Senior Associate, External Affairs at Milken Institute

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.

The Milken Institute’s events and programmatic activities, involve the exchange of ideas with leaders from around the world. The Institute hosts more than 200 events each year, with our annual flagship event, Global Conference, bringing together 4,500+ participants from around the world, featuring more than 900+ speakers throughout 200+ sessions over the course of the event.  

About the Milken Institute and the Center for Advancing the American Dream

The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) at the Milken Institute (MI) is seeking a passionate and detail-oriented early career professional with excellent organization and people skills to join our team as a Sr. Associate of Administration for External Affairs. This position will provide critical support for the MCAAD External Affairs team.

MCAAD, the most recent center within the Institute, is catalyzing this work by building a new type of cultural center in the heart of Washington, DC.  MCAAD celebrates the ideal of the American Dream and explores the ongoing challenges people face in pursuing opportunity, through exhibitions, programs and educational programs. To accomplish this, we focus on four pillars of the American Dream: access to education, public health, finance, and an entrepreneurial mindset.  MCAAD’s physical home, with a planned opening in early 2025, is a remarkable renovation of several 120-year-old historic bank buildings, including Riggs Bank, known as the “Bank of Presidents.” The Center’s main halls are in the National Register of Historic Places, and our stewardship of the property—along with adjacent buildings on 15th St NW—will showcase and recognize the history of these buildings while adapting them for use as a modern cultural center with immersive exhibit galleries. There will also be a state-of-the-art theater, events and lecture spaces, a holodeck experience, shop, and more. The six-building complex features nearly 300,000 square feet of space will also include a conference center, recording and broadcast studios, and the Washington, D.C., headquarters of five centers of the Milken Institute.

About the Position

WE are a dynamic, collaborative, and motivated team working to reopen the soaring halls of the Riggs Bank buildings as a place to imagine, explore, and expand the American Dream. 

YOU are an early career professional with a passion for working with people and a knack for problem solving. You are skilled at organizing, coordinating, and communicating. 

You will play a critical role in supporting the Sr. Director of External Affairs and her team which includes Digital Strategy, Marketing and Communications and Public Programs. This role is administrative in focus and includes scheduling, travel, expense reports, research and drafting talking points and background materials, and preparation of decks, and proposals. In addition, the Administration Sr. Associate will assist the External Affairs team as needed to coordinate and schedule calls and meetings, serve as a liaison with other departments across MCAAD and MI and participate in various projects. The Administration Sr. Associate must be able to become fluent in the use of administrative technologies, including Salesforce, Concur, Outlook, Teams, Powerpoint and Microsoft Excel. In addition, the Administration Sr. Associate must be well organized, able to manage multiple work streams, operate strategically and with discretion, and work with a high degree of accuracy. The Administration Sr. Associate will be a welcome and exciting addition to MCAAD’s External Affairs team.

Responsibilities

Perform administrative tasks such as:

• Take on various key project management and organizational tasks for high stakes time sensitive projects with in the EA departments.
• This position interacts with high profile stakeholders, media and key members of MI and MCAAD leadership. A high amount of discretion and judgment is required.
• Prepare expense reports, travel itineraries and credit card reconciliations for the Sr Director.
• Schedule and coordinate both internal and external meetings for the Sr. Director and the External Affairs Team including note-taking, agenda creation, creating and tracking action items. 
• Draft and respond to emails and other communications with internal and external stakeholders for the Sr. Director. 
• Act as a liaison with other departments across MCAAD to share information and execute administrative processes;
• Organize contact reports, electronic records and files. Manage team purchases, invoice processing and budget tracking.
• Research subjects, media contacts, social media contacts, public programs vendors, digital strategy needs.
• Prepare materials to assist in communications activities, including decks, proposals, written briefs.

Support External Affairs events, such as:

• Coordinate and assist with logistics for convenings, internal meetings and public events, including conducting background research, developing speaker prep materials, and supporting outreach to presenters and participants.
• Prepare and draft materials, background research, talking points and more. 
• Pitch in with ad hoc tasks for the External Affairs team or MCAAD teams. 
• Duties as assigned. 

Requirements

• The ideal candidate has a healthy sense of humor, is quick on their feet, and thrives in a highly collaborative environment while taking ownership of their own duties.
• 5 years work experience, experience in non-profit, cultural institutions, the arts, media, or communications is preferred. Internship experience will be considered. 
• A 4-year college degree is required. 
• Knowledge of administrative and management practices procedures to coordinate operations.
• Excellent written and communication skills, as well as the ability to organize anything. 
• Strong sense of curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. 
• Ability to work independently and proactively, take initiative, meet deadlines and work collaboratively in a fast-paced team environment. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, competing priorities, to solve problems and to meet challenging and changing deadlines with attention to detail.
• Sound judgement, professionalism, and discretion.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

This position will work in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule consisting of three (3) days per week reporting in-person to the Washington, DC office location (Tuesday – Thursday), with the remaining two (2) days working remotely. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute’s sole discretion. 

This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Domestic travel is possible. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world. 

Note

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. 

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.

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% match)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Personal, Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity & Paternity)
• Fertility Support
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability 
• Flexible Spending Account (FSAs)
• Pet Insurance Discount
• Training & Development:
• LinkedIn Learning – over 15,000 self-guided classes offered
• Annual Mentor Program
• Wellness Resources:
• Employee Assistance Program
• CALM app membership