Coordinator of Administrative & Board Operations

Shedd Aquarium; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Time Off

Holidays

401(k)

Parental Leave

Parking & Transit subsidies

Employee Discounts

Employee Tickets

Job summary

Shedd Aquarium is seeking a Coordinator, Administration Department & Board Operations in Chicago. This full-time hybrid role reports to the Senior Executive Assistant and collaborates with the VP to support board governance, events, and administrative execution.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) and 3–5 years in administration, project or event management, with strong Microsoft Office skills and experience with governance processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant experience accepted in lieu of a degree.
• 3–5 years of administrative, project management, and/or event management experience, including supporting executive leadership, governance, or compliance functions.
• Experience with systems administration, database management, or equivalent technical platforms; Tessitura experience preferred.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage logistics for Board meetings, events, and retreats, including budget development and management.
• Support planning and execution of non-Board events organized by the department.
• Maintain board meeting and event calendar and related Outlook invitations.
• Lead Board-related data governance and maintain Trustee participation records in Tessitura.
• Draft and manage the annual board communications plan and related materials.
• Ensure governance documents are current and assist with bylaws and committee charters.

Skills

Administrative coordination

Event planning

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Tessitura

monday.com

Outlook

BoardEffect

Job description

Title: Coordinator, Administrative & Board Operations

Department: Administration

Reports To: Sr. Executive Assistant, Office of the President & CEO

Status: Full-time, Exempt

Pay Rate: $50,000 - $60,000

Location: Chicago, IL, Hybrid

Schedule: This is a full-time position, which will require schedule flexibility, with the ability to work evenings and weekends and more time onsite as needed.

Position Overview: The Coordinator, Administration Department & Board Operations plays a critical role in enabling the effective functioning of the Administration Department and Board of Trustees through operational excellence. Reporting to the Senior Executive Assistant, this role partners closely with the VP, Office of the President & CEO and serves as a key operational liaison to the Board of Trustees. It is an essential behind-the-scenes role that provides back-office support and leadership for board operations, communications, and governance processes, while ensuring excellence in event planning, data management, and administrative execution for the Administration Department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, attributes and/or ability required.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Event Planning & Execution:

• Upon understanding the meeting and/or event vision from the VP, Office of the President & CEO, plans and manages the logistics for all Board meetings, events, and retreats to ensure smooth execution, including event logistics and budget development and management.
• Supports the Senior Executive Assistant on planning and executing non-Board events organized by the department.
• Represents the department on the cross-organizational Event Planners working group to ensure best practices are shared and that the department applies and remains aligned with changing policies, procedures, and organizational practices.
• Maintains board meeting and event calendar and related Outlook invitations.

Data Management and Hygiene:

• Optimizes the department’s use of Tessitura, ensuring effective Board and CEO stakeholder tracking and partnering with cross-departmental Tessitura experts—especially Development as well as External Affairs and Marketing—to align data, reporting, and best practices.
• Serves as departmental lead for Board-related data governance.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date Board contact information across all internal platforms (including Tessitura, BoardEffect, board directory, website, and email groups).
• Tracks and maintains record of Trustee participation in board engagement activities, such as board meetings, committee meetings, special input sessions, trustee social events, retreats, etc. in Tessitura.
• Coordinates with the Senior Executive Assistant, Office of the President & CEO to ensure Board-related contact information in the President & CEO’s Outlook address book is up to date.

Trustee & CEO Stakeholder Stewardship:

• Manages and maintains records of non-development related stewardship of Trustees with discretion and sound judgment. This includes organizing annual and special service recognition gifts, coordinating and mailing birthday cards, and managing the end-of-year Must See Tours, while ensuring responsiveness to Trustee requests such as VIP tickets, complimentary parking, and other special accommodations. Works closely with the Development team to coordinate efforts and avoid role overlap.
• Orders and maintains Trustee name tags and badges.
• Updates Trustee recognition signage as needed.
• Supports the Senior Executive Assistant on planning and executing other CEO stakeholder stewardship.

Board Communications:

• Drafts and manages the execution of the annual board communications plan.
• Drafts regular board communications to be sent by the President & CEO or VP, Office of the President & CEO.
• Supports in the development of board and committee meeting and orientation materials.
• Coordinates with other departments to ensure consistency of messaging and relevancy to institutional and CEO/Board priorities/initiatives.

Board Governance:

• Serves as Board Archivist, managing and archiving both soft and hard copies of minutes, resolutions, and other relevant documents.
• Prepares annual board demographics reports and conducts governance-related research and analysis as needed.
• Manages key governance processes, including annual trustee elections, the Annual Compliance Forms process, board evaluations, and new trustee onboarding.
• Assists with bylaws reviews and the annual review of committee charters.
• Ensures governance documents are current, including the Articles of Incorporation, IRS Determination letters, and Tax-Exempt letters.

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Optimize the department’s use of monday.com, serving as the primary coordinator responsible for building, maintaining, and enhancing the annual departmental workplan.
• Serve as back-up to the Senior Executive Assistant, Office of the President & CEO when they are out of the office, providing additional support as needed.
• Provide back-office support to the Administration Department, including serving as the department’s Purchasing and Contracts point of contact.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, or relevant experience accepted in lieu of a degree

Experience:

• 3 to 5 years of administrative, project management, and/or event management experience, including supporting executive leadership, governance, or compliance functions. Board experience is preferred.
• Experience with systems administration, database management, or equivalent technical platforms. Tessitura experience is preferred.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills are required.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Tact, discretion, and sound judgment required to handle highly confidential information.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including exceptional proofreading abilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission, and values.

Benefits of Working at Shedd: We offer competitive compensation packages and opportunities for professional growth within our organization.

• Medical Insurance, including FSA and HSA plan options
• Vision and Dental Insurance
• Accrued Paid Time Off
• Up to 12 Paid Holidays
• Life Insurance
• Parental Leaveand Adoption Assistance
• 401(k)
• Discounted Parking and Public Transit Subsidies
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Wellness program, including Preventive Care Incentive
• Employee Discounts
• Employee Tickets

Reasonable Accommodations: Shedd Aquarium is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations for any part of the employment process, please email us at [e-mail].

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.