Special Assistant to the President | The Washington Center

Salary Range: $58,626.00 To 64,478.00, Annually

The Special Assistant to the President is responsible for executive level support for the President. The person in this role will also serve as the critical liaison to the Board of Trustees and senior staff leadership. The Special Assistant will manage the President’s schedule and correspondence, coordinating the President’s external and internal engagements.

The position requires the ability to interact with staff (at all levels) in a fast-paced, majority remote environment, sometimes under pressure, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient. The Special Assistant must operate with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality is crucial to this role. Expert level written and verbal communication skills, strong judgment and attention to detail are equally important. Occasional evening and weekend hours are expected in this role.

TWC is a majority remote organization; for most employees, employment with TWC will not be contingent on physical presence in an office space. Given the nature of the role, it is expected the Special Assistant must reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The Washington Center does maintain office space in Washington, D.C. and the individual in this role is expected to work in-person as and when the need arises.

Key Job Functions

Office of the President

Manage and coordinate the calendar of TWC’s President. Help strategically prioritize the President’s calendar based on an understanding about what is critical and/or urgent across various internal and external priorities.
Manage the budget for the President’s office, including all required financial reports.
Lead the scheduling, travel and management of expenses for the President's business travel in the DMV area and externally.
As the President develops TWC’s thought leadership voice, manage and create a strong online presence for the President through draft public presentations/speaking engagements and/or writings as directed, and through Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn etc.
Serve as the "Ambassador" for the President, coordinating communications with internal and external stakeholders, as directed.
Draft and send correspondence on behalf of the President, ensuring a high level of accuracy.
Coordinate the President’s external engagements in conjunction with appropriate staff.
Exhibit strong project management skills and an ability to be agile in priorities.
Discreetly handle sensitive issues that require confidentiality.

Board Management and Engagement

Serve as the liaison between the Board of Trustees and the President, ensuring regular communication/documentation is coordinated in an accurate and timely manner and that Board members have the information they need to effectively represent the mission.
Proactively identify key opportunities for the President and senior staff for engagement with the Board of Trustees, including one on one and in small groups or committees/task forces.
Serve as secretary and administrative support to the Board; coordinate and arrange Board and committee meetings including notification of meetings, materials and minutes; coordinate the preparation of agendas in coordination with the President; distribute meeting materials in advance.
Coordinate Trustee engagement with TWC team.

Senior Team Coordination

Support the senior staff to successfully execute initiatives requiring the President’s time.
Ensure agendas and materials are prepared in timely ways for senior staff and staff leadership meetings, as well as working with appropriate colleagues on all staff meetings.
On behalf of the President, work with Programs teams on President’s role in program execution and other mission-related work.
Assist the Office of People and Inclusion (HR) with onboarding of new employees. Additionally, manage the TWC organizational chart and TWC all staff internal calendar.
Assist the Chief Growth and Strategy Officer on strategic plan execution and metrics.
Assist with monthly newsletter, company-wide announcements, employee recognition and company events.

Required Education and Experience

An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered:

Bachelor’s Degree required.
A minimum of 4 years of work experience in a fast-paced organization.
Must have high level of expertise in Microsoft Office including Outlook, Word, Excel, & PowerPoint.
Must be tech savvy with a willingness to learn and have demonstrated strong communications skills.

Preferred Education/Qualifications and Experience

Prior experience supporting an executive preferred, particularly in a remote/hybrid environment.
Experience with Office365 a plus as TWC’s systems are cloud-based.
Knowledge and enthusiasm for TWC’s mission.
Familiarity/experience with non-profit organizations helpful.
Experience with planning and/or coordinating events or meetings preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Superior organizational and project management skills with strong attention to detail, ability to manage many moving parts, and excellent follow-through.
Expert-level writing skills with the underlying ability to understand and resonate with the President’s tone.
Customer-service orientation toward external and internal partners alike and a demonstrated level of confident and focused written and verbal communication skills, conveying credibility and authenticity.
Ability to manage multiple projects/tasks at once without losing sight of priorities and seeing them to fruition.
Solution-oriented mentality with the ability to handle ambiguous and changing situations.
Collaborative, with strong relationship building skills and the executive presence to manage important relationships.
High degree of flexibility with an ability to work in an innovative, fast-paced environment and readily embrace change.
Ability to work independently and work well under pressure.
Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Competencies Required to Perform the Job Successfully

Communication/Interpersonal Skills
Teamwork/Collaboration
Initiative
Self-Awareness

The Washington Center’s Values

Values which guide our mission work in every regard – internally and externally:

Equity & Inclusion
Learning
Connection & Collaboration
Integrity
Impact

Equipment Used to Perform the Job

May be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position:

Cloud-based technologies
Standard office equipment including a computer
Job-related software and printer

We Take Care of Our People

Our Mission is to create flexible, immersive pathways to enhance the pipeline of diverse talent and build more equitable, inclusive workplaces and communities. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career or grow an existing one, TWC is the type of organization where you can balance rewarding work with a great life. Your age is only a number. It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college or your children are; we need you for what you can do to better the lives of students.

We strive to have parity of benefits across the organization and, while regulations differ from place to place, we believe taking care of our people is the right thing to do.

Competitive pay based on your experience
Health coverage for you and your family in all locations
Ability to work in a remote or hybrid environment
Generous number of vacation days each year with company closure that last week of the year between Christmas and New Year
Half Friday’s day restoration and development
One day per year use toward volunteer projects you love
Embracing parenthood with a max of 15 extra days of parental leave
Recognize all Federal Holidays

Physical Abilities

Commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform described essential functions of this job. These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision to work on a computer.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use repetitive wrist, hand, and/or finger movement, reach with hands and arms and talk or hear.
The employee may be required to stand and walk.

Application Instructions

To apply to this position, please do so via our online application form.

—

This job description no way states or implies that these are the only duties performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws.

Certain job functions described herein may be subjected to possible modification in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

The Washington Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of The Washington Center to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Provisions in applicable laws providing for bona fide occupational qualifications, business necessity or age limitations will be adhered to by the organization where appropriate.

The Washington Center stands in solidarity with all marginalized communities. We believe communities are strengthened by the inclusion of and equity for all people. Racism, hate, and violence have no place in our society, and we condemn all such acts. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist and anti-hate organization.

We commit to continuously striving for diversity, equity and inclusion through ongoing education and self-awareness. At The Washington Center, each person brings unique and varied experiences which inform our thoughts, actions, and decision-making processes. Our mission is to create an inclusive, safe environment for our staff and our students, where everyone’s differences are celebrated, every perspective is valued, and everyone feels safe to bring forth their authentic selves.