Executive Assistant to the President & CEO at Project Bread

Project Bread connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. To assist us in meeting our mission, Project Bread – The Walk for Hunger is seeking an Executive Assistant to the President/CEO to join our team.

At Project Bread, we have a deep commitment to creating positive social change and recognize that hunger and racism are inextricably linked. We work in a fast-paced environment that values learning, innovation, and diverse perspectives. Knowing its centrality to our work, Project Bread is committed to equity and inclusion. We aspire to build a diverse team, including groups that are traditionally underrepresented among our sector leadership. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Supervisor: President & CEO

Starting Salary: $70,000-$73,000

The Role: The Executive Assistant to the President/CEO role is an exciting opportunity to have visibility into and provide support to a leading Massachusetts nonprofit. The successful candidate will operate with a sense of urgency and have strong multi-tasking, communication, and interpersonal skills. They will bring a sense of curiosity and strong judgement and are excited for the opportunity to support work across all aspects of an organization – programs, fundraising, operations, communications, policy, community engagement – and  welcomes the opportunity to directly interact with key partners, including the Senior Leadership team, Board of Directors, donors, partners, the media, and staff.

The Executive Assistant reports directly the President/CEO. The successful candidate will be committed to the mission and excited for the opportunity to leverage their organizational and interpersonal skills in support of Project Bread’s work, in a position that provides visibility into strategic and programmatic decision making.

Primary Responsibilities:

Executive & Administrative Support 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the President/CEO with key stakeholders and partners, including the Board, staff, donors, and partners. 
• Manage the President/CEO’s calendar and all scheduling, and coordinate the preparation of materials, which may include working with Project Bread team members in creating briefing materials for press interviews and meetings with community partners and donors. 
• Draft personal correspondence and remarks for the CEO, such as staff emails and presentations for external audiences.
• Review and proofread all necessary proposals, minutes, emails, correspondence and other documents prepared for the CEO’s sign-off and/or signature.
• Manage record keeping and follow through for relationships of CEO.
• Complete administrative tasks for the CEO, such as expense reporting and travel arrangements.
• Meet regularly with and ensure close collaboration with all members of the senior team to stay abreast of organizational priorities.
• Attend internal meetings of other departments to stay informed of organizational priorities.

Board of Directors & Advisory Council Support

• Serve as the administrative liaison to the Board of Directors and Advisory Council.
• Schedule, plan, and execute all Board, Board Committee, and Advisory Council meetings in a timely manner. This includes preparation and dissemination of agendas, briefing materials, minutes, and tracking all follow up.
• Maintain discretion and confidentiality in relationships with all Board and Advisory Council members. 

Stakeholder in Project Bread Culture 

• Participate in the annual Walk for Hunger, held on the first Sunday each May, including working as event staff the weekend of the Walk, attending pre-Walk events as assigned, and supporting the CEO’s role in Walk for Hunger fundraising efforts.
• Prepare agendas and presentations for bi-monthly staff meetings. 
• Serve as the liaison between the CEO and organization-wide committees
• Promote a positive, productive, and inclusive working environment, working collaboratively and cross-functionally with the Project Bread team.

Qualifications:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We know people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. Project Bread recognizes this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate most of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

Priority Competencies:   

• Organizational Curiosity & Systems Thinking: Demonstrates genuine curiosity about Project Bread’s work and takes imitative to understand each team and department’s work, and how they interconnect to advance our mission. 
• Judgement & Strategic Prioritization: Exercises impeccable organization and judgement in setting and managing priorities for the executive function, balancing when to advance new strategies and initiatives, when to elevate issues, and when to protect capacity, to support organizational progress.
• Relationship Building & Collaboration: Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills, with professionalism, positivity, and discretion, in a highly-visible role. Builds trust and credibility with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including Board members, donors, community partners, and staff. Cultivates strong, collaborative internal relationships, knowing how to identify and engage the right people to achieve work outcomes. 

Additional Qualifications and Experience:

• Personal commitment to solving hunger in Massachusetts.
• 3+ years of professional experience providing executive-level support, preferably in a non-profit organization.
• Highly organized and proactive, with demonstrated ability to work independently, anticipate and adapt to President/CEO’s needs, and operate with a sense of urgency.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting correspondence and preparing materials meetings and presentations.
• Proven ability to manage complex scheduling, priorities, and competing deadlines with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to give and receive timely feedback.
• Skilled in the use of technology, including Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint) and Raiser’s Edge, and able to learn and adapt to new systems.
• Being multilingual is not a requirement for the role but is recognized as an asset. 

Additional Requirements:

Working Location: All employees are currently working a hybrid remote and in-office model and are expected to spend at least some time in the office each week. The Executive Assistant will need to be present in the East Boston office on a frequent basis to support the President/CEO and interact with other staff in order to successfully fulfill the duties of the role.

COVID-19 Vaccine Policy: For the safety and protection of Project Bread Staff & Constituents we do have a COVID-19 Vaccine Policy that requires all staff to be fully vaccinated per the CDC definition.  Accommodation requests will be considered through our normal request process. 

Benefits:

Benefits include health and dental, flexible spending accounts, retirement plan with match after one year, fully paid parental leave, life and long-term disability, contributions to commuting costs, professional development, and wellness expenses, and flexible paid time off.  

Please apply here by completing our application form and uploading your resume and cover letter in MS Word or Pdf format.

Review of applications will begin on September 22 and continue until the position is filled.

Project Bread is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, height, weight, or marital status in employment or the provision of services. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to request special accommodations during the interview process.