Executive Assistant & Team Coordinator at Rockefeller Foundation

Context

We have the opportunity to rapidly accelerate the pace of electrification by leveraging the full potential that distributed renewable energy offers to the world’s poorest populations. Dramatic price reductions and performance improvements resulting from technological innovation and scale have disrupted the traditional energy system. The greatest impact of this disruption could be to power transformational development opportunities for the world’s energy poor communities with clean, reliable, and distributed energy resources. The Rockefeller Foundation is uniquely positioned to lead the development of large-scale, innovative partnerships that break down the silos between traditional utilities and these disruptive new technologies and unleash a new wave of last-mile electrification that better directs public investments and crowds-in private players. 

Role Overview

The Executive Assistant & Team Coordinator will play a key role on the Foundation’s Power & Climate team. The Executive Assistant & Team Coordinator will receive direct day to day supervision from and be accountable to the Executive Director, Smart Power Africa (SPA). As part of the Africa Regional Office team, the Executive Assistant & Team Coordinator will receive overall operations guidance from the Managing Director of the Africa Regional Office. The Executive Assistant will also support other SPA directors in an administrative capacity and will support team operations and contribute to the execution of the initiative’s work. This position requires reliability, organization, the ability to anticipate the needs of the ED and the team, and above all, a desire to learn and grow. This position will play a critical role on an expanding team and will support the ED and other directors in their day to day responsibilities and executing the initiative strategy. To be effective in this role, the candidate must be able to advance work independently, maintain confidentiality, and work across a complex organization with high-profile internal and external partners.

We are currently fully remote, but once restrictions ease, this role will be based in the Nairobi office.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintains calendars for ED and other directors, including identifying key deadlines /milestones in team plans and flag as necessary follow-up. Must be comfortable with heavy scheduling and calendar management including coordination of complex meetings with multiple participants and locations with a high level of efficiency and accuracy. 
• Anticipates needs and is highly responsive to direct and anticipated requests; providing fast, accurate, and thoughtful replies to requests and follow up on action items on behalf of the ED and directors. 
• Provides senior level administrative support including tracking grant and contract deliverables drafting letters and documents, taking meeting minutes, and collecting and summarizing information.
• Supports social media asset development and organization to facilitate storytelling and brand development. 
• Coordinates both domestic and international travel arrangements ensuring tight schedules and well-articulated itineraries. Creates and modifies travel itineraries quickly and accurately. Informs and plans actions based on the itinerary with appropriate parties. 
• Ensures that the ED and team’s office and technology and any tools or equipment they require to successfully and flawlessly perform their work is operating effectively.
• Facilitates and ensures set-up of office and workstation for newly hired staff on the team.
• Proactively anticipates organizational needs to ensure smooth team operations.
• Serves as an inter-department liaison and actively builds relationships across the Foundation with other key leaders and their senior level administrators. 
• Attends meetings on behalf of the ED, takes meeting minutes, and provides feedback as directed.
• Assists in creating high level presentations and any other documentation required on an ongoing basis. This includes but is not limited to: Board Presentations, budgets and forecasts, white papers, complex schedules and events, and travel and expense documents.
• Organizes meetings/events including meeting logistics, agenda and materials preparation, conference room and AV equipment set up, displaying presentations, etc.
• Organizes and maintains an internal contact details database for the Foundation’s partners and grantees. Also maintains a proper filing system – physical and electronic e.g. on Box and Salesforce. 
• Prepares and processes expense reports, vendor invoicing paperwork, and purchase requisitions, including monthly expense reconciliation and on-demand expense reports.
• Processing and renewal of work permits. 
• Serves as an active ambassador of the team inside and outside of the Foundation, contributing to creating a positive values-driven culture that engages managers and staff across the Foundation and ensures that the organization’s people are aligned with the Foundation’s vision, direction and strategy. 

 Education, Experience, and Skills

• A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related field is preferred.
• Generally expected to have 5 to 7 years of executive level administrative experience in supporting an Executive Leader. 
• Must have previous work experience in a complex, fast-paced and highly professional role and global organization with multiple offices and with a strong mission and focus on people or a related role in a not-for-profit organization focused on a highly dynamic, evolving organization and work environment.
• Direct experience in managing sensitive and confidential matters with a high level of professionalism and grace under pressure. 
• Strong execution and organization skills and demonstrated experience in prioritizing and executing multiple priorities seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Demonstrated proactive problem-solving skills with strong decision-making capability.
• Work effectively both independently, as well as, in a team-oriented, collaborative and collegial environment.
• Has the ability to identify, prioritize and manage agendas, employee communications, high level presentations and documents and is comfortable multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment.
• Has excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills and is effective in developing positive and productive relationships with all levels of staff and management across the organization. 
• Proven experience working effectively as part of a team and autonomously.
• Proven excellent project management and organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to deliver high quality, accurate work on time. 
• Has experience within a highly collaborative, dynamic organization and in an entrepreneurial environment where building policies, program and processes are necessary. Demonstrated technical proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.
• Must have experience booking and managing international travel. International work experience a plus, proven intercultural competence.

 Qualifications and Competencies 

• Communication: Excellent interpersonal abilities; outstanding listening skills, writing and verbal skills; awareness of reputation, positioning and brand management.
• Partnership and Relationship Building: Sensitive to organizational culture, strong professional representation of the Foundation. Strategic partnership building, adaptable and flexible. Commitment to The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission and core values.
• Strategy: Highly strategic mindset with ability to identify and prioritize what’s important in any project, demonstrates innovative approaches to work, ability to organize chaos into coherent plan.
• Project Management: High operational and project management ability; proactive. Sound, mature judgment, integrity, and respect for others.
• Decision-Making: Analytical and strong problem-solving abilities, takes initiative, drives for results, ability to prioritize work, communicates problems and proposes solutions, as appropriate.
• Execution: Strong project management skills; meets deadlines; ability to multi-task and work under pressure; detail oriented. Sense of urgency and responsibility, flexible work style; a self-started who can work independently as well as in and across teams. 
• Passion and Optimism: Deep enthusiasm for the mission and people of the Foundation; entrepreneurial energy around connecting an engaged staff with the overall impact of the Foundation’s work.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: You are committed to the mission of the Foundation, to inclusion, equity and diversity in every aspect of your work, and to challenging conventional wisdom through evidence, reason, and amplifying dissenting, unconventional, and marginalized voices.