Special Assistant to the President and CEO

Capital Area Food Bank; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 95,000 - 128,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Robust benefits package

Job summary

The Capital Area Food Bank seeks an experienced leader to provide executive support to the CEO and manage board coordination. You will draft materials, oversee communications, and coordinate complex scheduling and travel, while administering high-level projects and confidential information with tact and efficiency.

Responsibilities include preparing briefings, leading cross-department collaboration, and ensuring timely follow-through on actions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years supporting senior executives, boards, or leadership; equivalent experience considered.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with polished executive materials.
• Advanced MS Office; familiarity with board management platforms (OnBoard preferred).
• Strong organizational and project management abilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proactive, resourceful, and able to exercise independent judgment.
• Discretion and mature handling of confidential information.
• Diplomacy and interpersonal skills for diverse stakeholders; ownership mindset and follow-through.
• Commitment to the organization’s mission serving community needs.

Responsibilities

• Manage the CEO’s complex calendar, prioritizing time aligned with goals and conflicts.
• Serve as central coordination point for CEO with executive leadership, staff, Board, donors, partners, and officials.
• Prepare meetings with agendas, briefing materials, talking points, and presentations.
• Oversee meeting logistics, travel, correspondence, and follow-up with accuracy and responsiveness.
• Develop systems to track CEO priorities, decisions, deadlines, and action items with timely follow-through.
• Draft and refine executive communications ensuring clarity and professional tone.
• Research and synthesize information for meetings and organizational priorities.
• Manage select projects for the CEO, coordinating across departments and monitoring progress.
• Identify improvements to executive office systems, workflows, and efficiency.
• Exercise discretion handling confidential/sensitive information.

Skills

Executive calendar management

Communication skills

Discretion & sound judgment

Project management

Interpersonal diplomacy

Independent judgment

Detail orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 8+ years experience

Tools

Outlook

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

OnBoard board management platform

Job description

About Capital Area Food Bank

The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for more than one million people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor of the region’s hunger relief infrastructure, the food bank provided more than 60 million meals to people in need last year, by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations and distributing food directly to the community.

Creating long-term food security requires more than just food. It also requires addressing the root causes of food insecurity through partnerships with organizations that provide critical services such as job training programs, health care, and education. To learn more, visit capitalareafoodbank.org

Essential Functions

CEO Executive Support & Office Coordination

• Manage the CEO’s complex calendar, prioritizing time in alignment with organizational goals and proactively identifying conflicts, needs, and decision points.
• Serve as a central coordination point for the CEO, facilitating communication and follow-through among executive leadership, staff, Board members, and external stakeholders. including donors, partners, community leaders, government officials, and media.
• Prepare the CEO for meetings and engagements by coordinating agendas, briefing materials, talking points, presentations, and other supporting documents.
• Manage meeting logistics, scheduling, travel, correspondence, and follow-up with accuracy, responsiveness, and attention to detail.
• Develop and maintain systems to track the CEO’s priorities, commitments, decisions, deadlines, correspondence, and action items ensuring timely follow-through by the CEO and relevant stakeholders
• Draft, edit, and refine executive communications and materials, ensuring clarity, tone alignment, and professional polish.
• Conduct research and synthesize information to support meetings, decisions, and organizational priorities.
• Manage select projects and special assignments on behalf of the CEO, coordinating across departments and monitoring progress through completion.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve executive office systems, workflows, and efficiency.
• Exercise discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information.

Board of Directors Administrative Support

• Provide administrative support to the Board of Directors and its committees, including coordinating calendars, meetings, attendance, communications, and logistics, and serving as a responsive point of contact for Board members.
• Prepare for Board and committee meetings by organizing and posting materials, maintaining records and rosters, and coordinating facilities and technology.
• Support a high-quality Board member experience through onboarding, day-of assistance, timely responses, and anticipation of administrative needs throughout the year.

CEO-Led Meetings, Convenings & Events

• Coordinate CEO-led meetings, convenings, retreats, receptions, and other events in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage end-to-end execution, including scheduling, invitations, agendas, venues, catering, materials, technology, run-of-show, and day-of logistics, action-item capture, and follow up.
• Anticipate and resolve logistical or operational issues quickly and effectively.
• Provide a professional, welcoming, and seamless experience for all participants.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years of progressively responsible experience supporting senior executives, Boards, or organizational leadership; equivalent experience considered.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing polished executive materials.
• Advanced Microsoft Office proficiency, particularly in Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and comfort with modern productivity, scheduling, and collaboration tools. Experience using board management platforms, such as OnBoard, is preferred
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proactive and resourceful, with the judgment to anticipate needs, solve problems, and act independently.
• Demonstrated discretion, maturity, and sound judgment when handling confidential or sensitive information.
• Strong interpersonal skills and diplomacy to work effectively with staff, executives, Board members, donors, government officials, community partners, and media.
• Ownership mindset with consistent follow-through, responsiveness, and attention to detail.
• Commitment to the organization’s mission which addresses significant community needs.

Core Characteristics

• Driven and composed: Brings energy and urgency while remaining calm under pressure.
• Proactive and anticipatory: Identifies needs early and acts before being asked.
• Reliable and accountable: Builds trust through responsiveness and consistent execution.
• Highly organized: Creates structure and systems that support smooth executive operations.
• Diplomatic and people-savvy: Navigates diverse personalities and expectations with warmth, confidence, and good judgment.
• Strategic and practical: Balances big-picture awareness with a strong focus on execution.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position and operate a computer and other office equipment for extended periods; move within the office and between meeting locations; communicate and exchange information effectively; and occasionally move or transport materials weighing up to 15 pounds. The position may require occasional local travel and work outside regular business hours.

NOTE: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Compensation

• $94,966 to $128,483
• Robust benefits package

Application Process

Interested applicants must submit an online application and résumé through the Paycom applicant portal. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants may log in to their Paycom account to check their application status. Please do not call, email, or visit our facilities regarding application status. Candidates whose qualifications align with our hiring needs will be contacted by Human Resources regarding next steps.