Executive Assistant - Cfao

SUMMARY
Reporting directly to the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, the Executive Assistant provides executive support in a one-on-one working relationship with the CFAO while also providing support to the division's leadership team. The CFAO leads a multi-discipline division that includes Security, Water Quality, Infrastructure, Finance, Legal and Technology. The Division leadership includes the CFAO, SVP of Facilities/Security, VP of Technology, Controller, and VP of Legal/General Counsel. The Executive Assistant serves as a member of the division's leadership team and helps to coordinate and facilitate the planning and execution of key initiatives and meetings. In addition to general administrative support for the division, the EA serves as a primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on behalf of the CFAO, and completes a broad variety of administrative tasks including managing a range of confidential matters including an extremely active calendar of appointments; producing complex documents and presentations; completing expense reports; and composing and preparing correspondence. The Executive Assistant will also manage certain required legal and administrative filings, as well as office support.
The Executive Assistant must be creative and enjoy working within a large, complex environment that is mission-driven, results-oriented and guest and community centered. The ideal individual will have the ability to exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative, and organizational skills, and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The Executive Assistant will have the ability to work independently on projects, from conception to completion, and must be able to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion. The Executive Assistant for the CFAO is a strategic driver in moving forward initiatives and deliverables that are of key importance to the organization, while demonstrating commitment to Shedd's vision, mission, and values.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Provide calendar management for the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO), as well as calendar support for their direct team of VPs.
• Serve as the first point of contact for CFAO with internal/external requests, often coordinating vendor/partner/guest visits and engagements for your assigned teams.
• Prioritize inquiries and requests while troubleshooting conflicts; make judgments and recommendations to ensure smooth day-to-day operations.
• Complete a broad variety of administrative tasks that facilitate the division leaders' ability to lead effectively, including assisting with, and at times, managing special projects; designing, drafting, and producing complex documents, reports, and presentations; collecting and preparing information for meetings with staff and outside parties; composing and preparing correspondence; maintaining contact lists and documents/filing for seamless recall; making travel arrangements; and completing expense reports.
• Navigate inquiries and requests of a sometimes highly confidential or critical nature. Prioritize and determine the appropriate course of action, referral, or response, exercising judgment to reflect CFAO's style and organization policy.
• Attend team check-in meetings, noting timelines, upcoming projects, and priorities, and act as a "bridge" to Shedd-wide activities, relaying Shedd-wide initiatives and updates to teams.
• Act as a "barometer," having a sense of the issues of importance taking place in the division and keeping division leaders updated.
• Replenish office materials as needed such as printer supplies, paper, office supplies, etc.
• Provide hospitality to all guests and help to create a welcoming environment, and support event coordination as requested.
• Provide travel coordination services to assigned departments, reviewing inbound travel requests and utilizing the United Jetstream program to book domestic and international flights
• Provide credit card reconciliation for CFAO, gathering receipts and documenting purchases, as well as expense report submissions for designated teams.
• Provide purchasing support as needed.
• Provide proactive support to CFAO with upcoming priorities, communicating regularly on ongoing projects and initiatives, serving as timekeeper and gatekeeper as needed to allow for consistent production of department needs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Education

• Bachelor's degree preferred, but not required. An adequate mix of training and experience would be accepted instead of a degree.
• Strong work tenure: five to seven years of experience supporting Executives, preferably in a non-profit organization
• Several years of experience in project/event coordination, with experience coordinating with external vendors/executive partners.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint).

Experience

• Able to maintain a high level of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information. Excellent judgment is essential.
• Expert verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail
• Ability to break complex ideas down into simple visualizations or summaries; ability to design and edit graphic presentations and materials.
• High degree of professionalism combined with very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, community leaders, and donors.
• Highly resourceful team player with the ability to complete a high volume of tasks and projects with little or no guidance and make appropriate, informed decisions regarding priorities and available time.
• Ability to switch gears at a moment's notice and to react with appropriate levels of urgency to situations and events that require quick response or turnaround.
• Proactive forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Comfort level holding others accountable for deadlines and negotiation/priorities.
• Calm and collected demeanor.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.
If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to select which pronouns you use (For example - she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs).