Executive Administrative Assistant

Description

Join Our Team as a Branch Executive Administrative Assistant!

Are you a highly organized and detail-oriented professional with a knack for managing administrative operations? The Downtown YMCA is seeking a dynamic Executive Administrative Assistant to support our Executive Director and ensure the smooth running of our branches. In this role, you’ll coordinate with local social service agencies, manage event scheduling, and handle a variety of projects independently. If you thrive under pressure and are passionate about making a difference in your community, we want to hear from you!

Why You’ll Love Working With Us:

• Mission-Driven Culture: Be part of a team that strengthens communities with purpose and intentionality.
• Welcoming Environment: We value individuality and support your journey to develop your full potential.
• Competitive Compensation: Enjoy a competitive hourly wage of $20 - $22.
• Work-Life Balance: Typical business work week from Monday to Friday.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting directly to the Downtown Branch Executive Director, the Executive Administrative Assistant (EAA) manages the efficient and consistent operations of the branch’s administrative operations, coordinates cooperative activities with local social service agencies, assist in preparing for internal and external meetings, works independently on projects, coordinates event scheduling for the Association and assists with Association administrative duties as needed.  The EAA will work independently on projects from conception to completion and must be able to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters.

OUR CULTURE: 
Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture. In the Y, we strive to live our cause of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day. We are welcoming: we are open to all. We are a place where you can belong and become. We are genuine: we value you and embrace your individuality. We are hopeful: we believe in you and your potential to become a catalyst in the world. We are nurturing we support you in your journey to develop your full potential. We are determined: above all else, we are on a relentless quest to make our community stronger, beginning with you.

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPECTATIONS:

1. Display a friendly, helpful, and positive disposition.
2. Provide customer service that is thorough, timely, organized, and accurate.
3. Help ensure the Y is meeting member and participant needs by utilizing good listening skills, attentiveness, objectivity, and patience in all situations.
4. Place members and participants as the first and highest priority, always showing kindness and compassion.
5. Demonstrates the Y core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility through all daily activities and responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Overarching Goal:  Through their planning, actions and daily work creates and fosters a welcoming environment for all persons of all backgrounds and abilities and has a positive, nurturing relationships with staff and members, while building cooperative relationships with organizational and program partners. Promotes and supports the potential of all and facilitates peer-to-peer connections as part of the overall YMCA experience.

1. Completes a broad variety of administrative tasks for the Downtown Branch Executive Director including coordinating an active calendar of appointments, composing, and creating correspondence that is often confidential, and prioritizing sensitive matters.
2. Organizes meetings including scheduling, sending reminders, and produces and maintains meeting minutes for Branch and All-Association meetings.
3. Researches, prioritizes, and follows up on incoming issues and concerns, mail and communication addressed to the Downtown Branch Executive Director including those of a sensitive or confidential nature. Determines appropriate course of action, referral, or response.
4. Ensure systems are in place to maintain a well-run administrative office where equipment is in good repair, supplies are readily available for program and membership staff, and other facilities related purchasing needs.
5. Develop daily bank deposits and deliver to the bank upon completion.
6. Manage the Branch Petty Cash according to Association policy.
7. Serve as program administrator for the association within the membership software program.
8. Responsible for program input and oversight for multiple departments using our membership software.
9. Assists with membership and program registration as needed
10. Manage facilities scheduling related to both internal and external users. Handle room rentals and birthday parties: all scheduling, fees, etc. Assist with all major facility events.
11. Maintains computer databases for various reports, committees, and mailings.
12. Process and deliver outgoing mail.
13. Keeps Downtown Branch Executive Director well informed regarding other staff’s performance in areas which directly affect their productivity and tasks. For example, pattern of missed deadlines, errors, not following procedures, policy violations and/or lack of communication.
14. Schedules and maintains records for work orders relating to facility repairs and maintenance.
15. Receives and responds to donation requests from community organizations.
16. Purchase and maintain vending machine supplies and maintenance of vending machines.
17. Handle responsibilities as assigned by Downtown Branch Executive Director.
18. Assist with association-wide needs as assigned.

CAUSE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP DESIGNATION: TEAM LEADER

Description: Someone who leads a team, project, or process with or without supervisory responsibility.

Disciplines: a broad grouping of competencies focused on a critical area that defines a cause-driven leader’s ability to advance the work of the Y.

Competency: Clusters of observable skills and behaviors needed to be successful within an organization or role.

Key Leadership competencies for this position:

• Functional Expertise
• Critical Thinking & Decision Making
• Fiscal Management
• Engaging Community
• Collaboration
• Communication and Influence

Team Leader Discipline, Competencies and Behavioral Indicators

Discipline

Advancing Our Mission & Cause: Provide visionary leadership to the organization and to ensure that all resources are mobilized to adapt to new challenges and needs in the community.

Competencies

Change Leadership: Facilitates, co-creates, and implements equitable change for the good of the organization and/or community.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Provides resources, removes barriers, and acts as an advocate for those initiating change.
• Actively supports and remains accessible to others during times of change or stress.
• Manages resistance to change by seeking input from stakeholders and communicating the change clearly.
• Hold others accountable for implementing the change.

Engaging Community: Builds bridges with others in the community to ensure the Y’s work is community-focused and welcoming of all, providing community benefit.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Ensures programs and services meet community needs.
• Ensures a level of service and engagement that fosters loyalty among those we serve.
• Intentionally fosters a cause-centered culture that is welcoming, genuine, hopeful, nurturing, and determined.

Philanthropy: Secures resources and support to advance the Y’s work.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Educates staff, volunteers, and members about the charitable nature of the Y.
• Leads key components of the Y’s fundraising efforts.

Volunteerism: Engages volunteers and promotes social responsibility at all levels of the organization.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Proactively positions volunteerism as a central context of being cause-driven and a way of being socially responsible.
• Recruits, onboards, and develops volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
• Works with volunteers to create meaningful and relevant roles that impact the community, fulfill their personal purpose, and build commitment to the cause.

Discipline

Building Relationships:  Connect people to the Y’s cause by developing inclusive relationships, partnerships, and collaborations so that Ys can co-create solutions to pressing social needs.

Competencies

Collaboration: Creates sustainable relationships within the Y and with other organizations in service to the community.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Identifies and builds relationships with internal and/or external partners or key stakeholders to support programs or projects.
• Builds effective teams and committees by fostering common vision and plans

Communication & Influence Listens and expresses self effectively and, in a way, that engages, inspires, and builds commitment to the Y’s cause.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Writes clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, vocabulary, and appropriate tone for the message or audience.
• Speaks in a clear, articulate manner.
• Maintains regular, clear, and concise communication within area of responsibility.
• Adopts a personal leadership style or approach to influence others.

Inclusion: Values all people for their unique talents and takes an active role in promoting practices that support diversity, inclusion, and global work, as well as cultural competence.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Addresses behaviors and practices that do not support inclusion in positive and equitable ways.
• Ensures staff model equity, inclusion, cultural competence, and global awareness in all areas of their work.

Discipline

Leading Operations: Ensure relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the organization so that we can continue to fulfill our promise to the community.

Competencies

Critical Thinking & Decision Making: Makes informed decisions based on logic, data, and sound judgment.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Actively looks for and incorporates different points of view when making decisions.
• Gathers relevant, valid data to make appropriate decisions. • Interprets data, feedback, and information, differentiating among assumptions, anecdotal evidence, and facts.
• Anticipates risk, implications, and possible outcomes before acting.
• Weighs pros and cons of multiple options to make decisions about complex problems.

Fiscal Management: Manages the Y’s resources responsibly and sustains the Y’s nonprofit business model.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Prepares budgets and interprets balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and forecasts.
• Analyzes financial data in order to make comparisons, draw conclusions, and make decisions.
• Identifies and mitigates significant business, financial, and operating risks, and financial irregularities, and communicates information to management.

Functional Expertise: Executes superior technical skills for the role.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
• Uses best practices, guidelines, and industry standards as a framework to improve performance.
• Demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in the technology associated with the job.
• Serves with purpose and passion.

Innovation: Creates and implements new and relevant approaches and activities that improve and expand the Y’s work and impact in the community.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Seeks input from key stakeholders, including staff, members, and the community, to develop or improve a program or project.
• Researches and identifies new trends in the program or service area.
• Incorporates creative thinking and discussion techniques into meetings and discussions, including brainstorming, mind mapping, sticky notes, and whiteboard visuals.
• Tries new things and assesses their effectiveness.
• Values and encourages creative and innovative ideas

Program/Project Management: Ensures program or project goals are met and intended impact occurs.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Translates organizational goals into executable plans with accountable staff and volunteers by defining tasks, milestones, and priorities for programs or projects.
• Delegates responsibilities and monitors progress towards goals.
• Follows fidelity, quality, and evidence-based standards of programs, projects, or the organization.
• Challenges inefficient or ineffective work processes and offers constructive alternatives.
• Follows through on commitments with an appropriate sense of urgency.
• Demonstrates flexibility when plans or situations change unexpectedly, effectively adjusting plans to achieve intended outcomes

Discipline

Developing & Inspiring People: Support the holistic development of self and others so that everyone can embrace the Y’s cause, sustain the Y’s culture, and inspire others to take individual and collective action to further our impact.

Competencies

Critical Thinking & Decision Making: Makes informed decisions based on logic, data, and sound judgment.

Behavioral Indicators

• Challenges conventional thinking to improve processes or experiences.

• Navigates differing stakeholder perspectives or ambiguous information when making decisions.

Developing Self & Others: Develops self and supports others (e.g., staff, volunteers, members, program participants), both formally and informally, to achieve their highest potential

Behavioral Indicators:

• Recruits and hires diverse staff and volunteer teams across multiple dimensions of diversity.
• Onboards and develops staff and volunteers for success.
• Provides staff and volunteers with the support, time, tools, and resources necessary to set, meet or exceed goals.
• Coaches others for continuous development, including analyzing performance gaps, building development plans, delivering appreciative and developmental feedback, and aligning passions and career goals.
• Addresses sensitive issues, inappropriate behavior, or performance concerns to help the other person grow.
• Shares and employs new learning to improve staff and personal performance.
• Strives to understand and resolve conflicting feedback or ideas from multiple sources.

Emotional Maturity: Demonstrates ability to understand and manage emotions effectively in all situations.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Regulates behavior based on assessment of situation, personal feelings, strengths, and limitations.
• Demonstrates a settling presence, even during times of crisis and challenge.

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

Child Abuse Policies & Prevention

The YMCA enforces its policies and practices to prevent child abuse.

Allegations or suspicions of child abuse are taken very seriously at the YMCA and will be reported to the proper authorities for investigation. We have abuse reporting procedures, unscheduled visits from supervisors, an open door for parents, and a code of conduct for staff. We minimize opportunities for abuse to occur and we talk with children about personal safety and touching limits. We screen carefully to prevent abusers from being hired. We provide child abuse prevention training to staff including how to conduct yourself for safe practices and termination of employment for employees who fail to report suspicion or failure to follow policies.

Employees who failure to support, actively engage in prevention and be forthcoming about concerns or violations of this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including immediate termination of employment.

Background Check: A background check, criminal, work, and reference checks, will be required of any employee at hire and may be repeated during their employment. A barred report, negative report or discovery of false information will result in immediate termination.

Alert & Focused: Use of illegal drugs, alcohol, prescribed or over the counter medications and lack of sleep can impact a person’s ability to be alert and focused while on duty. Used illegally or inappropriately while off duty may affect employment status. Responsibility, respect, caring, and honesty are core values of the YMCA. Employees involved in any injury found to be work-related may have to submit for a screening for drug and alcohol use. Suspicious behaviors observed while working or in the YMCA or at a YMCA program where the employee would be perceived by others as an employee may also be subject to alcohol and drug screening. Positive results of a drug or alcohol screening will result in termination of employment. Behaviors perceived as unbecoming a YMCA employee may be subject to discipline up to and including immediate employment termination.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Strong work tenure; 5-10 years’ experience supporting C-level executives, preferable in a non-profit organization.
• Experience and interest in internal and external communications, partnership development and fundraising.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Publisher, Excel, Teams) as well as related platforms like Adobe.

Key Characteristics:

• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, external partners, and donors.
• Expert level written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
• Emotional maturity.
• Must be creative and enjoy working in an environment that is mission-driven and community oriented.
• Must have the ability to exercise good judgement in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative and organizational skills, and the ability to maintain a balance among multiple priorities
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to be effective independently.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrates the highest level of customer/client service and response.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Forward looking thinker who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Cash handling experience preferred
• Comfortable with technology and open to learning and becoming proficient in electronic and digital platforms and software used by the organization.
• Have leadership competencies in the identified key areas
• Ability to learn quickly.
• Ability to work with integrity, discretion, and a professional approach.
• Prefer knowledge of, and previous experience with, diverse populations (language, culture, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Ability to complete all required trainings within 60 days of employment, including but not limited to CPR, first aid, Living Our Cause, DCFS Mandated Report, IL Gateway Registry Modules and to maintain these certifications as current as outlined by regulations or requirements

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The 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.

• Ability to speak concisely and effectively communicate. Be able to communicate using a computer and phone/smart device.
• The employee frequently is required to sit and reach and must be able to move around the work environment.
• Physically able to sit at a computer terminal and enter data into the computer and stand at the member welcome center waiting on customers for extended periods.
• Visual and auditory ability to respond to critical situations ability to act swiftly in an emergency. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.

• May require physical effort while reaching with hands and arms, stooping, kneeling, crouching, standing, walking, balancing, bending, leaning, kneeling, walking, and climbing.
• Lifting and carrying supplies to and from work locations, normally lifting less than 25lbs.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Salary : $20 - $22