Senior Coordinator, Board Governance & Operations

Cates Consulting; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Cates Consulting East, LLC in San Francisco seeks a Senior Coordinator for Board Governance & Operations to manage governance processes, projects, and executive communications, ensuring timely, accurate materials for trustees.

Hybrid role requiring onsite presence two to three days weekly, with occasional after-hours support for meetings and events, and collaboration across Legal, Finance, Development and Operations.

Qualifications

• Two or more years of progressively responsible experience in Board operations, governance administration, or related field.
• Experience directly supporting a Board, governing body, or multiple Board-level committees.
• Strong project management, organizational, editorial, and quality-control skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the annual cycle of Board and committee meetings, including planning, agendas, materials, logistics, execution, and follow-up.
• Develop and maintain project plans, calendars, templates, and checklists with clear owners and deadlines.
• Prepare meeting notices, minutes, and governance documentation in partnership with Executive Office and Legal.
• Maintain authoritative Board records and track action items through completion.
• Attend Board meetings, document deliberations, and support governance filings and disclosures.
• Provide proactive, high-touch support for trustees and cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Board operations

Project management

Editorial & QA

Executive communication

Diplomacy & discretion

G Workspace / Office

Board management platforms

Nonprofit governance experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

BoardEffect

Diligent

OnBoard

Job description

Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Executive Assistant, the Senior Coordinator, Board Governance & Operations manages the systems, projects, communications, and deliverables supporting the Board of Trustees and its committees. This role combines governance administration, project management, executive-level communication, and rigorous quality control to ensure trustees and executive leaders receive accurate, timely, and professionally prepared information. The successful candidate will be highly organized, thoughtful, discreet, and able to anticipate needs while managing multiple Board and committee workstreams.

This is a hybrid position based in San Francisco, with an expectation of working onsite two to three days per week. Additional onsite availability may be expected to support Board and committee meetings and activities, which may occur outside regular business hours.

Key Responsibilities

Board & Committee Operations

• Lead the annual cycle of Board and committee meetings, including planning, agendas, materials, logistics, execution, and follow-up.
• Develop and maintain project plans, calendars, production schedules, templates, and checklists; establish owners, deadlines, and review points and proactively keep work on schedule.
• Partner with executive and departmental leaders to ensure meeting content aligns with institutional priorities and decision needs; identify risks, gaps, or delays and elevate with recommended next steps.
• Manage and execute meeting logistics, including scheduling, room reservations, attendance, audiovisual and virtual participation needs, catering, parking, and accommodations.

Board Materials, Governance & Records

• Manage production and distribution of agendas, pre-reads, presentations, reports, resolutions, consent materials, and Board books, with strong version control and quality standards.
• Review Board and committee materials for accuracy, clarity, completeness, consistency, formatting, and purpose; work with content owners to resolve gaps or inconsistencies.
• Prepare meeting notices, agendas, draft resolutions, minutes, written consents, and other governance documentation in partnership with executive leadership and Legal.
• Maintain authoritative records of Board membership, trustee terms, committee assignments, attendance, bylaws, charters, policies, resolutions, decisions, and action items.
• Attend Board and committee meetings, accurately document deliberations and decisions, produce timely draft minutes, and track action items through completion.
• Support governance filings, assessments, disclosures, compliance activities, trustee-term monitoring, and secure electronic recordkeeping.

Trustee Experience & Communications

• Serve as a responsive and trusted point of contact for trustees, providing proactive, high-touch support for meetings, materials, schedules, logistics, accessibility needs, and Board-related matters.
• Draft polished trustee communications, reminders, summaries, and correspondence on behalf of the Executive Office.
• Manage and execute trustee onboarding and orientation, including preparing briefing materials, sharing institutional information, completing required documentation, and supporting participation in events, tours, retreats, and special engagements.
• Partner appropriately with Philanthropy on trustee cultivation and stewardship while maintaining clear ownership of governance responsibilities.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Support

• Prepare concise briefing documents, background summaries, meeting histories, and decision logs to support executive leadership in Board interactions.
• Track recurring themes, questions, decisions, and areas of concern across Board and committee meetings and surface relevant patterns to the Sr. Manager.
• Serve as a central liaison among the Executive Office, Finance, Legal, Development, Science, Education, Operations, and other departments contributing to Board work.
• Adapt workflows and timelines as priorities evolve, ensuring sensitive matters are handled thoughtfully and Board-related needs continue to be met. Recommend and implement improvements to Board workflows, documentation, communications, templates, and supporting technology; support retreats, governance reviews, special projects, and other Executive Office priorities as needed.

Qualifications

• Two or more years of progressively responsible experience in Board operations, governance administration, executive operations, project coordination, senior executive support, or a related field, including at least one year directly supporting a Board, governing body, or multiple Board-level committees.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex, deadline-driven meeting or governance cycles involving senior executives and multiple contributors.
• Exceptional project management, organizational, editorial, and quality-control skills, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple workstreams.
• Excellent written, editing, and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing executive-level correspondence, minutes, summaries, presentations, and briefing materials.
• Demonstrated ability to remain composed, flexible, and service-oriented when priorities shift, timelines tighten, or sensitive issues arise.
• Sound judgment, diplomacy, discretion, and confidence working with trustees, executives, donors, and other senior stakeholders; ability to anticipate obstacles, recognize when escalation is needed, and propose solutions.
• Advanced proficiency with Google Workspace or Microsoft Office. Experience with Board management platforms such as BoardEffect, Diligent, OnBoard, or similar systems preferred.
• Experience with nonprofit institutions and familiarity with nonprofit governance practices strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Core Competencies

Project and workflow management Strategic anticipation and systems thinking Editorial judgment and quality control Executive-level communication Governance administration Relationship management and diplomacy Accountability and follow-through Discretion and confidentiality Trustee service and hospitality Continuous process improvement