Reception and Operations Administrative Assistant

Council on Foreign Relations; Washington; On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is seeking a Reception and Operations Administrative Assistant for CFR’s Washington, D.C. office. The role is full-time on-site five days a week with overtime as needed to support events and operations.

Responsibilities include front-desk duties, visitor management, coordination of staff access and meetings, and assisting senior finance and legal officers with administrative tasks, travel, and documentation.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 2 years’ related administrative experience in a high-profile, fast-paced setting; reception experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal first contact at CFR DC office for visitors and calls, screening requests as needed.
• Greet visitors and staff, delivering a welcoming, professional atmosphere and high-quality service.
• Assist with scheduling, badges, occupancy awareness, access for visiting staff and building security systems.
• Support day-of coordination for Council meetings, including agenda posting and attendee requests.
• Provide scheduling and administrative support to CFO and Treasurer, including expense reporting and travel bookings.
• Provide admin support to Chief Legal Officer including invoicing and expenses.

Skills

Customer-facing

Verbal communication

Written communication

MS Office

Problem-solving

Team player

Punctuality

Business writing

Attendance

Flexible hours

Education

High school diploma

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Envoy

Job description

Position Summary

The Reception and Operations Administrative Assistant is a cross-functional support role, working as a key communication link with CFR staff, members, speakers, applicants, event managers, and visitors, and provides administrative support to the Chief Financial Officer and Finance team. In addition to traditional reception tasks, the Reception and Operations Administrative Assistant works under the direction of the Director of Council Operations and Deputy to the COO on administrative assistance for the Finance team as well as supporting administrative work for other teams as needed.

Position Summary

The Reception and Operations Administrative Assistant is a cross-functional support role, working as a key communication link with CFR staff, members, speakers, applicants, event managers, and visitors, and provides administrative support to the Chief Financial Officer and Finance team. In addition to traditional reception tasks, the Reception and Operations Administrative Assistant works under the direction of the Director of Council Operations and Deputy to the COO on administrative assistance for the Finance team as well as supporting administrative work for other teams as needed. This is a full-time position in CFR’s Washington D.C. office on site five days per week. This position will have regularly required overtime, including early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekends, to support departmental operations and scheduled events.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Serve as one of the principal first contact points at CFR’s DC office for all visitors and incoming phone calls, using discretion to screen incoming phone calls and requests from callers, including the media
• Greet visitors, staff, members, and guests to CFR DC, supporting a welcoming yet highly professional atmosphere and providing excellent customer service to internal and external constituents
• Assist the Senior Reception Services and Security Operations Manager with ongoing tasks such as scheduling staff headshots; distributing ID badges; maintaining a working knowledge of building occupancy levels; coordinating access for visiting staff(including booking workspace and ensuring badge information is current within the building access system), operating the visitor management system (Envoy) and familiarity with procedures and technology; and assisting with scheduling and tracking of various staff trainings or mandatory certification programs
• Assisting as needed with day-of coordination of Council meetings, including checking in and handling special requests from meeting attendees, creating and posting the daily agenda, and working with facilities and events staff during the function
• Provide scheduling and administrative task support to the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer as well as other senior Finance Team members, including expense report submissions, document preparation, tracking tasks and deadlines, meeting coordination, and some travel booking
• Provide administrative task support to the Chief Legal Officer, including invoice processing and expense reports
• Provide general administrative assistance as assigned by the Director of Council Operations to teams across CFR
• Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required

Experience and Education

• High school diploma required, Bachelor’s degree preferred
• A minimum of 2 years' related administrative experience in a high profile and fast‑paced organization; reception experience strongly preferred

Related Skills & Other Requirements

• Demonstrable success in customer facing roles, with a keen focus on providing a welcoming and customer‑friendly environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication and customer service skills
• Effective problem‑solving capabilities; ability to anticipate patterns and links and to look beyond the immediate problem to the wider implications.
• Strong computer skills with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Flexibility and positive, team‑player attitude
• Strong business writing and proofreading skills
• Outstanding punctuality and attendance
• Availability to work flexible hours, including some early mornings, evenings, and an occasional weekend.

Required Application Materials

• Please submit a résumé and cover letter stating your interest in the position.

Compensation And Benefits

• The full‑time annual compensation range for this position is $55,000 – $60,000, depending on experience.
• In addition to competitive salaries, CFR provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.

About CFR

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is committed to fostering a foreign policy community in the United States that is more representative of American society, recognizing that diverse backgrounds and perspectives contribute to broader, more informed participation in the foreign policy debate and lead to an enhanced understanding of the world and the United States’ role therein. To that end, CFR is dedicated to continuing to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout its work and workplace by building a more diverse membership and staff, producing and dispensing thoughtful analysis on a broad range of foreign policy issues, and developing relevant, wide‑ranging programming that also serves to expand the foreign policy talent pipeline to underrepresented populations.