Overview
To advance our crucial work, CJNRC is hiring an Assistant to the President/Executive Director to provide executive support through a one-on-one working relationship with the President, who also serves as CJNRC’s Executive Director, on all matters relating to a broad range of responsibilities. The Assistant to the President/Executive Director will report to the President and will work closely with the CJNRC leadership team and their support staff, in addition to coordinating with our academic partner at Cornell’s Climate Jobs Institute. This position will involve continuous, high-level contact with national and international leaders in government, philanthropy, academia, and climate and labor advocacy. The successful candidate will be a forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions. They will be self-starter who can anticipate needs and work both collaboratively and independently with a high level of accountability, efficiency and judgment, balance a large volume of competing, time-sensitive priorities, and handle confidential and politically sensitive matters with the utmost discretion. This is an ideal position for a candidate who is committed to building a pro-worker clean energy economy, and eager for mentorship in the areas of organization- and movement-building at the highest level.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: The description below is a summary of the work required and should not be treated as a complete list of duties to be performed by the successful candidate:
Executive Support:
● Preps President/ED for all upcoming meetings; directly engages leadership team and high-level partners in the fields of climate, labor, policy, government and philanthropy to gather background info and prepare agendas and other briefing materials.
● Communicates directly, and on behalf of the President/ED, with leadership team, Board of Directors, labor partners, donors, foundation staff, committee members and others, on matters related to President/ED’s programmatic initiatives. Follows up on contacts made by the ED/President and supports the cultivation of ongoing relationships.
● Researches, prioritizes, and follows up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the President/ED, including those of a sensitive or confidential nature. Serves as primary logistics and communication coordinator between President/ED, leadership team and project managers, and fields questions and alerts regarding time-sensitive issues. Demonstrates highly nuanced judgment as to appropriate course of action, referral, or response.
● Reads, conducts research, and collects, analyzes and summarizes information and documents as needed. Composes and edits correspondence presentations, reports and memos.
● Joins President/ED in a wide variety of meetings, conferences, and events (sometimes in-person) to absorb content, take notes, track follow-up, and flag timely issues. Also participates in internal meetings where the President/ED is not present to track follow-up, absorb content, report back to the President/ED, and identify overlapping work areas of the leadership team.
● Maintains a detailed “big-picture” of all logistical elements of the leadership team’s varied, ambitious, interwoven programmatic initiatives. Facilitates communication to ensure the seamless execution of a high volume of simultaneous activities that involve many of the same principles, as well as a complex calendar of related deadlines, and to maintain close alignment with President/ED’s priorities at all times.
● Project manages the leadership team’s collaborative creation of slide-decks and other content.
● Identifies the need for new or updated organizational and tracking systems, as well as the codification of institutional knowledge, in a wide variety of areas, makes recommendations, and executes plans.
● Supports the President/ED in strategic communications, organization strategy, and all other projects as assigned.
● Offers direction to President/ED’s administrative assistant to complete a broad variety of tasks for the President/ED including: managing the President/ED’s extremely active calendar of appointments, coordinating internal leadership meetings chaired by the President/ED, tracking and submitting expenses, and creating complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agendas.
Qualifications
● Excellent organization skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly, with excellent attention to detail, in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
● Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders, including staff, board members, and external partners.
● Expert-level written and verbal communication skills.
● Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability
● Highly resourceful team player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently
● Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing, ever-shifting demands.
● High-level capacity to retain a large amount of complex information, on both a big picture and granular level, and to recall details quickly.
● Fast learner, open to consistent and honest feedback, capable of identifying growth areas and up-skilling into the position’s full range of responsibilities within a relatively short amount of time.
Education and Experience Requirements
● 5-10 years of related experience, preferably in the labor movement or a mission-driven non-profit organization
● High level of proficiency with virtual meeting, spreadsheet, presentation, and database software, including Microsoft Office, Zoom and all Google Workspace applications.
Working conditions:
This is a full-time, remote position. Long hours will be required on occasion. The position will require frequent travel, including internationally. CJNRC will follow public health guidance related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Compensation:
The salary range for this position is $105,000-120,000. CJNRC offers an excellent benefits package that includes employer-paid premiums for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for full-time staff and their qualified dependents, a voluntary dependent care assistance program, and generous time off.
To Apply:
Send application with Resume and Cover Letter as a single document (along with a brief writing sample) to: hiring@cjnrc.org with the subject line “Assistant to the President/Executive Director”
This position is open until filled; however, the posting/acceptance of applications may close at any time. Job descriptions do not cover or contain a comprehensive listing of every activity or responsibility that is required.
CJNRC is committed to equal opportunity, and encourages applicants of all ages, races, sexual orientations, genders, national origins, ethnicities, religions, and veteran status. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and experiences related to our core organizational values and objectives to apply.
About Climate Jobs National Resource Center
The Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC) is a labor-led organization at the forefront of the fight to combat the climate crisis and reverse racial and economic inequality.
CJNRC is the hub of a growing network of union-led, state-based climate jobs coalitions, providing unions with the information, support, and expertise to lead on climate action. The coalitions we support are organizing to build a clean energy economy at the scale and pace that climate science demands, create and expand access to good union jobs in under-resourced communities, and advance equity.
CJNRC and our network of coalitions are at the leading edge of both workers’ rights and climate action, two defining issues of our time. The coalitions have helped pass the nation’s most ambitious climate policies, won the strongest labor and equity standards for clean energy workers in the country, and built winning campaigns for worker-centered and equity-focused climate investments and good union jobs that will transform the future of the US economy.