Associate Director - Board Operations

NU USA Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 76,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Vision benefits

Dental benefits

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

Wellness & life

Job summary

Northeastern University in Boston seeks an Associate Director of Board Operations and Assistant Secretary to lead board relations, governance support, and cross‑unit project management within the Advancement division.

You will develop a board materials repository, oversee the OnBoard portal, coordinate meetings and minutes, prepare dashboards, and advance strategic initiatives with trustees, senior leaders, and university stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
• Significant demonstrated experience with project management, organization, documentation, process development, communications, and presentations.
• Strong technology skills are critical and requires clear writing, discretion, and attention to detail.
• Ability to travel and a flexible schedule on occasion.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a board relations manual, board calendars, and a repository of all board documents.
• Coordinate logistics for board meetings including technology, remote communications, and materials.
• Draft, circulate, and maintain minutes of board and committee meetings and other governance documents.
• Manage OnBoard secure portal including training users and addressing accessibility issues.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, and status updates regarding Board actions and strategic initiatives.
• Support implementation of Board priorities, governance goals, and special projects.

Skills

Project management

Documentation

Process development

Communications

Presentations

Relationship building

Discretion

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

OnBoard portal

Job description

About the Opportunity

JOB SUMMARY Reporting directly to the Board Secretary, the Associate Director of Board Operations and Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees is responsible for 1) providing organization and leadership for activities and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees and its committees and 2) assisting with the strategic direction for Advancement’s Community Engagement Initiative. The Associate Director must be able to: Develop and maintain a board relations manual, board calendars, and a repository of all board documents. Develop and create innovate ways to engage university stakeholders with an emphasis on Trustees’ relationships, Implement relationship and engagement strategies. Develop working knowledge of Salesforce and ensure activity is accurate and up to date in order to inform relationship strategies. Provide support for all Northeastern University board activities as assigned and develop understanding of governance rules and regulations for all national and international entities. Initiate and provide project management for the creation and/or improvement of relationship management and business processes; monitor and evaluate operational effectiveness and effect changes required for improvement. Support all activities of the Board Secretary, including autonomously implementing short- and long-range organizational goals, objectives, and operating procedures. Coordinate logistics for board meetings including technology, remote communications, and materials. Communicate and coordinate with board members for ad hoc/special meetings and assist in development of communications to the board, including dashboard updates. Manage OnBoard secure portal, including providing training to users and assisting with accessibility and functionality problems experienced by users. Manage regulatory and policy requirements (annual trustee Conflict of Interest disclosure, ITAR filings, FCC filings, Signature Authority Delegations) Draft, circulate, and maintain minutes of board and committee meetings and other university governance documents. Coordinate with staff across the university on developing board materials. Develop and deploy strategic benchmarks and KPIs within a multi-year plan to measure success in ways that demonstrate positive impact on staff, alumni, and the global university system and its surrounding communities. Attend Board and committee meetings to provide procedural, governance, and operational support. Maintain strict confidentiality.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree required and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. Significant demonstrated experience with project management, organization, documentation, process development, communications, and presentations. Strong technology skills are critical. Must have clear and concise writing ability, a process orientation, exemplary customer service skills and orientation, and impeccable attention to detail. Must be able to exercise absolute discretion and good judgement when dealing with confidential and sensitive material. Demonstrated ability to manage an intense workload and produce quality results in a fast-paced environment. Possess the skills necessary for building relationships with external (trustees, donors, prospects) and internal constituents (senior administration, deans, faculty, staff, students) and be highly professional and collaborative in approach. Ability to travel and a flexible schedule on occasion are required. The successful candidate will be an innovative, strategic and results-oriented leader with a broad vision for the importance of relationship management in achieving division and institutional success and excellence. They must be adept at facilitating difficult discussions, shepherding change, creating and strengthening partnerships, and aligning an array of efforts across the division and within the context of the greater university. Demonstrated interest and ability as a collaborator and relationship builder, with strong interpersonal skills and ability to build coalitions and collaborative working relationships with a broad range of individuals and groups, including senior administration, to achieve results.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES

Board Relations; Project Management; Process Documentation and Maintenance; Communication

Develop and create innovate ways to engage university stakeholders with an emphasis on Trustees’ relationships, and engagement strategies. Develop working knowledge of Salesforce and ensure activity is accurate and up to date in order to inform relationship strategies. Provide support for all Northeastern University board activities as assigned and develop understanding of governance rules and regulations for all national and international entities. Initiate and provide project management for the creation and/or improvement of business processes; monitor and evaluate operational effectiveness and effect changes required for improvement. Support all activities of the Board Secretary including autonomously implementing short- and long-term organizational goals, objectives, and operating procedures Develop and maintain a board relations manual, board calendars, and a repository of all board documents Coordinate all logistics for board meetings including technology, remote communications, and materials Communicate and coordinate with board members for ad hoc/special meetings; assist in development of communications to board, including dashboard updates. Manage OnBoard secure portal including providing training to users and assisting with accessibility and functionality problems experienced by users Draft, circulate, and maintain minutes of board and committee meetings and other university governance documents Coordinate with staff across the university on developing board materials Support implementation of Board priorities, strategic initiatives, governance goals, and special projects. Maintain systems to track Board actions, directives, assignments, and implementation progress. Prepare reports, dashboards, and status updates regarding Board actions and strategic initiatives. Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure timely follow-through on Board-approved actions and projects. Assist in evaluating governance processes and recommending improvements that increase effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. Manage regulatory and policy requirements (annual trustee Conflict of Interest disclosure, ITAR filings, FCC filings, Signature Authority Delegations) Trustees’ Emeriti Program Management

Trustees’ Emeriti Program Management

Manage and support at all activities and events involving Trustees' Emeriti program. Develop and create innovate ways to engage Trustees’ Emeriti with an emphasis on relationships, and engagement strategies. Develop working knowledge of Salesforce and ensure activity is accurate and up to date in order to inform relationship strategies.

Office Management

Hire, orient, and train one administrative professional staff member, temporary employee, or student intern, as needed. Provide guidance, feedback, coaching, and mentoring to direct report and lead by professional example to promote their professional and personal development. Daily management of direct report including goal setting and performance evaluation. Manage department budget and reconcile expenses.

Compliance Program Support

Serve as backup to guide and advise Board Secretary on compliance program matters within the Advancement Division. Be willing to collaborate with Advancement team members and create a working knowledge of compliance-related matters and their impact on philanthropic initiatives. Support the implementation of strategic initiatives. Partner with stakeholders and internal and external constituencies to ensure programming supports the divisions and university’s values and strategic goals.

Other Duties as Assigned

Recognize that the nature of the work is dynamic and be flexible in accepting other responsibilities that further the mission and vision of the university when needed.

Position Type

General Administration

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type: 110S Expected Hiring Range: $76,335.00 - $107,823.75 With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Our approach of integrating real-world experience with education, research, and innovation empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create worldwide impact. Our global university system provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. The system—which includes 14 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 300,000-plus alumni, and 3,000 partners worldwide—serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. The university’s residential campuses for undergraduate and graduate degrees are located in Boston, London, and Oakland, California. Our research and graduate campuses are in the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant; Arlington, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Miami; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley, California; Toronto; and Vancouver. Northeastern’s personalized, experiential undergraduate and graduate programs lead to degrees through the doctorate in 10 colleges and schools across our campuses. Learning emphasizes the intersection of data, technology, and human literacies, uniquely preparing graduates for careers of the future and lives of fulfillment and accomplishment. Our research enterprise, with an R1 Carnegie classification, is solutions oriented and spans the world. Our faculty scholars and students work in teams that cross not just disciplines, but also sectors—aligned around solving today’s highly interconnected global challenges and focused on transformative impact for humankind.