Administrative Assistant - Remote - US Central Time Zone Candidates Only #remote

Carol Olsby & Associates has been engaged to manage the Administrative Assistant, US Programs job search. Direct your resume and communications to carol@carololsby.com. Thank you.

Job Title: Administrative Assistant, US Programs

Location:  Omaha, Hybrid, or Remote (only US central time zone candidates will be considered)

Travel Requirements:  If not located in Omaha, travel to Omaha 2-3 times/year; occasionally beyond that in special circumstances

Status: Full time; Non-Exempt

The Foundation

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) is a private grant-making Foundation with a U.S. home office in Omaha, Nebraska, and a global office in Kigali, Rwanda.  With annual spending in excess of $500 million, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. The Foundation is unusual for donors of such size as it has only two main areas of grant making: 1) supporting efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and 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. The Foundation currently employs 43 staff across 14 states in the U.S. and 7 staff in Kigali, Rwanda.

Unit Description

The US Programs (USP) division of STBF, led by the Director of US Programs, manages the Foundation’s grantmaking to ensure just, available, and supported access to abortion and contraception in the United States. Our unit supports numerous organizations in two main areas of the reproductive health access and justice movements. The first funds direct access to abortion and contraception through support of individuals, health centers, clinicians, training facilities and related research. The second supports organizations focused on building longer term systems change through increasing social support for abortion addressing public policy advocacy, communications and messaging, movement building, and litigation. Each team is co-led by two Senior Program Officers and staffed by Program Officers and Program Associates. A small cross-portfolio Operations team supports the administrative needs of the entire unit. The unit is currently 15 people strong, based in Omaha and remotely, with plans to grow steadily in the coming years to meet the evolving and rapidly changing realities of abortion and contraception access in the US. Most of USP’s current staff come to philanthropy directly from the reproductive health, rights, and justice fields and have a wide background of subject matter expertise, which they contribute to the team’s collaborative work.

Summary

The position of Administrative Assistant will provide administrative support to the US Programs - Social Change team. The Administrative Assistant will provide critical support to the team as a whole as well as for individual team members in administrative tasks to ensure the smooth and organized operation of the portfolio in fulfilling its grantmaking and other responsibilities. This position reports to the Senior Program Officer  - USP - Social Change

Shared Values

The Foundation is intent on safeguarding the values Mrs. Buffett lived by: respect, integrity, authenticity, humility, compassion, kindness, humor, curiosity, and, most importantly, love for humanity. The US Programs AA will need to have a genuine understanding of, and appreciation for, the significance of these values and aspirations and how they are operationalized in the work the Foundation undertakes.  Finally, the candidate will need to be aligned with the Foundation’s progressive values, including unambiguous support for individual’s reproductive freedom.

What You Will Do

1. Provides general administrative support to the team by ensuring office space, technology, and systems are functional and further support to the portfolio including scheduling meetings and calls, calendar management, processing reimbursements, and helping align the team with the needs and timelines of team projects.
2. Helps with meetings and events, including travel arrangements, venue preparation, managing technology, taking notes, food services, logistics, guest management, security, and handling the set up and break down, as requested.
3. May be responsible for data input, maintenance, and the recording of transactions on the portfolio budget and ensure accurate tracking from multiple funding sources as instructed by Program staff.
4. Understands the functions of the Foundation’s grant processing system and works to optimize the database for team benefit.
5. Interacts with the Finance department to ensure adherence to processes for payments
6. Generates grant documentation, initiates and finalizes payment requests, assists with amendments including managing the necessary paperwork, and uploads and files all information received from grantees and Program Officers.
7. Responsible for ongoing maintenance of all portfolio files.
8. Assists with the STBF Document Retention Policy for USP and is responsible for the document retention of all official portfolio files.  
9. Is accountable for grants processing and monitoring in compliance with IRS regulations and USP guidelines and procedures.
10. Helps to identify, troubleshoot, and correct errors in the grant and contract processing phase including the maintenance and upkeep of processing instructions.
11. Engage in learning opportunities, including participation in team meetings, skill building, collaboration, and equity learning agenda.
12. Available outside of “normal” business hours including occasional weekends and evenings, to meet deadlines and address time sensitive concerns.
13. Demonstrate an absolute commitment to confidentiality and discretion.

Attributes for Success in this Role

1. Organized and Efficient - Highly detail oriented and proficient in time management and prioritization. Capable of maintaining a swift pace of work with high quality. Anticipate and adjust for problems/roadblocks.
2. DEI Mindset - Values the uniqueness of people from different groups and identities. Works effectively with individuals of diverse cultures, interpersonal styles, abilities, motivations, or backgrounds. Challenge practices or policies that may be exclusionary. Proven commitment to race equity.
3. Collaborator - Develops and maintains effective working relationships with team members, internal and external partners and others using strong interpersonal skills. Work effectively with people outside formal authority to accomplish goals. Practice discernment, receptiveness, accountability, collaboration, kindness, authenticity, and optimism when working with others.
4. Navigate Power Dynamics – Utilize good judgment and awareness to leverage internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Exercise the utmost diplomacy and tact. Understand how to get things done both through formal channels and informal networks. Able to pivot and signal as appropriate to the impacted stakeholders. Understands the need to “manage up”.
5. Communication – Effective and professional both written and verbally. Responsive, thoughtful, culturally humble, and able to convey complex content in clear ways to a range of audiences.
6. Conflict Management - Demonstrate an ability to say “no” when necessary and appropriate and have the confidence to choose the correct answer over the popular one. Show tolerance for ambiguity and be very comfortable with constant change brought on by internal and external pressures or expectations. Understand the value of flexibility and adaptability.

Your Background and Experience

1. Minimum high school diploma and 4+ years secretarial/administrative assistant work experience.
2. Familiarity with budgets and basic accounting; experience and proficiency with Excel a plus.
3. Proficient in Microsoft Office (including Teams), Dropbox, G-Suite, and a willingness to learn other software as needed.
4. Preferred: Some college or undergraduate degree
5. Preferred: Prior work with nonprofits and/or foundations a plus. Reproductive health content knowledge is a plus.

Benefits and Compensation

Minimum salary for this role is $65,000. Compensation is determined by a variety of factors including the 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 as soon as possible.
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 carol@carololsby.com. Please include USP Administrative Assistant in the subject line.   
3. Accommodations - If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to  carol@carololsby.com.