Executive Assistant to the Global Executive Director

TITLE: Executive Assistant to the Global Executive Director

REPORTS TO: Global Executive Director

LOCATION/OFFICE: Home Working/Remote based in New York, NY

REMUNERATION: competitive salary in line with the candidate's experience and location

CONTRACT TYPE/HOURS: Full-time

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Friday, July 22, 2022

ABOUT US

Founded in 1992, Equality Now fights for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls around the world through legal advocacy. Working with grassroots women’s and human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes national and international action to support efforts to stop these abuses. The organization’s work is focused on four main program areas: Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices, and End Sex Exploitation.

With a presence in the US, UK, Lebanon, Kenya, and Georgia to name a few, Equality Now has a staff of 60 and is governed by a 10-member US Board of Directors, a 5-member UK Trustees group, and a 6-member Africa Board

The organization had an ambitious 2017-2021 strategic plan which resulted in enhanced presence and work in MENA, Eurasia, and LAC regions. In 2020, in response to the pandemic, we restructured the organization to become a dispersed organization. The organization released a strategic refresh, Future Proofing Equality, in April 2022. Current priorities include expanding programs in MENA, the Americas, and Eurasia as well as capacity building with an emphasis on development and communications activities. The 2022 budget is $13 million.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Executive Assistant serves as the primary internal and external contact on all matters pertaining to the Global Executive Director. S/he also serves as a liaison to the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team (SLT); organizes and coordinates executive outreach and external relations efforts; and oversees special projects. In particular, S/he must be creative and enjoy working within a mission and results driven environment. The ideal candidate will have good judgment with strong written and verbal communication, administrative and organizational skills, and the ability to balance multiple projects effectively. S/he will have the ability to work independently on projects, from conception to completion, and must be able to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion.

Responsibilities:

Executive Support

• Completes a broad variety of administrative tasks for the Global Executive Director including: managing an extremely active calendar; completing expense reports for the GED; composing and preparing confidential correspondence; arranging complex travel plans, itineraries and agendas; and compiling documents for meetings.
• Coordinates the Global Executive Director's schedule and acts as a "gatekeeper" to the Global Executive Director's time and office.
• Communicates directly and on behalf of the Global Executive Director with Board Directors, donors, staff, and others.
• Supports the development and implementation of Board policies on behalf of the Global Executive Director. 
• Researches, prioritizes and follows up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the Global Executive Director, including those of a sensitive and confidential nature.
• Provides a bridge for smooth communication between the Global Executive Director's office and internal departments while demonstrating leadership to maintain credibility, trust, and support with the SLT.
• Works closely and effectively with the Global Executive Director to keep her well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately.
• Acts as a "barometer", having a sense for the issues taking place in the environment, keeping the Global Executive Director updated, and uses initiative to provide recommendations based on his/her judgment.
• Provides leadership to build relationships crucial to the success of the organization, and manages a variety of special projects for the Global Executive Director.
• Prioritizes conflicting needs; handles matters expeditiously, proactively, and follows through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.
• Monitors revenues and expenses to assure activities are consistent with the budget.

Board Support and Liaison:

• Serves as the Global Executive Director's administrative liaison to the US Board of Directors, UK Trustees and Kenyan Trustees.
• Maintains discretion and confidentiality in relationships with all Board Directors and Trustees.
• Works with the Global Executive Director and SLT members to manage all compliance with applicable rules and regulations, bylaws and articles of incorporation of the entities in US, UK and Kenya including filings of resolutions and amendments
• Organizes and coordinates quarterly virtual Board committee meetings, board committee meetings, as well as an annual in-person meeting of all Board Directors, including advance distribution of all materials.

Leadership Team Liaison:

• Participates as an adjunct member of SLT including scheduling and attending all meetings, and providing meeting minutes(including distribution to staff).
• Assists in coordinating the agenda for executive and leadership bi-weekly Executive team meetings and all-staff meetings.

Communications, Partnerships, and Outreach:

• Ensures that the Global Executive Director's bio is kept updated.
• Responds to requests for materials regarding the Global Executive Director and the organization in general.
• Edits external documents including but not limited to; grants, donor acknowledgment letters, agendas, meeting packets, etc.

Skills and Experience required:

• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks and projects appropriately and complete work in a timely fashion based on these priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, and donors.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, adapt to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of donor/client service and response.
• Expert-level written skills and skilled typist with experience taking notes and minutes in a professional setting.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Outstanding verbal communication skills and highly developed listening skills.
• Ability to communicate well with a wide range of people, from fellow staff members to major donors and Board members.
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Highly resourceful team player with the ability to also be extremely effective independently.
• Forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions
• Ability to thrive when working under deadlines; and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously without sacrificing attention to detail.
• A highly professional demeanor; ability to stay calm under pressure; and extremely patient.
• A direct, honest, and respectful approach to problem-solving, with the ability to foster collaboration and contribute with fellow staff members and management.
• Strong work tenure: 3-5 years of experience supporting C-Level executives, preferably in a non-profit organization.
• Excellent command of Microsoft Office Suite programs (specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Google Suite/Drive/Meets, and file storage system management.
• Experience with project management particularly through Monday.com;
• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Written and spoken fluency in English; Fluency in French, Spanish, and/or Arabic is a plus.

Benefits & Compensation:

Salary commensurate with experience. Generous benefits package.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply: Use the form on this page. 

No calls, please. This is a home working/remote position based in New York, NY.

Application closing date - Friday, July 22, 2022. Due to the volume of applicants anticipated for this role, only shortlisted candidates will be informed and contacted for an interview.

Equality Now is an Equal Opportunity employer. Equality Now is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Equality Now does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Consultants are selected on the basis of ability, in accordance with all country and location-specific laws.

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