Senior Administrative Assistant and Operations Coordinator

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Living Cities is a collaborative of leading philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, and civic partners who envision and advance inclusive and equitable economic opportunity for all residents in U.S. cities. Through the collective power of philanthropy, financial capital, and local government engagement, we advance inclusive economic opportunity and drive systemic change so all people in urban America can be economically secure, build wealth, and live abundant, dignified, and connected lives.

At the heart of our work is the intentional movement of inclusive capital and the dismantling of barriers that have historically limited access to wealth-building pathways such as homeownership, business ownership, and family financial investment. Our programmatic approach supports catalytic impact investment, city focused community engagement, and applied knowledge. We partner with city governments, community leaders, and industry stakeholders to transform systems, inform narratives, and support strategies that expand economic empowerment for historically underserved communities.

Guided by our core values of collaboration, innovation, leadership, impact, and racial equity and inclusion, our staff, research, investments, and networks fuel collective action toward an equitable and inclusive economy – where opportunity and prosperity are accessible to all.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Senior Administrative Assistant and Operations Support serves as a critical connector across Living Cities’ Finance, Operations, and Administrative (FAO) and Talent and Organizational Development (TOD) functions. This role provides high-level administrative and project coordination support to senior leadership helping to manage priorities, drive organizational initiatives, and help ensure operational continuity across Living Cities’ Washington, DC and New York offices.

Operating at the intersection of leadership support, administrative operations, and organizational coordination, the Senior Administrative Assistant and Operations Support helps ensure that priorities, communications, projects, meetings, and resources are managed effectively and consistently across the organization. The role serves as a trusted partner to leadership, a collaborative resource to staff, and a key liaison among internal teams, vendors, and external stakeholders.

The ideal candidate is a proactive, technologically savvy, highly organized professional who combines strong executive support experience with project management capabilities. They possess exceptional judgment, emotional intelligence, and communication skills, enabling them to navigate complex relationships, manage competing priorities, and independently drive work forward in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/FUNCTIONS

Executive Leadership Support

• Provide high-level administrative support to Executive Leadership Team members, including calendar management, meeting coordination, travel arrangements, expense processing, and preparation of correspondence, presentations, and briefing materials.
• Manage leadership priorities by tracking action items, strategic deliverables, and follow-up activities while ensuring timely communication and coordination across internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as a trusted liaison between leadership, staff, board members, vendors, and external partners, exercising sound judgment, professionalism, and discretion in all interactions.

Administrative Operations & Organizational Coordination

• Support operational continuity across Living Cities’ Washington, DC and New York offices through coordination of administrative processes, office resources, vendor relationships, employee logistics, and shared organizational systems.
• Maintain and improve administrative tools, workflows, communication channels, calendars, and tracking systems that support organizational effectiveness and employee experience.
• Partner with FAO , TOD, and program teams to support onboarding, offboarding, workplace readiness, and other cross-functional organizational priorities.

Project & Initiative Coordination

• Coordinate cross-functional projects and organizational initiatives by managing timelines, deliverables, project documentation, stakeholder communications, and status reporting.
• Support the implementation and adoption of administrative systems, process improvements, and organizational best practices that enhance efficiency, knowledge sharing, and operational effectiveness.
• Maintain organizational records, document repositories, and information management systems, including platforms such as SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and DocuWare.

Board, Meeting, & Event Support

• Coordinate the planning and execution of board meetings, mini-convenings, leadership retreats, all-staff meetings, trainings, and other organizational events, including logistics, materials, catering, travel, and technology needs.
• Prepare, organize, and quality-review meeting presentations, reports, agendas, participant communications, and related materials to ensure successful meeting outcomes.
• Track meeting deliverables and provide on-site or virtual support to ensure seamless execution and follow-through.

Cross Functional Team Support

• Serve as a flexible pooled administrative resource supporting leadership, departmental teams, and organization-wide initiatives based on business priorities and workload needs.
• Coordinate staff trainings, organizational communications, surveys, special projects, and other activities that support collaboration, engagement, and operational excellence.
• Contribute to a culture of responsiveness, customer service, continuous improvement, and cross-functional partnership across Living Cities.

OTHER DUTIES

This job description is intended to outline the primary duties and responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive list of all tasks or expectations. Duties and responsibilities may evolve or change at any time based on organizational needs, with or without notice.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

Education & Experience

• BS/BA in Business Administration, Project Management, Organizational Management, Public Administration, Communications, Operations Management, or a related field required.
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience providing executive support, administrative operations support, project coordination, or related professional experience
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior executives, organizational leaders, or executive teams.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Experience working in nonprofit, philanthropic, professional services, consulting, or mission-driven organizations preferred.

Technical Competencies

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Experience utilizing collaboration, document management, and workflow systems such as SharePoint, DocuWare, Concur, Zoom, Microsoft Forms, and similar platforms.
• Experience maintaining project trackers, reporting tools, and organizational documentation systems.
• Strong presentation, meeting preparation, and document development skills.

Professional Competencies

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong project management and coordination capabilities.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• High degree of emotional intelligence and political awareness, with the ability to navigate multiple personalities, priorities, and stakeholder groups.
• Strong customer service orientation and commitment to supporting staff and leaders effectively.
• Demonstrated initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to anticipate needs, identify solutions, and proactively advance work.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and adaptability in a dynamic environment.
• Confidence and professional presence when interacting with executives, board members, partners, and external stakeholders.

INCLUSION AND BELONGING COMPETENCIES

• Foundational knowledge and understanding of inclusion and belonging core concepts.
• Understands why racial equity is an integral part of Living Cities’ approach, inside and outside the organization.
• Record of continuous learning and strategic problem solving.
• Engages with curiosity, humility, equity and power inside and outside of the organization.
• Upholds equity outcomes, goals, and performance measures within teams and on projects.
• Knowledge of philanthropic and nonprofit sectors is a plus.
• Passion for social justice, social equity, and creating systemic change.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

There is no supervisory responsibility with this position.

SALARY

Range: DC $69,000 to $74,000 | NYC $76,000 to $80,000

The final salary offer will be determined based on a variety of factors, including the candidate’s geographical location qualifications, experience, and expertise. We also consider market benchmarks, when appropriate, and internal equity to ensure compensation is fair and aligned with the organization’s overall structure. We are committed to offering competitive and equitable compensation to attract and retain top talent.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This role operates in a professional office environment and is based in Living Cities’ Washington, DC or New York City office. Staff are assigned to a home office location upon hire.

To uphold our core value of collaboration, Living Cities maintains a hybrid work model that requires staff to work in the office a minimum of three days per week, typically Tuesday through Thursday. This schedule may be adjusted at the organization’s discretion based on organizational needs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described below are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this role.

This position involves computer-based work. The employee must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods and operate standard office equipment. Occasional movement within the office may be required to access files, equipment, or technology. The employee must be able to travel for work. The role also requires the ability to communicate and exchange information effectively, both verbally and in writing.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

TRAVEL

Moderate national travel is required, approximately 10% annually.

Note: This estimate may vary based on organizational needs.

AAP/EEO POLICY STATEMENT

Living Cities is committed to building and sustaining a culturally diverse and inclusive team at all levels of the organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

This commitment applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

TO APPLY

Send resume and cover letter to jobs@livingcities.org

In anticipation of a large number of responses, only candidates whose qualifications most closely align will be contacted.