Special Assistant

Position description

The Ford Foundation seeks three Special Assistants for three different teams.  The Special Assistant (SA) serves as the administrative and operational project manager for collaborative teams working towards achieving ambitious goals in line with the foundation’s strategy. The Special Assistant is responsible for managing workflows and administrative tasks for senior leadership team members, including calendar and project management, special projects, budget management, coordinating team meetings and retreats, and providing overall cohesion across the team. This is a great opportunity for those who enjoy operationalizing the day-to-day flow of high-performing teams and works well across lines of difference. 

 

The following three teams are seeking a new Special Assistant: 

• Office of Strategy and Impact (OSI). – The OSI works closely with all 10 global offices and the US office to strengthen Ford’s capacity as a learning institution and ensure that learning and strategy are deeply embedded in all of its work.  This is a new unit overseen by the Deputy Vice President (DVP) of OSI, which includes the Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) Program and Ford Global Fellows (FGF). The SA will primarily support the DVP while also supporting sub-teams. 

• Natural Resources and Climate Change – International (NRCC-I). The NRCC-I works globally to ensure natural resource governance serves the public interest and reflects the aspirations of rural, low-income, and indigenous communities who claim customary rights to their land or have secured land rights. The SA will serve as a key connector and liaison between all team members in New York and internationally, requiring strong communications and collaboration skills. 

• Office of the Vice President, US Programs (US OVP)- The U.S. OVP oversees the foundation’s domestic grantmaking work including Civic Engagement and Government, Creativity and Free Expression, Future of Work(ers), Technology and Society, Disability Rights, and Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice. The SA of US OVP will support the US Programs Vice President and OVP through efficient management of budgets, administrative processes, and staff organizational practices. The SA will collaborate closely with senior colleagues, global foundation offices, and external entities to facilitate forward planning, provide guidance on administrative procedures and policies, and ensure coordinated support across divisions. 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

Support to Senior Leadership 

• Provide thought partnership and support to senior team members and ensure their time is deployed strategically.

• Manage all administration needs including maintaining their calendar, travel management (including visas), and meeting preparation/follow through. 

• Synthesize key information from meetings, partner with senior leaders on follow up, action plans, and dissemination. 

• Represent senior team members internally and externally on committees and task forces.

• Represent the foundation in external spaces, serving as an ambassador and voice for assigned thematic area.

 

Overall Administrative/Operations Management

• Manage operational budget for assigned team, applying best practices of budgeting and tracking yearly variances to make recommendations about future budgets.

• Effectively manage contract requests from start to completion, ensuring compliance with established Foundation policies. 

• Lead on the coordination and planning of team meetings, retreats, and other working meetings/convenings, including curating agendas, managing the communication plan, and working with events team as needed for all logistical needs.

• Collaborate and coordinate closely with peer administrative team members on workflow and projects, including coverage support as needed.

• Respond to general inquiries on behalf of the team, maintaining appropriate correspondence control records, paying particular attention to accuracy and time sensitive inquiries. 

• Ensures that professional memberships and subscriptions to relevant newsletters and journals are kept current. 

 

Project management

• Provides project management for all aspects related to relationship management, particularly managing communications with internal and  external stakeholders.

• Set up workflow systems to ensure good communications flow across teams, optimal time management, and constructive project management. 

• Ensure key work moves forward by monitoring the team’s project management tracker and program tracker. 

• Synthesize information, draft concise and clear professional memoranda.

• Support with research related projects as needed.

 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate is an effective administrator, and operations professional who is highly organized and can work well with diverse stakeholders. In addition, the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications: 

• 4+ years of professional working experience supporting senior executives in an administrative or operational capacity.

• Baccalaureate degree in related field or equivalent relevant experience.

• Experience working within global and/or complex  environments.

• Comfort working with budgeting systems and trackers and other relevant platforms for office management.

• Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly with colleagues while managing multiple streams of work.

• Superior project management skills: proactive approach, and ability to prioritize tasks. 

• Demonstrated ability to develop effective working relationships across all types of difference, both remotely and in person.

• Ways of working that align with the Ford Foundation’s culture and values. 

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

The following are additional skills and experiences that could be helpful but are not required: 

• Fluency in a language other than English 

• International experience, particularly in the Global South

• Experience working with NGOs and/or philanthropy

• Experience in change management and organizational transition

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

This position is primarily a sedentary role. However, the person in this position may need to occasionally move about inside the office to liaise with internal staff, access files, office machinery and a copy machine/printer. 

Application instructions

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