • Coordinate logistics and materials for Board of Directors and committee meetings (20+ each year), including scheduling, logistics for in-person and online participation, preparation of agendas and packets, taking minutes, and follow-up on action items

  • Track board deadlines and serve as lead manager of the Board of Directors portal

  • Support all other CEO responsibilities with the Board of Directors, including engagements with Directors and prospective Directors

Project & Operations Support

  • Collaborate with members of all departments to support CEO-led projects by tracking timelines, deliverables, and follow-ups across departments

  • Anticipate needs, flag potential issues, and help ensure key priorities stay on track

  • Maintain organized systems for documents, contacts, and records related to the CEO’s work

  • Process invoices and other administrative tasks for the CEO.

Relationship Management

  • Interact professionally and confidently with Board members, funders, partners, staff, and other external stakeholders

  • Represent the CEO and the organization with discretion, warmth, and sound judgment

Qualifications:

  • Strong interest in the mission of Hot Bread Kitchen and a desire to contribute to the positive impact of our organization required.

  • Must have a minimum of 5 years experience managing an executive calendar with a high volume of meetings.

  • Must have a minimum of 2 years experience  supporting a Board of Directors (corporate or non-profit).

  • Must have exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

  • Experience with staffing events, including to support an executive’s involvement in the event (e.g., creating meeting plans, providing support with talking points, ensuring follow up such as thank yous and required next steps, etc.), highly preferred.

  • Must be efficient and fast-paced with excellent time management skills; must have the ability to effectively balance multiple tasks with competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

  • Must have a sense of ownership for one’s work, proactive in following up on details, anticipating issues, and closing the loop on all requests.

  • Must have the ability to exercise discretion when managing confidential information, working across multiple teams and functions.

  • Must be teamwork oriented but with ability to work independently with minimal guidance.

  • Proficiency in Asana, Salesforce, Slack and Google office solutions is preferred.

Competencies:

  • Collaboration - Works with others to achieve common goals and desired results. Connects with people from many different backgrounds. Finds and creates opportunities to deepen connections and build authentic, mutual relationships with [teammates, donors, members, families] across lines of difference, such as race or other identities. Welcomes viewpoints that differ from your own, and manages discomfort when people express themselves in ways that aren’t familiar to you.

  • Detail oriented - verifies important details, ensures there are no surprises or gaps in needed information, has the ability to think a few steps ahead to answer potential questions about the data or project. Aims to leave things better than you found them. Checks work with others, plans time to review for errors and probes one’s own thinking. Addresses errors quickly and learns from them. Looks for ways to prevent similar errors.

  • Writing skills - Exhibits excellent writing and grammar skills, including the ability to write concisely, clearly and logically. Reviews writing for errors and inconsistencies.

  • Problem solving - Exhibits resourcefulness. Anticipates problems, develops solutions, and course-corrects when needed. Takes advantage of unexpected opportunities and addresses obstacles. Looks for the root of both simple and complex problems, in order to seek solutions. Approaches work with a spirit of “yes” and adapts as things change.

  • Interpersonal relations - Exhibits respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships with peers and senior level management. Ensures trust and respect. Recognizes and owns one’s personal impact of their words and actions.



OUR VALUES

We are driven by a feeling of commitment to support our members, teammates, and partners as best as we can. Our culture of equity comes from the many cooks in our kitchen and the diversity of perspectives we each bring. We believe that respect goes a long way in making people feel welcome, accepted, and celebrated. We seek out opportunities for connection and become a stronger team by being in community and prioritizing candor over consensus. The pace of our work and velocity of change can be quick; our entrepreneurialism helps us take optimistic risks and pursue inventive solutions.

 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

This is a full-time position and salary is commensurate with experience within the range of $80,000-85,000. Hot Bread Kitchen’s comprehensive benefits package includes health/vision/dental insurance (available from day one!), 401K contributions, additional days of paid office closure (including holidays, and staff appreciation days) and a one week holiday break at the end of the year, flexible vacation time, generous sick and paid family leave, and sabbatical program (after 5 years). Our organizational culture is entrepreneurial, flexible, and civically-minded (learn more about our culture on hotbreadkitchen.org/careers). 

 

LOCATION AND TIME
This is a hybrid position that requires in-person presence at our Chelsea Market headquarters at least four days per week. Staffing of occasional evening events is required.

 

HOW TO APPLY

 

  • Please include a cover letter and experience-aligned resume, including your pronouns.

  • Apply here at Hot Bread Kitchen’s Applicant Tracking System.

Due to the volume of applications, only complete applications sent via our Applicant Tracking System will be considered. Applications sent via LinkedIn or other third-party sites will not be accepted or reviewed.

 

Hot Bread Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It does not discriminate against applicants based on race, religion, color, disability, medical condition, legally protected genetic information, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), age, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. Any applicant with a mental or physical disability who requires an accommodation during the application process should contact hr@hotbreadkitchen.org to request such an accommodation.