Executive Assistant – Temporary Role

Organization Overview

Michelson Philanthropies is a unique network of nonprofit foundations linked by a powerful vision to achieve measurable, positive impact in our community, state, nation, and world. Our team of curious, creative, energetic and mission-driven individuals are focused in four areas: animal welfare, education and equity, intellectual property, and medical research. We take a multifaceted approach to tackle challenges, including catalytic grantmaking, operating programs, impact investing, and energetic advocacy. 

With generous annual support from co-chairs Alya and Gary Michelson, Michelson Philanthropies is a well-funded organization that takes pride in bringing together great minds from diverse backgrounds to foster sustainable, scalable, replicable solutions to massive problems. Our culture and work environment sets us apart from traditional nonprofits and inspires our talented team to create innovative ideas and solutions to complex programs and initiatives. Our creative office suites are located on the westside and downtown Los Angeles.

Position Summary

The Executive Assistant position will be an 8-month, full-time, temporary assignment and will report to the Chief Executive Officer of our Michelson Found Animals Foundation. Serving as the “right hand” to our CEO, acting as a gatekeeper to the CEO’s schedule and supporting a range of projects and processes within the business. This is an excellent opportunity to learn, as you will get broad exposure to different aspects of the organization including our work in non profit, policy, impact investing, and accelerator program for petcare startups. The Executive Assistant will play an integral part in coordinating the day to day activities for both the CEO and other executives as needed. You will be responsible for everything from email communication with internal and external stakeholders, calendar & travel management, event planning, and other strategic tasks and projects. 

You will:

The Executive Assistant will be responsible for performing the below tasks. While these are the core duties for this role, the Executive Assistant is not limited to only performing what is captured here; we think growth is good. You should too!

• Support the CEO and leadership team to ensure seamless execution of plans and avoid scheduling conflicts
• Optimize CEO’s schedule with heavy calendar management
• Coordinate internal and external meetings for multiple executives
• Organizes, hosts team department meetings 
• Provide strategic administrative and project management support
• Proactively monitor, organize, and respond to items in CEO email inbox daily 
• Ability to manage Executive events and book travel and logistics remotely
• Coordinate executive projects and gather status updates
• Maintains up to date contact lists for CEO
• Prepare monthly expense reports and additional ad hoc reports
• Assist with the planning and execution of the Compass Conference alongside the conference planning team (set up meetings, conduct industry research, administrative support) 
• Provide administrative support and expense reporting for Return To Home program 
• Assist with ad hoc PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations
• Engage in industry research and events registration as directed
• Responds to requests from internal and external sources with appropriate action using independent judgment
• Screen incoming phone calls / voicemails
• Manage, organize, and safeguard confidential material, displaying the utmost level of discretion and ethical standards
• Additional duties may include event planning/coordination, as well as industry relations
• Occasional troubleshooting of general/basic technical issues for CEO and coordinating with outside IT Support vendor to resolve issues 
• Will serve as a key resource to their department, interacting with senior leaders, staff, and industry partners

You’ve gotta have:

Successful candidates for this role will have a mix of the below experience, education, and skills. We are flexible in considering your background but want to ensure that you have the tools to thrive! Please review and make sure that your skill set aligns with:

• A high school diploma/GED preferred or, an equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
• 2-3 years supporting C-level executives
• Experience with Google Suite (gmail, docs, sheets, slides) 
• Experience with Microsoft office (word, excel, powerpoint)
• Experience with Slack, Zoom 
• Project management experience a plus 

      Capabilities:

• Well-organized, energetic, enthusiastic and comfortable pushing back and saying “no” to others when necessary. 
• Ability to handle multiple tasks frequently within short timelines, to prioritize and organize work, and to complete assignments in a timely, accurate manner.
• Ability to use discretion in handling sensitive/confidential information.
• Have experience working in a highly fast-paced, fluid environment, can pivot easily and capable of making decisions with minimal guidance·
• Exceptional organizational, communication and planning skills
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Love driving ideas and projects forward! There’s no challenge you’ve met yet that you haven’t figured out.
• Must enjoy working within a smaller organization that is innovative, mission aligned, and results driven. 

Michelson Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Hungry for more? Visit us at https://www.foundanimals.org/ to see the groundbreaking work our teams are doing