Executive Assistant to the VP, College Access and Success - Susan T. Buffett Foundation - Omaha, Nebraska
at Carol Olsby & Associates
in
Omaha,
Nebraska
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) is a private grant-making foundation with a U.S. home office in Omaha, NE and a global home office in Kigali, Rwanda. Our staff is comprised of over 80 individuals across two continents. With annual spending in excess of $1 billion, we are one of the largest private foundations in the U.S.
The Foundation is unusual for donors of such size as we have only two main areas of grantmaking: (1) supporting efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and ensure access to safe abortion for women in the U.S. and around the world and (2) to enable low-income students in Nebraska to attend and succeed in college. Unlike most foundations, STBF will not exist in perpetuity. After Mr. Buffett passes away (he is currently 93 years old), the Foundation's grantmaking will grow substantially, then eventually sunset after approximately 10-15 years.
The Executive Assistant will provide advanced level administrative support to the VP of CAS and overall support to the CAS team. This individual will exercise excellent judgment and resourcefulness in all matters. The administrative work is complex, including planning, coordinating, organizing, and being involved in work that requires high discretion and confidentiality. They will serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders regarding the VP's calendar.
Responsibilities
Calendar Management and Scheduling • Manage and track the VP's schedule, including travel arrangements, meeting, and administrative support. • Proactively optimize the VP's calendar ensuring time is prioritized and spent effectively and efficiently. • Anticipate the needs of the VP, ensure she is prepared and briefed for her day-to-day activities, meetings, and appointments.
Meeting Support • Organize and coordinate team and partner meetings to include preparing agendas, logistics, set-up, catering, accommodations, attendees, etc. • Provide meeting support by taking notes, tracking and following up on action items. • Create, obtain, and summarize data for meetings, presentations, and reports.
Organization and Prioritization • Identify opportunities for enhancing the team's efficiency, effectiveness or cohesion and make solution-based recommendations to the VP. • Maintain continuous lines of communication and positive relationships with the team, helping to keep them informed on critical issues and ensuring they have needed information and support in a timely manner. • Maintain master calendar of expected reports, meetings, travel, contract renewals, budgets and other important dates for CAS staff. • Continuously update program policies, procedures, and guidelines as directed by the VP.
Grant Management • Coordinate all grant management for the CAS team, including utilizing and updating grant management software, reviewing all grant narrative and budget proposals and reports, creating processes and procedures used by the CAS team and working with everyone on the team to successfully manage the grant process.
Miscellaneous • Support the VP's internal and external communications needs. Draft communications for the VP as necessary or communicate internally and externally on her behalf. Demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and thoughtfully in written and verbal correspondence. • Provide support to the VP on budgeting and expense reporting, working close with the Business Operations team. • Proofread documents, draft presentations; conduct literature reviews or periodic reviews of key events and conferences of interest to the unit. Conduct basic research-related tasks (such as cleaning up databases, creating spreadsheets, running simple descriptive analyses on Excel). • Engage in learning opportunities, including participation in team meetings, skill building, collaboration, and equity learning agenda. • Available outside of "normal" business hours including occasional weekends and evenings, to meet deadlines and address time sensitive concerns.
*These responsibilities may change or expand over time consistent with the Foundation's needs and initiatives.
Qualifications
Background and Experience • 5+ years of experience in administrative support roles. • Bachelor's Degree is required, Master's Degree is preferred. • Experience working in higher education environments is preferred, but not required. • Experience with Microsoft Suite, including Teams, is required. • Proven track record of providing excellent, complex, and confidential administrative support. • Demonstrated experience exercising resourcefulness, good judgment, and discretion to make decisions and act at times without having much direction. • Experience with project management; a certification is preferred, but not required. • Nonprofit experience is preferred, but not required.
Attributes for Success • Expertly juggle and manage multiple tasks, issues, and problems at the same time, while staying calm. • Work well independently, highly organized, efficient, and able to prioritize work based on minimal direction and sometimes multiple competing priorities. Uses good judgment when managing non-routine matters. • Demonstrate superior organizational and planning skills to balance multiple projects and priorities, paying attention to detail as well as an ability to maintain a big-picture perspective. • Demonstrate critical thinking and the use of sound judgment when dealing with internal or external issues. • Demonstrate an absolute commitment to confidentiality and discretion. • Contribute to an inclusive, collaborative, and productive team culture. Identify ways to improve DEI efforts internally and programmatically and commit to your own ongoing learning about inclusive behaviors and work cultures.
Shared Values • A genuine understanding of, and appreciation for, the significance of our values: Mission, Respect for Donor Intent, Appetite for Risk and Tolerance for Failure, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Humility, Passion Tempered by Objectivity and Evidence, Compassion and Love of Humanity, Honesty and Integrity, Kindness and Respect and Shared Accountability. • An alignment with the Foundation's progressive values, including unambiguous support for individual reproductive freedom.
Attributes for Success
o Problem-solving: ability to identify issues, analyze problems, and implement effective solutions to improve operational efficiency.
o Communication: excellent verbal and written communication skills for interacting with team members, vendors, and other stakeholders.
o Organization and Prioritization: ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize effectively to ensure smooth operations and meet deadlines.
o Attention to Detail: ability to focus on details while managing the broader scope of operations.
o Adaptability: flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and address new or unforeseen challenges as they arise.
o Customer-focus: understanding of others' needs and the ability to implement processes that enhance overall satisfaction.
o Confidentiality: ability to demonstrate absolute commitment to confidentiality and discretion.
Shared Values
o A genuine understanding of, and appreciation for, the significance of our values: Mission, Respect for Donor Intent, Appetite for Risk and Tolerance for Failure, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Humility, Passion Tempered by Objectivity and Evidence, Compassion and Love of Humanity, Honesty and Integrity, Kindness and Respect and Shared Accountability.
o An alignment with the Foundation's progressive values, including unambiguous support for individual reproductive freedom.
Benefits and Compensation
Starting salary for this role is $100,000. Compensation is determined by a variety of factors including candidate's individual qualifications, experience relative to the requirements of the role, and internal equity. STBF offers a robust and generous benefits package.
Inclusion Statement
We are committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. This includes not only creating a diverse team where everyone feels represented, respected, and included, but also embedding these values across our work and practices. All applicants who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.
To Apply
1. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply quickly.
2. We request that candidates submit a cover letter, outlining interest and qualifications aligned with the role description, along with their resume/CV to Carol Olsby at carol@carololsby.com
3. Accommodations - If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to carol@carololsby.com.