The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To achieve our mission of a more free, just, and equitable society, we commit to working proactively to advance the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our myriad endeavors such as the recruitment, compensation, training, and advancement of staff. The best people-serving institutions make this commitment, and we seek to be a leader in the ways that we do so and learn from others. Visit our website to learn more about our commitment and recent actions taken toward building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment.

The Leadership Division of the Aspen Institute builds off its 70-year history of developing leaders across generations and place to become more effective, values-based leaders. Today, the Division supports the life-long development of leaders through (1) its seminar offerings; (2) the Aspen Global Leadership Network; and (3) Weave: The Social Fabric Project. Values of the Division include: service, courage, humility, cura personalis, inclusion, transparency and collaboration.

Basic Function

Serving the work and teams of the Leadership Division, the Administrative and Executive Associate is a critical position providing high-quality operational, administrative and project management support to the Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Leadership Division and Executive Vice President’s Office.  The Administrative and Executive Associate (AEA) is responsible for a wide range of administrative and executive tasks, directly in support of the EVP. In addition, the AEA will also work closely with the Chief of Staff of the Division in uplifting a strong culture, building administrative infastructure, and executing events, gatherings, and other in-person program-aligned activities. She/he/they coordinates and liaises between the multiple programs and departments of the Leadership Division, as well as other departments within the Institute.

The AEA needs to be mission-oriented and service-driven, have strong task management and execution skills, demonstrate good judgment, flexibility, discretion, and confidentiality. They must demonstrate attention to detail, error-free work, superior organizational skills, exceptional verbal and written communication skills, as well as the ability to flourish in a fast-paced environment. The AEA will need to anticipate challenges, integrate and translate across departments and programs, and build strong internal relationships and institutional knowledge. They need to be effective establishing and maintaining trust with colleagues. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Executive Support: (33%)

• Manage calendars and scheduling for Executive Vice President;  prioritize internal and external appointments, conferences, speaking engagements, and special events; maintain awareness re EVP external commitments;
• Coordinate frequent and often complex travel arrangements, including drafting itineraries, and managing reservations;

• Process expense reports of the EVP; update and maintain contacts for EVP; review and complete Personnel Action forms requiring EVP signature;
• Act as first point of contact for outside inquires. Draft, edit, and produce required written and verbal correspondence; serve as liaison to donors, Board of Trustees, senior-level executives and partners;
• Liaise with EVP direct reports and other members across the Leadership Division to support strong cadence of check-ins/meetings; calendar coordination;
• Help prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously, proactively, and follow-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.

Leadership Division Operations, Project Management, and Administration (66%):

Meeting and event coordination

• Lead on event execution and meeting support for Division-wide gatherings, including monthly staff meetings, team retreats, and other group meetings.
• Working closely with the Development Office, assist in the preparation of materials for donor outreach, meetings and travel, and help plan, execute, and/or staff in-person donor events and gatherings.
• Serve as meeting support liaison for in-office meetings: may include ordering and arranging food, setting up meeting rooms; providing essential support before and during on-site meetings, arranging for AV equipment, ensuring meeting supplies are available, etc. 
• Manage virtual and in-person meeting logistics, including set up of zoom rooms and room booking
• Help prepare EVP and senior Division team for Board Meetings;

Operations, Systems, and Knowledge Management

• Organize, track and regularly refresh Division tools and knowledge management systems for productivity and efficiency, such as team operations manual, shared calendars in Google Documents and Salesforce, robust file management system, documentation of key cross division information and data systems, such as supervisory relationships, expense reporting approvals, budget authority, organizational charts and contact lists;
• Support the development of annual budget for EVP Office; maintain up-to-date forecasts on expenditures; process all invoices and reimbursement requests for third party vendors of the Executive Office;  liaise with accounting department to ensure timely payments;
• Liaise with Institute’s technology department to secure equipment, maintain inventory and ensure systems are running efficiently;
• Liaise with Legal to track and process any relevant contracts, grants, insurance;
• Work closely with the Chief of Staff to manage snapshot of weekly, quarterly, and annual priorities and goals of the EVP and the division;
• Integrate a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens in all essential duties and work responsibilities;
• Assume additional responsibilities on special Executive Office initiatives, as needed, to support the mission, vision and values of the Leadership Division and the Institute.

Required Knowledge, Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; 3+ years of experience in project/event management and/or operations;
• Experience with Microsoft Outlook (including managing multiple, complex calendars), Microsoft Excel; Microsoft PowerPoint, and Google Documents;
• Superior attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks;
• Professionalism with high standards, and maturity to hold confidential information;
• Excellent cultural competence and experience working directly with constituents from diverse racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and geographic backgrounds;
• Experience establishing organizational systems to improve efficiency and functioning in a changing environment;
• Strong customer service orientation: patience, listening, resourcefulness, responsiveness, and attention to detail;
• Experience with corporate/non-profit boards; interface with senior-level executives;
• Experience meeting deadlines while balancing the needs of providing support for multiple individuals;
• A self-starter with strong ability to plan, organize and follow through with staff and a variety of constituencies;
• Strong, demonstrable writing and editing skills;
• Superior interpersonal skills, a polished and professional demeanor, great people skills and self-awareness;
• A desire to learn, sense of humor, flexibility, and resourcefulness.
• Candidates with executive-level scheduling experience a plus

Reporting to: Chief of Staff, Leadership Division

Level of Authority

• Non-supervisory position
• No budget authority

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer ad complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

Individuals needing an accommodation to complete the job application can contact HRSupport@aspeninstitute.org or call (202) 736-1074.