Special Assistant, Shared Services

Ocean Conservancy; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision coverage

401(a) retirement plan with 6% company

Paid time off: vacation, holidays, and

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC is seeking a Special Assistant, Shared Services to provide direct, proactive executive support to the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer and to support the Shared Services department comprising Finance, People and Culture, IT, Legal and Operations.

This full-time role reports to the CFAO with dotted-line relationships to other VPs and requires a hybrid schedule with at least two days in the office weekly.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of administrative or related work experience.
• Strong organizational, project management and coordination skills; detail-oriented and deadline-driven.
• Able to work both independently and in a team with self-direction.
• Demonstrated integrity and ability to handle confidential information.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• Demonstrates initiative, creativity and adaptability.

Responsibilities

• Act as a key liaison between the CFAO and other departments to ensure alignment and partnership across teams.
• Support CFAO with calendar management, travel, deadlines and meeting notes.
• Provide basic admin support and scheduling for the CFAO as needed.
• Manage the Shared Services calendar, meetings and action-item follow-up.
• Coordinate meeting logistics and keep internal stakeholders informed on timelines.
• Support office management duties as needed.
• Assist with data entry, accounts payable, IT bill/invoice processing, and inventory tasks.
• Support recruiting, onboarding/offboarding, and related HR logistics.
• Assist legal, grant and subgrant diligence and related document management.
• Support various teams with ad-hoc projects and cross-department coordination.

Skills

Administrative experience

Organizational skills

Project management

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Discretion/confidentiality

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Outlook

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Special Assistant, Shared Services

All Staff Full-time Regular Washington, DC, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 1037

Salary Range: $85,000.00 To $95,000.00 Annually

POSITION TITLE:

Special Assistant, Shared Services

DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM:

Shared Services

REPORTS TO:

Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

STATUS:

Regular, Full Time, Exempt

LOCATION:

Hybrid – Washington, D.C.

ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY

For more than 50 years, Ocean Conservancy has delivered effective, evidence-based solutions for the ocean and all who depend on it. Today, we continue to unite science, people and policy to protect our ocean from the greatest challenges it faces: climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss. We are a 501(C)3 headquartered in Washington, D.C. that inspires a worldwide network of partners, advocates and supporters through our comprehensive and clear-eyed approach to ocean conservation. Together, we are securing a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Special Assistant is responsible for providing direct, proactive executive support to the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) as well as project- and task-based support to the Shared Services department, consisting of the Finance, People and Culture, Information Technology, Legal and Operations divisions. Requiring sound judgment, initiative and high attention to detail, this role will act as a key resource in the department, ensuring critical, cross-cutting work is adeptly executed. The position will report directly to the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer and will have dotted-line relationships with the other Vice Presidents in the department.

This is a full-time position based in Washington, D.C., with a hybrid work schedule requiring a minimum of two days in the office each week.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Executive Support (15%):

• Act as a key liaison between the CFAO and other departments, ensuring excellent communication, transparency, alignment and partnership across the organization’s teams.
• Facilitate timely and efficient information flow to the CFAO, including compilation of meeting agendas, management of deadlines, scheduling of meeting debriefs and circulation of notes for critical meetings, and action item follow-up.
• Provide basic administrative support to the CFAO, including calendar management, travel arrangements, expense submission, etc.

General Departmental Support (10%)

• Manage the Shared Services departmental calendar, including leadership meeting scheduling, planning, support, and action item capturing and follow-up.
• Coordinate meeting production and logistics as needed.
• Manage the status and timelines for key projects and specific workflows, ensuring internal constituencies are aligned and informed.
• Support overall office management duties as a backup for when the Office Manager is out.

Specific Departmental Support (75%)

• Finance. Provide overflow assistance with data entry, accounts payable processing, and inventory tracking.
• People and Culture. Assist the recruiting enterprise, including candidate interview scheduling, materials review, and onboarding and offboarding logistics and support.
• Information Technology: Provide bill and invoice entry and processing, inventory management assistance, and help desk ticket monitoring.
• Legal: Provide document management assistance (including data entry and templating), basic research as appropriate.
• Operations: Provide grant and subgrant due diligence assistance (materials aggregation and review, coordination with relevant departments, etc.).
• Other duties as needed and assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

• 3-5 years of administrative or related work experience.
• Superb organizational, project management, and coordination skills; strong desire to ensure operations run smoothly; attentive to details; and, conscientious in adhering to deadlines and deliverables.
• Ability to work individually but also as part of a strong team, with self-direction and discipline.
• Strong moral and ethical character; demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality of highly sensitive information.
• Experience using the Microsoft Office suite of products, particularly Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated initiative, creativity, and adaptability.

PREFERRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

• Passion for providing high-level administrative and organizational support in service to the organization’s goals.
• Interest in and experience with improving systems and processes.
• Experience working in nonprofit organizations.
• Passion for Ocean Conservancy’s mission.

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

COMPENSATION

Ocean Conservancy is committed to fair pay practices and posts expected salary ranges for each of its positions. Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate’s specialty skills, years of experience, location, and unique background. The expected starting salary range for this role is $85,000 to $95,000 annually. We would welcome the opportunity to connect with potential candidates whose salary requirements may be outside of the expected range.

In addition, Ocean Conservancy offers a comprehensive benefits package to include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage for employees, spouses (same-sex and opposite-sex), domestic partners, and dependent children, effective on your first day of employment.
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance, fully employer-paid for employees.
• Basic Life Insurance, fully employer-paid for employees.
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
• Retirement Benefits: Employees are immediately 100% vested and may begin contributing upon hire. After one year of employment, Ocean Conservancy will establish a 401(a) retirement account and contribute an amount equal to 6% of your monthly salary, regardless of whether you participate in the 403(b) plan.
• Generous Paid Time Off, including:
  • 15 days of vacation
  • 11 paid holidays
  • 12 sick days
  • 2 personal days

HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENT

Ocean Conservancy embraces a hybrid work environment, which allows our staff the flexibility to work virtually and in-person while building strong connections across the institution.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Ocean Conservancy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

We encourage applicants who have a diverse level and range of relevant skills and experiences to apply. A 100% match is not required. We want to support employees’ career growth and in return, our employees help Ocean Conservancy grow into a stronger, more inclusive institution.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

Ocean Conservancy is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. This includes modifying the job application process, the job or work environment to make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an applicant or employee to enable them to be considered for a position they desire, to perform the position’s essential functions and to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment, unless the accommodation will impose an undue hardship on Ocean Conservancy.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, or if you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying for a position, please contact [e-mail]. Ocean Conservancy will keep confidential any medical information obtained in connection with your request.