Temporary to Permanent Administrative Specialist

Position Summary

The Office of the President is seeking an experienced Administrative Specialist for day-to-day and ad-hoc responsibilities including overseeing executive calendars, coordinating start-to-finish administrative logistics for events, meetings and appointments, managing projects and working with multiple internal and external stakeholders. Supporting the Office of the President, the Administrative Specialist must be able to proactively and discreetly anticipate the needs of the senior staff members with whom they will collaborate or support, be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and capably determine, delegate or manage competing priorities and deadlines. The Administrative Specialist reports to the Chief of Staff.

This is a temporary position that could become permanent for the right candidate. This position is based on-site at the Simons Foundation’s New York City offices. For more information, visit simonsfoundation.org/careers.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

Support to Chief of Staff

• Plan, coordinate and host various workshops, biweekly leadership meetings, quarterly scientific leadership meetings and conferences. Collect meeting materials, create agendas, order catering, coordinate internal calendars and troubleshoot issues as they arise. Provide day-of event support as needed, which may require work outside of normal business hours.
• Process invoices, expense reports and related transactions in Concur and honorariums with Accounts Payable.
• Prepare travel arrangements for the Office of the President’s research staff, visitors and interns, liaising with a travel agency, coordinating schedules, as well as supporting guests during their visits.
• When requested, attend meetings and take meeting minutes documenting outcomes and action steps.
• Manage projects and correspondence, ensuring timely follow-up.
• Update associated webpages with scientific highlights and other related content.
• Onboard new team members, including conducting a tour of the office and providing necessary equipment and resources.
• Contribute to the seamless execution of a summer school program by coordinating interviews, seminars (including twice-weekly setup), graduate school tours, enriching educational excursions, student onboarding, events (including an opening bootcamp and closing ceremony with student presentations), twice-monthly lunches and providing daily student support during the summer.
• Assist with correspondence, A/V, presentations and other ad-hoc tasks.

Additional executive and ad-hoc support

• Provide basic administrative support for the General Counsel, such as calendaring and occasional correspondence.
• Act as a first point of contact, including screening telephone calls, fielding inquiries and requests and responding to or referring on as appropriate.
• Foster and build good working relationships and strong networks with a variety of people both externally and internally.
• Assist with founder-related and other special tasks or projects.
• Greet and host guests and visitors of the Office of the President
• Provide direct support to the President when the executive assistant to the President is unavailable or out of the office, which includes managing all aspects of the President’s calendar and correspondence.
• Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree preferred

Experience

• Minimum of 4-5 years of experience in high-level administrative support, including project management.
• Minimum of 4-5 years of experience coordinating travel, handling complex calendars for various high-level personnel, scheduling, planning events and handling confidential information is necessary.
• Prior experience working in a non-profit organization or academic institution is preferred.

Related Skills & Other Requirements

• Administrative coordination experience in a large, complex, dynamic organization.
• Flexibility, initiative and ability to multitask when needed to support the office activities.
• Consistent accuracy, careful attention to detail and the ability to organize many complex assignments and projects simultaneously are required.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Office applications, particularly PowerPoint, Word and Excel
• Previous experience with cloud-based applications like Google apps, DropBox and Concur.
• Must be willing and able to work occasional longer hours for events
• Able to build relationships with all levels of the organization and external parties and exercise good judgment, discretion, tact and professionalism
• Punctual, accountable and reliable
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to interact with a diverse population, as well as a can-do spirit to help create a positive team culture.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and proactively anticipate the needs of management while balancing commitments, calendar and workload under deadlines
• Strong organization skills with attention to detail
• Solutions-focused and able to solve problems effectively
• Commitment to the mission of the Simons Foundation to advance basic science and mathematics

Required Application Materials

• Please submit a résumé and cover letter stating your interest in the position.

Compensation And Benefits

• The full-time annual compensation range for this position is $75,000 to 85,000, depending on experience.
• In addition to competitive salaries, the Simons Foundation provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.

Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science & Opportunities for All

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds, and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs, and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under federal, state, and local law.