Executive Assistant to the CEO

 

Position Type: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt

 

Location: Flexible within the DMV area (remote); Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

 

Starting Salary: $77,000

 

Closing Date: Feb. 2, 2024

 

Candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The position will remain open until we have a sufficient pool of diverse candidates who meet the job requirements, at which point we may pause the review of new applications before the stated deadline. Please understand you may not be contacted for several weeks after you apply.

 

Ideal Start Date: 2-4 weeks after offer

 

About the Center for Disaster Philanthropy

CDP began in 2010 with the goal of pioneering the practice of strategic disaster philanthropy. Since then, it has grown in its ambition, envisioning a world where the impact of disasters is minimized through thoughtful, equitable and responsive recovery for all. CDP has a $33 million budget and a team of more than 20 staff members working remotely across the U.S.  

 

CDP is a trusted partner, expert and authoritative resource helping hundreds of individuals, foundations and corporations boost the impact of philanthropic giving in response to disaster and humanitarian crises by supporting equitable recovery and addressing root causes of vulnerabilities worldwide.

 

In 2022, CDP awarded $28.2 million, over 117 grants to 99 grantee partners worldwide; demonstrated thought leadership through 15 webinars, 21 external commentaries, 113 blog posts, 43 featured speaking engagements and other events; and served 40 philanthropic partners through consulting efforts.

 

• In 2020, CDP was a featured nonprofit for the 14^th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.
• CDP has earned Charity Navigator’s Four-Star Charity rating and Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal.

 

As an organization grounded in racial and intersectional equity, our team members are deeply committed to strengthening communities most vulnerable to disasters because of systemic inequities. We are guided by our values of integrity, boldness and innovation, humility and empathy in all we do in pursuit of our mission.

 

Bottom line: We aspire to walk the talk of anti-racism and to treat each other and our partners in ways that inspire trust, creativity, learning and care.

 

Be a part of our fast-growing team that offers countless ways to help communities thrive. Join us!   

 

Responsibilities & Duties

The Executive Assistant (EA) role is a new position at CDP. The EA will interact with a broad range of internal and external constituents and play a key role in support of our mission. Reporting to the CEO, the EA provides overall administrative, communications and fundraising support to the CEO and serves as a key liaison to the board of directors. Professionalism, the ability to cultivate relationships and the flexibility to adapt to a growing organization's changing needs and priorities are essential.

 

Due to the nature of the position, some early morning, evening and weekend hours, as well as occasional travel, should be expected.

 

The successful candidate will display the following traits:

You want meaningful work that contributes to the betterment of society. You love being challenged, learning and growing. You are a detail-oriented self-starter with strong capacities in prioritization and decision-making. You have exceptional communication skills and the ability to multi-task. You are comfortable interacting with high-level executives and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

 

Primary responsibilities include:

The EA will coordinate and manage executive scheduling, prepare for and organize CEO travel and speaking engagements, assist in managing relationships, support board meetings, and facilitate the preparation of board materials. The EA will support strategy implementation, working closely with the VP of strategy, innovation and special projects (VP, SISP). This role serves as a trusted partner of the CEO to deliver against CDP priorities in alignment with our mission and values.

This role's dynamic nature requires the ideal candidate to have exemplary time management skills and the ability to identify and anticipate the CEO’s needs. The role must interact seamlessly and with an appropriate demeanor across a broad range of individuals, including members of the executive team, the board of directors and critical external stakeholders. To perform this job successfully, the individual is expected to handle highly sensitive and confidential financial, legal, personnel and organizational information while exercising professionalism and discretion.

 

The EA will be part of the operations department, which includes the finance and HR team.

 

Executive office

• Provide support and project management for various initiatives in which the CEO plays a lead role.
• Manage the CEO’s schedule by taking in requests for meetings, compiling requests for the CEO’s review and decision-making, and following up reliably and promptly with care, sensitivity and detail. Anticipate potential scheduling needs, ensuring the CEO’s schedule balances and effectively prioritizes the needs of the executive team, other team members, the board of directors and external partners.
• Support organization and coordination of executive team meetings and quarterly in-person retreats.
• Coordinate and book the CEO’s travel to conferences and external meetings, including anticipating needs, registering for conferences, providing itineraries, drafting relevant preparation materials and troubleshooting to facilitate smooth trips.
• Screen, direct, respond to and prioritize calls and correspondence, facilitating the smooth exchange of information as a first point of contact for staff, board members and external partners.
• Attend meetings and take notes of discussion; prepare the initial draft of minutes and summaries.
• Correspond and coordinate with the CEO regularly and consistently so both parties are well-informed of commitments and changes to the CEO's schedule.

 

Board of directors

• Provide support to the board and several board committees. Schedule and arrange meetings, compile and distribute materials, attend meetings, prepare meeting minutes, and maintain secretarial documents.
• Manage the staff and board demographics tracking, update contact lists, and support the board nominations and onboarding processes.
• Plan and oversee logistical arrangements for board and board committee meetings, including space and facility needs, meals and refreshments, supplies, and technology needs.
• Manage board portal.

 

Strategic planning

• Provide support to the VP, SISP for scheduling meetings and updating internal systems that improve and track workflows and productivity in service to CDP’s strategy.
• Maintain the strategy implementation plan dashboard.

 

Other duties as assigned

• Serve on committees, panels and task forces at CDP as appropriate and as available.
• Manage and reconcile budgets and expense reports as requested.
• Represent CDP positively and professionally in meetings and other external engagements.
• Perform other duties and job-related tasks that may be assigned.

 

This position reports to the President & CEO but works in service of the whole organization.

 

Required qualifications

• ≤ 5 years of relevant, progressive professional experience supporting a senior executive or team.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• Outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail and design.
• Ability to work under pressure, adhere to strict deadlines and undertake numerous tasks simultaneously.
• A proven ability to liaise with a broad range of stakeholders and partners and do so with demonstrated sensitivity, discretion and tact.
• An in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office software, especially Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

 

Preferred skills and qualifications

• Ability to work remotely with minimal direct supervision and to multi-task, including managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Familiarity with, although not necessarily a professional background in the philanthropic or disaster fields.
• Experience working with Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable constituent relationship management (CRM) system.
• Strong oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to learn and utilize project management and client relationship tools.

 

Personal Characteristics

• Commitment to the values intrinsic to CDP’s mission and strategy.
• Energetic and eager to tackle new projects and ideas.
• High tolerance of ambiguity and appetite to tackle issues in a constructive way.
• A team player capable of cultivating productive relationships across teams.
  • Sense of humor.

 

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

 

We welcome and encourage applicants with non-traditional career paths. If you don’t meet the qualifications outlined here, please apply and tell us how your experiences would equip you for the job.