Assistant to the Executive Director

The Society of Family Planning advances a vision of just and equitable abortion and contraception, informed by science. By leveraging the powerful tools of science and medicine, we aim to ensure that abortion and contraception practices and policies are grounded in science and center people whose access to care is constrained by systems of oppression, and that all people have access to evidence-informed and person-centered abortion and contraception. To achieve our vision and desired impacts, we focus on the following strategies, as described in our 2023-2028 strategic plan:

• Convening a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and multidisciplinary community of all engaged in the science and medicine of abortion and contraception
• Supporting the production and resourcing of research primed for impact
• Organizing and leveraging research primed for impact
• Ensuring clinical care is evidence-informed and person-centered through guidance, medical education, and other activities
• Developing and supporting leaders in abortion and contraception to transform healthcare systems, and
• Aligning the organization’s governance, operations, and overall resources to be in service of the strategies designed to bring our collective vision to life.

We seek a service-oriented Assistant to the Executive Director with superb organizational skills to support the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and the operational needs of a remote organization. The person in this position serves as a key support to the Executive Director and the board, and is essential to supporting the overall organization. This is a remote position and open to candidates living in the US. It is anticipated that the person in this position will travel approximately 15% of the time.  

Specific responsibilities

Activities include, but are not limited to, those described below.

Support the Executive Director — 40%

• Manage the Executive Director’s calendar and meetings, and coordinate travel arrangements
• Prepare and edit communications, reports, and presentations
• Organize and maintain files and records, ensuring easy retrieval and confidentiality
• Prepare reimbursement requests for the Executive Director
• Coordinate travel arrangements for the Executive Director
• Schedule and coordinate meetings, including preparing agendas, taking minutes, and following up on action items
• Assist with special projects and initiatives as directed by the Executive Director
• Track project progress, deadlines, and deliverables, providing regular updates

Support the Board of Directors — 40%

• Schedule and manage all meetings with the board, and board-level committees, including in-person, web, and phone-based meetings
• Accurately recording minutes from all board and committee meetings
• Disseminate and file all meeting notes
• Track and communicate the priorities of the board and committees, keeping the Executive Director and committee leads abreast of these priorities
• Manage the IT and logistics of all in-person board meetings, including supporting all audiovisual needs and handling food and beverage requests
• Manage the board Box and ensuring all board documents are accessible
• Manage board and committee selection process, including the collection of applications, tracking of applications, and communication to applicants
• Track participation in board, committees, and subcommittees; and communicate with the Executive Director and Committee Chairs about participation
• Draft and track board and committee meeting agendas
• Draft the Executive Director’s reports to the board, and prepare any supporting materials for board meetings
• Manage updates to board bylaws and policies as needed
• Support board members’ travel and reimbursements for travel

Support organizational operations — 20%

• Coordinate and support (as needed) staff meetings, manager’s meetings, or other meetings with the Executive Director in attendance
• Respond to routine organizational inquiries via mail and email
• Ensure office supplies are stocked and distributed
• Coordinate with vendors and service providers as necessary`
• Manage stored materials and distribute them
• Manage the organizational PO Box, mail forwarding, and distribution of mail
• Support procurement and delivery of supplies for meetings
• Contribute to implementing our Annual Meeting
• Bring a learning mindset to all work, and look for opportunities to identify which activities were most impactful and most used, and what strategies would improve impact and use

Qualifications

Highly-qualified applicants will meet many of the qualifications below, and have clarity on areas where growth and support would be helpful to fulfilling the essential functions of the role.

• Experience as an Executive Assistant, Administrative Assistant, or similar role
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion
• Excellent organizational skills with a keen eye for detail and strong  time-management skills
• Exemplary interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Self-aware and able to acknowledge and learn from mistakes
• Comfortable asking questions and incorporating the wisdom of others
• High level of computer literacy, including confidence using (or learning to use) Microsoft and Google suite, Asana, Box, Slack, and other digital tools
• Willingness to pitch in as needed as we are a small nonprofit and everyone contributes to necessary administrative work
• Commitment to the Society’s vision, mission, and programs