Administrative Professional

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 managing calendars, schedules, and travel arrangements; supporting program teams and logistics; and 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.

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