ABOUT US

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 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.

College Excellence Program (CEP)

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (CEP) aims to identify and replicate practices and policies that significantly improve college student outcomes. Through our portfolio of projects, CEP works to improve colleges’ capacity to achieve high levels of success for all students and to eliminate disparities in postsecondary attainment and social mobility for students from low-income backgrounds and historically marginalized and underserved groups. Our work focuses on improving higher education institutions in six areas: ensuring high-quality learning, increasing completion rates, improving community college transfer and baccalaureate attainment, increasing post-college employment and earnings outcomes, ensuring strong access to college credentials of value, and achieving equity in outcomes across all domains. We advance those outcomes by quantitatively identifying and publicly elevating those colleges achieving excellent and equitable outcomes, conducting research on how those outcomes were accomplished, publishing reports and practical tools to support college leaders and practitioners interested in replicating effective practices, and conducting professional development programs for presidents, senior teams, boards of trustees, and others. Learn more about our work at https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The College Excellence Program seeks an administrative professional to support CEP’s Leadership and Field Engagement (LFE) division. Qualified candidates will have at least three years of experience as an executive assistant or in administrative roles focused on coordination, planning, and logistics support for a large program team. Experience must show an ability to orchestrate complex administrative duties such as (1) managing calendars, schedules, and travel arrangements; (2) supporting program teams and logistics; and (3) facilitating stakeholder communications and organizational collaboration. Our ideal candidate is extremely enthusiastic about accomplishing administrative tasks that support program priorities and an organization’s overall mission. Further, our ideal candidate is sufficiently detail-oriented; exercises good judgment and discretion; and brings a proactive mindset that helps solve problems, applies learning to improve administrative support, and seeks opportunities to build relationships and trust. Experience in the nonprofit or education sector is preferred.

This position is based in the Aspen Institute’s Washington, DC office with a minimum of 40% in-person work (two days per week) and a target salary range of $62,500 - $72,500. This position will report to CEP’s Assistant Director for LFE and will support LFE program teams (e.g., Unlocking Opportunity), the LFE Director, and other organizational needs, as necessary.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Manage LFE calendars, scheduling, and travel arrangements (50%)

• Schedule meetings, appointments, and other engagements with a flexible approach that can seamlessly accommodate unexpected conflicts and shifting priorities.

  • Plan and confirm meeting times, required and optional participants, and the logistical details for in-person and online events.

  • Build preparation time, working time, and follow-up time into calendars to ensure schedules are realistic and reflect the necessary steps for driving activities to completion.

  • Collaborate with CEP staff to align internal schedules and programmatic activities across the organization, resolving conflicts and rescheduling meetings when necessary.

  • Maintain the LFE Director’s calendar. Exercise discretion when evaluating needs, prioritizing requests, and committing time.

  • Proactively communicate with LFE program teams, the LFE Director, and CEP’s senior team to ensure transparency around any urgent requests or late adjustments.

• Coordinate travel arrangements and event logistics for LFE program teams.

  • Book and confirm transportation (airfare, train, rental vehicle), hotel accommodations, and other reservations (meals) based on travel preferences, personal needs, and event considerations (purpose of travel and role / expectations during the trip).

  • Coordinate with external constituents on sponsored travel arrangements, when appropriate.

  • Demonstrate meticulous attention to detail and careful planning for most effectively organizing travel time (e.g., itineraries, reservations, appointments, etc.).

• Perform a variety of recurring administrative duties such as preparing, reconciling, and submitting expense reimbursements, vendor payments, and honoraria in a timely and accurate manner.

Support LFE programs and logistics (35%)

• Assist with aspects of LFE meetings, as needed. This includes but is not limited to gathering documents for the meeting, virtual meeting creation (e.g., Zoom) and logistics, in-person room reservations and logistics, audio-visual requests and configuration, catering, and meeting documentation (e.g., minutes, summary reports).

• Assist with aspects of LFE events and convenings, as needed. This includes but is not limited to logistics planning, preparations, and bookings; contracts facilitation; event registration and tracking; event documentation (e.g., summary reports, debriefings with follow-up actions); and post-event expense processing, invoice tracking, and contract closeout.

• Support LFE with collecting, organizing, and producing meeting and presentation materials including printing, copying, and shipping as necessary.

Facilitate stakeholder communications and organizational collaboration (15%)

• Communicate professionally and accurately with internal (CEP, Aspen) and external (philanthropies, college presidents, partners) stakeholders. Prioritize responses based on the stakeholder’s role, urgency of their request, and content or effort required.

• Serve as a liaison with CEP operations, central Aspen (legal, finance), and administrative teams (building services, catering services, IT, conference services,) to ensure seamless execution of meetings and events.

• Manage multiple, concurrent tasks and requests with the capacity to adapt for changing deadlines and priorities. Determine the priority of matters requiring the LFE Director’s attention, redirecting lower priorities to colleagues or handling personally, as appropriate. Keep the LFE Director advised of time-sensitive issues.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• At least three (3) years of relevant experience is required as an executive assistant or in administrative roles focused on coordination, planning, and logistics support for a large program team.
• A high school diploma is required; a bachelor’s degree is preferred.
• Experience in a hybrid work environment is required. Experience in the nonprofit or education sector is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise systems for credit card and expense processing (e.g., SAP Concur, Tipalti), project management (e.g., Asana), grants management (e.g., Airtable), and customer relationship management (e.g., Salesforce) is preferred.
• An approach to work that is strategic, thoughtful, and resourceful; you are known for taking the initiative and consistent with follow-through.
• Strong customer service orientation: patience, listening, resourcefulness, responsiveness, attention to detail.
• Ability to multi-task and balance competing timelines.
• Comfort with ambiguity and an ability to respond adeptly to rapidly changing priorities.
• Comfort working under pressure and with tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested applicants must submit the following for full consideration:

1. A one-page cover letter. CEP prefers cover letters that describe what motivates you and how you understand and relate to our mission rather than a narrative version of your resume. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
2. Resume/CV.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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 and 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.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation regarding the accessibility of our website, a modification or adjustment of the job application or interview process due to a disability, contact HRSupport@aspeninstitute.org or call (202) 736-5800.