The DLCC is hiring: Executive Assistant to the President

[John Skic]

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

 

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's mission is to win Democratic majorities and build Democratic power in state legislatures.

 

In the 2018 cycle, Democrats flipped over 400 state legislative seats and gained eight new Democratic majorities. This is the most chambers flipped since the 2006 cycle, and the most seats flipped by Democrats in a generation. Nearly 1,250 of the Democrats elected to their state legislatures in 2018 were women, and more than 900 were candidates of color.

 

As the only organization exclusively committed to electing Democrats to state legislatures all over the country, the DLCC has been working with state legislative leaders for over two decades to invest strategically in state programs and build the Democratic Party from the ground up.

 

Executive Assistant to the President

 

The Executive Assistant to the President provides high-level administrative coordination and support to the President of the DLCC. The President of the DLCC is the strategic driver, principal brand ambassador, and primary fundraiser for the DLCC.

 

The Executive Assistant to the President serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the Executive Office. The Executive Assistant to the President must exercise professional judgment in a variety of situations and will rely on: strong organizational skills, the ability to maintain caring relationships with stakeholders internally and externally, and experience (or good instincts) on how best to juggle competing demands for the President’s time and/or their own work. The Executive Assistant to the President will also frequently work independently on projects from conception to completion, and must be able to work under pressure to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion. The Executive Assistant to the President will also plan for the daily needs of the President during business hours, which includes coordinating personal appointments, and picking up coffee and food as needed.

 

The Executive Assistant to the President reports to the President, and is based in Washington, D.C.

 

The Executive Assistant to the President is expected to model the values of the DLCC:

 

·         Transparency

·         Credibility

·         Initiative

·         Teamwork

·         Focus on Results

 

Responsibilities:

 

Executive Support

• Completes a broad variety of administrative tasks for the President including, but not limited to:
• Managing an active calendar of appointments;
• Composing and preparing correspondence that is often confidential;
• Arranging complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agendas;
• Managing unexpected changes to schedule or travel plans due to weather and unforeseen reasons, sometimes outside of regular business hours;
• Compiling documents for travel-related meetings and briefings;
• Planning for daily needs, including picking up refreshments and lunch;
• Tracking President’s time for appropriate PTO allocation;
• Completing expense reports.
• Plans, coordinates and ensures the President’s schedule is followed and respected.
• Maintains a strategy around the President’s schedule, and provides context for any meetings that the President is unable to attend.
• Coordinates all meetings for the President and routine staff meetings, including material preparation, ordering refreshments, and setting up conference rooms with audio, visual, and conference call needs.
• Prepares for and leads weekly scheduling meetings with President and senior staff.
• Communicates directly, and on behalf of the President, with Board members, donors, staff, and others.
• Researches, prioritizes, and follows up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the President, including those of a sensitive or confidential nature. Determines appropriate course of action, referral, or response.
• Develops engagement strategies to implement and amplify the President’s priorities and agendas.
• Provides a bridge for smooth communication between the President's office and internal departments; demonstrating leadership to maintain credibility, trust, and support with senior management staff and helping the President to understand emerging issues or priorities.
• Works closely and effectively with Executive Director to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately.
• Builds external and internal relationships crucial to the success of the organization, and manages a variety of special projects for the President, some of which may have organizational impact.
• Successfully resolves critical aspects of deliverables with a solution orientation, including drafting acknowledgement letters, personal correspondence, and other tasks that facilitate the President’s ability to effectively lead the DLCC.
• Prioritizes conflicting needs; handles matters expeditiously, proactively, and follows-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.

 

Board Support and Liaison

• Serves as the President's administrative liaison to the DLCC Board of Directors, working with the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer to prepare and distribute information.
• Provides support to the Chair of the Board.
• Maintains discretion and confidentiality in relationships with all board members.
• Adheres to compliance with applicable rules and regulations set in bylaws regarding board and board committee matters, including advance distribution of materials before meetings in electronic/paper format and working with the Operations team to ensure ongoing Board records are maintained.

 

External Relations

• Ensures that the President's bio is kept updated and responds to requests for materials regarding the President and the organization in general.
• Edits and completes first drafts for written communications to external stakeholders.
• Follows up on contacts made by the President and Executive Director and supports the cultivation of ongoing relationships.
• Drafts or edits all acknowledgement letters from the President to donors.
• Manages the creation and maintenance of President’s contacts database.

 

Expected Outcomes:

 

·         Strategically aligned and impact-oriented scheduling systems are maximizing the time of the President and Executive Director.

·         Executive office scheduling and communication enable achievement of DLCC objectives and support work/life balance of the President as well as other staff to the greatest extent possible.

·         Briefing systems ensure timely, high quality decisions; desired results from meetings are achieved; and, the President is prepared and polished for external representation activities.

·         Executive office systems contribute to a collaborative and efficient work environment.

·         Partners, board members, and staff are impressed with the quality, frequency, and effectiveness of communications with the Executive Office.

 

Qualifications:

 

·         Please note this is not an entry level position and has a requirement of a minimum of two years of similar office experience, including at least one year of experience scheduling and/or supporting executive leadership.

·         State legislative campaign experience is not required, but preferred.

·         Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communications skills.

·         Comfortable in a fast-paced environment with multiple tasks and competing deadlines. Exemplary time management skills.

·         The ideal candidate is creative, optimistic, dedicated, and remains calm in difficult situations. The ideal candidate is also adaptable to and comfortable in a constantly changing environment.

·         A sense of humor.

 

Requirements:

 

The requirements, including but not limited to physical demands, described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. All DLCC employees must be able to operate a computer and use a cell phone. Many roles at the DLCC include business travel expectations, and most roles also require communicating with key external stakeholders of the organization in person, via the telephone, or via email.

 

Essential functions of the role of Executive Assistant to the President include:

·         While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to communicate using the telephone, email, and in person with stakeholders.

·         This position may require the employee to periodically travel across Washington, D.C. to attend events, meetings, and conferences offsite.

 

How to Apply:

 

Salary for the Executive Assistant to the President position is $65,000-80,000 on an annualized basis commensurate with experience. In addition, the DLCC offers a generous benefit package, including fully paid health/vision/dental insurance, an up to 6% retirement contribution, transit and FSA subsidies, and more.

 

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to jobs(at)dlcc.org by August 5, 2019. The DLCC may review applications after this deadline in limited circumstances, however this is not a guarantee that your application will be considered it if not submitted by August 5, 2019. Reference “Executive Assistant to the President” and your name in the subject line. No calls, please.

 

The DLCC is committed to diversity among its staff and recognizes that its continued success requires the highest commitment to obtaining and retaining a diverse staff that provides the best quality services to supporters and constituents. The DLCC is an equal opportunity employer and it is our policy to recruit, hire, train, promote and administer any and all personnel actions without regard to sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, personal appearance, marital status, family responsibilities, genetic information, or any other legally protected basis. The DLCC will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination and any such conduct is strictly prohibited.