Executive Assistant, Philanthropy Jobs

The Organization

Ballmer Group Philanthropy is committed to improving economic mobility for children and families in the United States, funding leaders and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to reshape opportunity and reduce systemic inequities.

Ballmer Group Philanthropy is both a national and regional funder – we have a presence and invest deeply in southeast Michigan, Washington state, and Los Angeles County. Our organization was co-founded by philanthropist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, founder of USAFacts, and chairman of the Los Angeles Clippers. Learn more at www.ballmergroup.org.

Our Approach

Since our founding in 2015, our focus and impact areas have continued to expand, informed by our grantees' work and by data that shows where the deepest inequities lie. We focus on multiple impact areas and systems that can impact economic mobility - such as early learning, K-12 education, college and career pathways, housing, behavioral health, and criminal justice - and we support leaders and organizations that focus on undoing systemic racism and the barriers it has created.

We employ four levers of change that hold promise for long-term system improvements: Strengthening & Developing Place-Based Partnerships; Partnering with Government; Investing in Advocacy; Scaling Technology & Data Across Social Services. We use these approaches across our impact areas, regions, and national work.

The Opportunity

The Executive Assistant, Philanthropy (EA) will deliver high-quality, comprehensive administrative support to the President of Philanthropy, with a particular focus on managing the President’s calendar and travel arrangements. They will be responsible for ensuring the President’s schedule is optimized, travel is coordinated efficiently, and all necessary arrangements are made to support their work. The EA will also provide administrative support for Philanthropy team-wide activities and events.

The EA will also support the scheduling and coordination of other internal and external meetings the President leads (e.g., Leadership Team, org-wide meetings and events, Sync Weeks, grantee and partner interfaces). They will also be a member of Ballmer Group Philanthropy’s administrative team, embracing opportunities to collaborate across the organization, streamline efficiency, and effectively support organization goals.

Key Priorities and Responsibilities

1. Calendar and Schedule Management: Manage the President's calendar, including scheduling and coordinating appointments, meetings, and events. Proactively handle scheduling conflicts, prioritize appointments, and ensure the President's schedule is optimized for maximum productivity. Ensure that the President is prepared for each meeting, including coordination and organization of pre-read materials.

2. Time Management and Blocking: Partner with the President to create a calendar that reflects and tracks their objectives and priorities. Establish time blocks for specific activities such as strategic planning or focused work. Protect these time blocks from interruptions, and help the President stay focused during designated periods.

3. Travel Arrangements: Coordinate and arrange all travel logistics for the President, including booking flights, hotels, ground transportation, and preparing detailed itineraries and briefing materials. Ensure that all travel arrangements are timely, cost-effective, and aligned with the President's priorities.

4. Meeting and Event Support: Provide comprehensive support for meetings and events, including coordinating external visitors, catering, event planning, and greeting guests. Duties also include agenda development, document preparation, and onsite technical and logistical support and coordination. Attend meetings as requested to take minutes, and track action items to ensure follow-up and completion.

5. Org-Wide Collaboration and Support: Work closely with the Strategy & Operations team to effectively implement Ballmer Group Philanthropy’s rhythm of the business; including proactive input on near and long-range planning to optimize time allocations, travel, communication needs, etc. Collaborate with the administrative team to establish best practices, working groups, process flows, and share information. Provide administrative and logistical support to the Philanthropy team, including calendaring for team-wide meetings, coordinating team events, and assisting with team-wide communications. Help to streamline cross-team processes, maintain team files and records, and assist with special projects and initiatives as needed.

6. Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, partners, and other key contacts. Serve as a liaison between the President and various stakeholders and represent the President and Ballmer Group Philanthropy in a positive, professional, and courteous manner.

7. Information Management: Organize and maintain confidential information and documents related to the President's office, including contacts, files, expense tracking and reporting, and records. Develop and implement efficient systems for information retrieval and storage.

8. Communication and Correspondence: Draft, edit, and proofread various documents, including emails, memos, reports, and presentations on behalf of the President and the Philanthropy team. Ensure that all communications are professional, accurate, and aligned with Ballmer Group's philanthropic goals. Recognize any sensitivities that may arise.

9. Proactive Support: Anticipate needs and proactively provide support to the President and the Philanthropy team. Identify opportunities for improvement, implement solutions, and handle ad hoc requests with a positive and solution-oriented mindset.

10. Personal Assistance: Some personal assistance to support the President’s overall effectiveness may occasionally be required, such as adding personal appointments to the calendar or making travel bookings.

The Ideal Candidate

An ideal candidate for the Executive Assistant role will have the following qualifications:

1. Experience: Minimum of 5 years of executive assistant or similar experience, preferably supporting C-level executives or senior leaders in a fast-paced, high-profile environment. Experience in philanthropy or nonprofit organizations is a plus.

2. Communicates Effectively: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to develop and deliver communications that convey a clear understanding of the needs of different audiences. Listens attentively and speaks candidly, effectively giving and receiving open, two-way feedback. Can draft and edit documents with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

3. Organization and Prioritization: Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks, competing priorities, and deadlines simultaneously while paying close attention to detail. Proven ability to prioritize tasks and work independently with minimal supervision.

4. Professionalism and Discretion: High level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information. Ability to exercise good judgment and maintain confidentiality at all times. Ability to make a decision and know when to ask for assistance.

5. Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Experience and ability to work with diverse constituencies and build strong working relationships internally and externally. Energetic, flexible, deeply committed, and has a good sense of humor.

6. Proactive and Resourceful: Positive attitude, proactive and solution-oriented mindset, with the ability to anticipate needs, identify opportunities for improvement, and take initiative to implement solutions.

7. Technical Skills: Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Teams, Word, OneNote, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and other relevant software and tools. Demonstrated success in leveraging technology to effectively collaborate/iterate content, and file/store materials for future reference. Comfortable troubleshooting meeting technology issues for leaders and the Philanthropy team. Set up technology to be efficient with internal workflows, such as group distributions, requests, and inquiries.

8. Alignment with Mission: Passion for and alignment with Ballmer Group's philanthropic mission, and commitment to social impact.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

Bachelor’s Degree preferred.

Compensation

The pay range for the Executive Assistant, Philanthropy role is $86,000 to $129,000. We aim to hire new employees between $86,000 to $107,000 allowing future compensation growth within the range based on aptitude in the role and progress and performance against goals over time.

Featured Benefits & Perks

• 80 hours of paid sick leave annually.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employee and dependent premiums entirely paid for by Ballmer Group.
• 11 paid holidays, plus paid days off for the weekdays between Christmas and New Year.
• 401(k) with 6% employer contribution.
• Professional development reimbursement up to $2,000 per year.
• 3 weeks per year of paid vacation annually.
• 2:1 Ballmer Family Giving Match for charitable contributions.

Ballmer Group is an equal opportunity employer and is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity is valued. Individuals seeking employment at Ballmer Group are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.