Special Assistant to the CEO
YearUp

OVERVIEW:

Year Up is seeking an exceptionally motivated and highly committed rising star to provide critical support to the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Year Up. The Special Assistant will report to the Director of Executive Operations and Governance and will work closely with the Office of the CEO team to support a wide range of fundraising, cultivation, corporate engagement, and communications efforts. The Special Assistant to the CEO will ensure that the organization leverages maximum benefit from the CEO and will stay in constant communication with the CEO and his/her primary stakeholders to ensure the right messaging and follow up takes place. The Special Assistant will have the opportunity to:

• Gain unique exposure to executive management and insights to how organizational leadership happens at Year Up
• Initiate and drive follow up efforts and/or related project management to ensure that measurable impact is achieved
• Engage on many external relations efforts to positively affect our brand, our impact and our fundraising.
• Use insights gained from the work to provide thoughts and ideas on organizational stewardship
• Represent the CEO (and the Office of the CEO) in voice and/or in person at meetings and drive follow up to create value internally and externally

Candidates should note that this role at times can require work outside of standard hours (work can come up at odd hours, travel delays may cause changes in terms of presentations/agenda for the next day, some tasks require quicker turnaround than originally expected, etc.) When these incidents do occur, they do create real opportunity and value for Year Up and great learning opportunities for individuals engaged.

A successful candidate will bring experience as an accomplished self-starter, balancing multiple priorities, and will have demonstrated high initiative and the ability to work independently. You will have exceptional organizational skills as well as strategic, impactful written and verbal communication skills. You will be able to interact with staff and stakeholders at all levels, showing resourcefulness, flexibility, and a high level of professionalism. You will have strong advance planning skills (for events, geography visits, senior corporate partner/high net worth donor visits, etc.), and you will have demonstrated persistence, analytical skills, and attention to detail in your work. You will have the ability to work the room, meet and often exceed your own high performance bar in many different contexts, and will be a culture carrier. The ideal candidate learns fast, does fast, and gets things done both on their own and with/through others.

In keeping with Year Up's values, the Special Assistant to the CEO will also have the opportunity to interact with colleagues and students regularly to help create and sustain a positive educational environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITES:

Below are the primary responsibilities associated with this role. Given the uniqueness of this role and its proximity to the CEO and his/her priorities, the incumbent's capabilities will drive how this role might evolve over the tenure in the role.

CEO Support

• Prep, note-take, track & complete follow-up for external and internal meetings of CEO
• Travel with the CEO to speaking events, site visits, and external meetings, as needed
• Coordinate and work with functional teams to prepare CEO for meetings including but not limited to preparing presentations, completing research and analysis, and developing talking points
• Support the CEO in cultivating, stewarding and advancing relationships with a range of donors, corporate champions, and institutions
• Represent Year Up and CEO in interactions with internal and external stakeholders
• Represent the CEO at internal and external meetings when the CEO is unable to attend
• Drive the follow ups and actionable next steps from any meetings with the CEO and their stakeholders
• Regularly use the ability to influence to make things happen across the organization

Project Management and Impact Creation

• Work with the CEO's Executive Assistant and the Director of Executive Operations and Governance to coordinate the CEO's external and internal priorities to ensure efficient utilization of time and focus on highest priority items
• Support the CEO's engagement in "all staff" webinars, internal written and virtual communications as needed to support the effectiveness of Year Up
• Working closely with YU Director of Internal Communications, ensure that the CEO's own internal communications strategy is both clear, relevant and executed in a highly effective fashion. This will include idea generation, script preparation, content development and creative utilization of the relevant suite of communication tools and channels.
• Build project plans and drive follow up from CEO external meetings (CE, Devo, etc.) to ensure that internal dots are connected, follow through steps are taken and value creation happens each and every time it should. Serve as project lead on many of these initiatives and use ability to influence as an important tool to get objectives accomplished.
• Provide regular status reports to both the CEO and relevant functional leads, and engage relevant resources (cross-functionally) as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3 - 4 years of professional experience required
• Exceptional presentation and written communications skills. Able to bring concepts, philosophies and ideals to light in the CEO's "voice"
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including experience building relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Customer/client service focus and comfort interfacing with all levels of the organization
• Ability to empower and influence others
• Comfortable with a high degree of change
• Able to bring direction, guidance, and impact where lack of clarity might have existed before
• Flexibility, willingness to learn, and ability to adapt to the fast pace of a high performing team
• Adept at managing multiple projects and tasks at a time
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with exceptional attention to detail
• Able to manage tight deadlines regularly and coordinate across relevant internal leaders and teams to ensure deliverables occur on time and in budget
• Comfortable engaging with senior executives, thought leaders, stakeholders and YU leadership
• Possesses the confidence/gravitas and instincts necessary to anticipate individual needs, read individuals/audience/the room and drive engagement of internal resources to resolve and/or substantively move issues forward.
• A professional and resourceful style with the ability to work independently and as a team player
• Self-starter with ability to get up to speed quickly and work effectively with little direction or supervision
• Sound judgment, a high degree of professionalism, and the ability to maintain confidentiality
• Proficiency with all components of the Microsoft Office suite (high level of PowerPoint skills required)
• Experience with Salesforce.com a plus
• Ability to travel 25% - 30%
• A passion for working with young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion and equitable practices to help support Year Up becoming an antiracist organization

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Year Up has established salary ranges for each of our sites, which allows us to pay employees competitively, equitably and consistently in different geographic markets. For roles in which the location is listed as flexible, the range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Salary offers take into account a candidate's skills, experience, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.
• Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage; 401(k) match for eligible participants.
• Vacation: Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.
• Professional Development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives ($2,500 per year)

** This is an exempt role (paid on a salaried basis). **

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Year Up is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults-no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions of talented young adults lack access to meaningful careers. These inequities only further perpetuate the opportunity gap that exists in our country-a gap that Year Up is determined and positioned to close through three interconnected strategies: providing targeted skills training and connections to livable-wage employment for students and alumni; empowering others to serve and support young adults, and changing systems that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Year Up's intensive training program utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up has directly served more than 40,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up's nationwide presence includes Arizona, Austin, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington.

Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The NonProfit Times, Year Up is a rewarding and impactful place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. We set high standards for both ourselves and our students and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and potential of our young people. The work we do is life-changing, and we know that our team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:

Year Up actively engages individuals from all backgrounds. We are committed to embracing diversity within our organization because we firmly believe that diverse employee teams help us to achieve our best organizational outcomes and provide the most effective support to our young adults as we work to close the Opportunity Divide. We are deeply dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive work environment. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

As an equal opportunity employer, Year Up is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered. We respectfully request no phone calls.

COVID-19 UPDATE:

To ensure the safety of our young adults, staff, and families as we return to in-person work, Year Up requires that all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless someone qualifies for an exception. Subject to reasonable accommodations for individuals with medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent them from being vaccinated. Face masks and physical distancing are also required in Year Up spaces.

#LI-Hybrid

This job has expired.