Executive Assistant to the President and CEO (CWF)

The California Wellness Foundation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The California Wellness Foundation is seeking an Executive Assistant to support its President and CEO in Los Angeles. The role involves managing complex calendars, communications, travel, and critical external relationships across grantees, government officials, and partners.

The ideal candidate will have exceptional writing, research, interpersonal, and project management skills, with experience in an executive office and comfort with high‑level interactions.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting a high‑level executive, preferably in a nonprofit or executive office.
• Strong writing, research, and interpersonal skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to manage complex calendars, travel, and cross‑department coordination.
• Proficiency with cloud services and databases (Salesforce, Concur, NetSuite) and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive support to the CEO and manage communications with the Board, EMC, staff, and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate complex calendars, travel, and meeting logistics for the CEO.
• Assist with board materials and governance processes, including Board books and agendas.
• Collaborate with the Executive Office team on special projects and strategic initiatives.
• Support confidential information handling and internal/external correspondence.

Skills

Executive support

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Microsoft Office

Calendar management

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Salesforce

Concur

NetSuite

PowerPoint

Job description

Executive Assistant to the President and CEO (CWF)

Posted on October 26, 2020

THE OPPORTUNITY

The California Wellness Foundation is seeking a talented executive assistant to support its President and CEO, Judy Belk, as she enters her seventh year leading the foundation, one of the state’s largest philanthropic institutions focused on health, wellness and equity. The Executive Assistant serves as a key administrative partner to the CEO, managing communications and triage for a large number of external relationships with grantee partners, philanthropic leaders, government officials, and others, while independently handling a myriad of administrative and support functions. The position also provides administrative support to the Executive Management Committee (EMC) and the Board and is a member of a small, highly collaborative executive office team that includes the CEO, Board Liaison and Executive Vice President.

This is a great opportunity for an accomplished executive assistant, or a talented professional interested in working alongside and learning from a leader in the philanthropic community. The selected candidate will be equally proficient in and enthusiastic about both the support functions of the job and the opportunity to contribute to the foundation’s social justice mission. They must be interested in working both independently and collaboratively within the executive office team and across departments. The position requires exceptional writing, research, interpersonal, project management, and technology skills.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Executive Support

• Supports the CEO in providing an exemplary level of customer service in responding to the ongoing needs of the Board, EMC, staff and community stakeholders.
• Represents the CEO and Cal Wellness and is often the first point of contact for those reaching out to the executive office.
• Serves as the primary contact for the CEO in responding to and managing a myriad of external inquiries from key Foundation stakeholders.
• Collaborates with the Public Affairs Department in vetting and managing CEO speaking requests and commitments.
• Maintains positive relationships with grantees, staff, Board and various constituencies.
• Manages confidential information on behalf of the CEO.
• Assists the CEO with her discretionary grantmaking activities and supports her with activities related to external boards of which she is a member.

Board Support

The 13-member Board meets quarterly, typically 2-3 days at a time, in addition to regular Committee meetings.

• Collaborates and serves as a back-up for the Board Liaison sharing information and workload including Board communications, management of the Board Book (Diligent), and maintenance of Board schedules and agendas.
• Acts as a resource to the Board regarding upcoming meetings, schedules, agendas, board discretionary grants, expenses and other items that might be of interest to the Board.

EMC Support

The Executive Management Committee (EMC) includes the CEO and 5 other senior members of staff. The EMC meets weekly and oversees a variety of organization-wide initiatives.

• Supports the EMC by developing agenda and coordinating logistic for meetings and retreats.
• Ensures the timely preparation and distribution of materials (e.g. requests, agendas, schedules, notices).
• Tracks ongoing EMC projects and deliverables, in collaboration with the EVP.

Administrative Support

• Coordinates the administrative activities for the CEO, including screening incoming calls; e-mail messages, reviewing and screening incoming and outgoing correspondence.
• Manages and coordinates complex calendar for the CEO, including triaging requests and logistics for meetings and retreats; researching background profiles; and scheduling travel, hotel, restaurant, and rental car accommodations, as directed.
• Prepares correspondence on behalf of the CEO. Takes notes and summarizes key points addressed at conferences, events and meetings.
• Anticipates upcoming needs of the CEO, proactively plans for those needs and communicates with stakeholders.
• Prepares expense reports and invoices for CEO.
• Collaborates regularly with four other Executive Assistants at the foundation.
• Analyzes and tracks information utilizing enterprise-wide databases and spreadsheets. Generates reports and documents as needed.
• Maintains digital and physical, files records and publications, and ensures the physical office space is neat and organized.
• Proactively manages the task list and assigned activities, verifying status, and providing assistance and reminders where appropriate.

Other Functions

• Participates in professional development activities to enhance skills and knowledge relevant to the role.
• Incorporates best practices, innovation and learning into daily operations.
• Special projects and other duties as assigned.

SKILLS, ABILITIES AND QUALITIES:

• Experience supporting the needs of a high-level, fast‑paced executive. Experience in an executive office or the nonprofit sector is a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with effective customer service skills. High skill level in drafting and editing internal/external correspondence on behalf of the CEO.
• Able to develop and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, VOIP systems, and familiarity with other cloud-based and database programs such as Salesforce, Concur, NetSuite. High level of proficiency in PowerPoint .
• Detail-oriented, deadline-oriented, organized, and able to handle confidential information discretely.
• Solid judgement, logic, analytical, problem solving skills. Solid planning and organizational skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, protocol and deadlines.
• Self‑motivated and highly productive with the ability to shift priorities quickly and as CEO demands require.
• Ability to take initiative and develop solutions quickly and effectively.
• Broad and strategic mindset, creative aptitude and effective use of independent judgment.
• The ability to multi-task, prioritize and follow-through to effectively manage work flow and meet deadlines.

Travel: Periodic travel may be required in order to visit the Oakland office, attend convenings or site visits, or for other Foundation needs. Travel is estimated at 5% or less.

CORE COMPETENCIES

The selected candidate will exemplify our core competencies:

• Live our Core Values: Respect, Integrity, Accountability, Equity, Stewardship, Excellence, Learning, and Trust.
• Drive Towards Innovation: Be bold. Experiment and learn from both successes and failures.
• Make a Difference: Yes, we can. Own our responsibilities and our ability to make positive change.
• Contribute to One Team: We’re in this together. Our success is a collective effort.
• Show Courage: Be thoughtful but act on your convictions. Be open to feedback.

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION

The California Wellness Foundation is a private, independent foundation established in 1992 with a mission to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California. As one of the largest health-focused foundations in California, with over $900 million in assets, Cal Wellness is a nationally recognized leader for its strategic core operating support for grantees; public policy grantmaking; and a focus on violence as a public health issue. It is Cal Wellness’ desire to promote equity and level the playing field so that everyone has access to good-paying jobs, healthy and safe neighborhoods, and quality health care services.

The foundation’s current Advancing Wellness grantmaking strategy includes four interrelated portfolios that focus on equitable access to health care; safe and healthy neighborhoods; economic security; and community and organizational leadership. Since its founding, Cal Wellness has awarded nearly 9,000 grants totaling more than $1 billion. As the foundation looks to the future, it is pursuing new and innovative strategies beyond its core grantmaking to advance its mission, including implementation of new technology systems, development of its public affairs capacity, and establishing mission- and program-related investment portfolios.

Cal Wellness has a diverse staff of approximately 40 located in its Los Angeles and Oakland offices and a diverse 11-member Board located throughout the state of California. The foundation’s work underscores a belief that wellness requires social justice, a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and sustained efforts to eliminate systemic barriers that prevent access to health care, education, employment and safety.

Please visit http://www.calwellness.org for more information.

COMPENSATION

The starting salary for this position is $97,000. The full salary range for the role is $86,600 to $129,900. Highlights from our benefit package include: a variety of health plans, a generous 401(k) retirement savings plan, paid time off, professional development and educational opportunities, matching gifts, and the opportunity to work at a mission and values driven organization.

A Note Regarding COVID-19: Cal Wellness is proceeding with hiring in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Interviews will be conducted utilizing videoconferencing. New staff will be onboarded in a virtual environment. Cal Wellness looks forward to returning to its offices in downtown Los Angeles and Oakland and being able to see everyone face-to-face, but at this point we expect to be working from home until July 6, 2021. When it is safe to return to the office, this position will be based in our Los Angeles office.

The California Wellness Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse candidate pool.

The above job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not intended to limit the scope of potential work assignments. This is only a summary of the typical functions of the job and duties may differ from those as outlined above.