Special Assistant

Arabella Advisors; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

401(k) retirement plan

Professional development

Job summary

Arabella Advisors seeks a Special Assistant to Senior VP for Managed Organizations, providing executive support in a hybrid environment based in Durham, Chicago, or Washington, DC. The role focuses on administrative duties, calendar management, travel arrangements, and high-quality written materials to support leadership.

The successful candidate will coordinate complex schedules, prepare briefings, and drive strategic projects, collaborating across teams while maintaining discretion and

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated experience anticipating the needs of a senior leader and planning time and materials appropriately.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and experience with Salesforce.
• High degree of organization and attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to draft high quality written materials and correspondence.
• Strong work ethic, positive attitude, and a willingness to be flexible and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Responsibilities

• Provide primary administrative and special project support to the Senior Vice President for Managed Organizations.
• Handle all requests for meetings, appointments, and scheduling.
• Manage travel logistics, timesheets, and expense reports.
• Provide briefings, research, deck support, talking points and background documents as needed.
• Pull and maintain reports to support management and decision-making.
• Coordinate logistics for internal and external engagements, including run of show support.
• Attend and participate in meetings on an as needed basis.
• Deliver special projects and autonomous assignments as required.

Skills

Executive support

Time management

Communication

MS Outlook

MS Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Salesforce

Tools

Salesforce

MS Office

Job description

About Arabella’s Managed Organizations Team

Arabella Advisors provides operations and management support to multiple nonprofit organizations, including the New Venture Fund, the Windward Fund, and the Hopewell Fund—all 501(c)(3) public charities—and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4). These managed organizations house new and innovative public interest projects and nonprofits, as well as coordinate collaborative initiatives between donors and administer grants programs. This type of structure is commonly referred to as fiscal sponsorship, and candidates are highly encouraged to research fiscal sponsorship prior to a first interview. The managed organizations provide support to a diverse range of projects, including many focused on conservation, global health and civic engagement.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Advancing DEI within our firm and in our work with partners is critical to our mission. To be effective partners to philanthropists, nonprofits, and communities impacted by philanthropic dollars, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging, and a nuanced understanding of the racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other disparities that undergird the issues we engage in and the interactions we have with one another. For us, equity means that our staff members, our clients, and the people they serve can experience the same level of success, no matter their starting place. We expect all our employees to share this commitment, and always seek ways to improve how well we live these values. Click here to learn more about DEI at Arabella and read our official DEI statement.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Special Assistant, Managed Organizations (Durham, Chicago, or Washington, DC)

We’re looking for a resourceful, detail-oriented, organized, high-performing individual to serve as a special assistant to Senior Vice President for Managed Organizations. This is an excellent opportunity for an organized, client-service oriented individual who is interested in building a career in the social sector through exceptional executive-support work in the sector.

• Provide primary administrative and special project support to the Senior Vice President for Managed Organizations
• Handle all requests for meetings, appointments, and scheduling
• Manage travel logistics, timesheets, and expense reports
• Provide briefings, research, deck support, talking points and background documents to the Senior Vice President as needed
• Pull and maintain reports to support management and decision-making
• Coordinate logistics for internal and external engagements, including logistics and run of show support
• Attend and participate in meetings on an as needed basis
• Deliver special projects and autonomous assignments as required

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

• 2+ years of relevant work experience
• Demonstrated experience anticipating the needs of a senior leader and planning time and materials appropriately
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and experience with Salesforce
• High degree of organization and attention to detail and ability to manage and make progress on multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to draft high quality written materials and correspondence
• Strong work ethic, positive attitude, and a willingness to be flexible and do whatever it takes to get the job done
• Sound judgment, maturity, and the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and poise
• Flexibility, initiative, and entrepreneurial spirit
• Ability to work cooperatively and across teams

Our Core Competencies:

• The ability to provide excellent, including the ability to efficiently and independently address routine service matters, to suggest effective client-centered solutions when elevating challenges or concerns, and to understand how the team can operate to maintain high-quality service
• The ability to complete complex tasks, to use a work plan to undertake projects, and to understand how those projects impact the client, team, and/or firm’s objectives
• The ability to understand stakeholders’ perspectives and circumstances, and to build and manage strong relationships that reflect that understanding
• The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and professionally, including the ability to adapt style, tone, and content to various audiences; to make technical information accessible to broader audiences; and to collaborate with others to produce strong written deliverables
• The ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with others to achieve shared goals, including knowing when and how to compromise, being willing to proactively help colleagues, and sharing knowledge in various mediums
• An enthusiasm for taking on stretch and development opportunities, including the ability to accept feedback and use it to improve performance
• The ability to take ownership and be creative and solutions-oriented when encountering challenges that don’t have obvious answers, including knowing when to elevate challenges along with possible solutions

Working with Us

While this position must be based in Durham, Chicago or Washington, DC, please note that all Arabella Advisors’ offices have reopened, and we work in a hybrid environment.

We reopened our offices in Summer of 2022 and work with a hybrid workplace strategy to ensure continued flexibility for our staff, while deepening our strong culture rooted in collaboration and in-person interactions between colleagues. We expect that after their initial onboarding, all Arabellans will have the choice of two hybrid schedules. Our hybrid schedule options include Flex, with 1-2 days per week in the office, or Office-based, with 3+ days per week in the office (or more if preferred) and the remaining days working at home/remotely. We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

To center the safety and well-being of its employees, Arabella Advisors requires that any employee who is required to conduct in-person activities for their job must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within four weeks of their start date. This position may require candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Accommodations may be sought and approved in accordance with the law.

We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers page to learn more.

Total Rewards (compensation and benefits)

This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary, bonus, and benefits. Our compensation ranges are based on salary ranges for similar sized organizations in the professional services sector and adjusted for local labor market rates and differentiated by geography:

Chicago: $55,000 - $60,000

Washington, DC: $57,000 - $64,000

All full-time staff are eligible for our generous benefits package on their first day of employment:

• Health insurance- On average Arabella pays 86% of the medical premium, 80% of the dental premium, and 100% of the vision premium
• Paid time off- 16 days’ vacation, 10 personal days, 11 company holidays (7 federal and 4 more from a list of inclusive cultural and religious holidays and your birthday), 20 hours’ volunteer leave, 8 weeks’ parental leave
• 401(k) retirement plan- We offer a 4% employer match on a dollar-per-dollar basis, and there is no waiting or vesting period; all funds contributed by you and Arabella are yours to keep on day 1
• Reimbursements for your personal cell phone plan and fitness
• Pre-tax withholding for transportation and parking
• Bonus incentive opportunities
• Access to professional development opportunities

COMPENSATION

$52,000-$64,000

Arabella Advisors is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to racial equity. If we can make the application process easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know.

We encourage you to read (or listen to) our DEI statement prior to applying. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color and members of marginalized groups to apply for open positions. Once you have applied, we welcome your feedback on how you have experienced our values around DEI in the recruitment process.

While Arabella is open to individuals from various locations applying to join our team, please note that we generally are unable to pay for relocation expenses, and all applicants must already be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of application to be considered for this position.

We will review applications as they are received and look forward to hearing from you.