Executive Assistant

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.

About the Position

The Milken Institute is seeking an Executive Assistant to support two of the Institute’s leaders in the Business & Program Development team and broadly support the needs of the department. Tasks will range from creating expense reports, arranging complex domestic and international travel itineraries, managing calendars, and scheduling calls and meetings, to managing the team kitchen, supplies, and onboarding. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organized person with intellectual curiosity, a strong work ethic, and a capacity for administrative work of all kinds. The ideal candidate will have exceptional organizational skills and understand the importance of administrative and office management excellence.

Administrative support includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:

• Owning and maintaining the calendars of two department leaders and other team members as needed. This includes scheduling meetings, understanding priorities, organizing in-person meetings and calls, and suggesting venues.
• Arranging complex domestic and international travel itineraries.
• Maintaining contacts. Ensuring that contact lists are kept up to date, understanding the importance and priority of a range of contacts, and interfacing with senior people inside and outside of the organization.
• Managing email. Knowing how to find and track email threads from various initiatives, keeping track of emails that require future action, and communicating what is outstanding at all times.
• Reporting and managing expenses.
• Providing administrative support for relevant program events, including coordinating a complex meeting schedule, maintaining invitee lists and bios for participants in workshops, roundtables, policy dinners, and conferences with government policymakers and business executives.
• Managing phone and email inquiries and communications.
• Interacting positively with all levels of an organization, including a desire and ability to support multiple team members.
• Conducting research on potential panelists and discussants for Milken Institute events.
• Sharing in general office management support duties alongside other members of the Executive Assistant team.
• Acting as back-up to other Executive Assistants, as needed

Skills and Qualifications

• Experience: A proactive and detail-oriented professional with prior experience supporting senior managers is required. A minimum of three years of work experience in an administrative or Executive Assistant role in a fast-paced environment.
• Professionalism: Represent the Milken Institute well to external parties, including senior policymakers and/or business executives, with a sincere level of professional courtesy and tact. Having a calm, collected demeanor is crucial for the high level of multi-tasking and coordination involved.
• The ability to write concise business emails is essential, as is the ability to converse professionally with multiple stakeholders on the phone. We are also looking for someone who is comfortable working in multicultural environments and with international organizations. We expect an attitude of "no job is too small," and an attention to detail that ensures quality outcomes for our team and external partners.
• Team-oriented individual who seeks out tasks when work is completed and assists colleagues to ensure goals, requirements, and deadlines are achieved.
• Drive: The ideal EA will be eager to take on new responsibilities and challenges. We are looking for someone who is a systematic thinker and fast learner, even with minimal supervision. The ability to effectively prioritize and respond promptly to internal and external communications is essential.
• Effective oral and written communication skills; proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint); customer-relationship management (Salesforce) and/or expense management (SAP Concur) experience a plus.
• Willingness to provide on-site support at select events on nights or weekends, as appropriate.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

Note

We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.

This position will be working a hybrid model, where you will be expected to report to your respective office location 4-days per week (Monday - Thursday). This is subject to change.

The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

Please submit resume and cover letter illustrating how your experience and skills will contribute to the department and any unique qualities you bring to the position. If applying via Indeed, please upload your resume and any supporting documentation as one attachment. Any application that does not include both a resume and cover letter will be rejected. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact our Human Resources department to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Our Culture

The Milken Institute is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Every person at the Milken Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences. We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan - 403b (5%)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity & Paternity)
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Account (FSAs)
• Training & Development:
  • LinkedIn Learning –over 10,000 classes offered, self-guided.
  • Mentor Program
• Wellness Resources:
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • CALM app membership
  • Gym (Santa Monica)