Director, Executive Support

Job Title: Director, Executive Support

Team: Office of the CEO

Location: Hybrid in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type: Full-time

Start Date: ASAP 

Hiring Manager: Chief of Staff to the CEO 

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs Report.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Director, Executive Support, who will oversee our team of Executive Support & Operations Coordinators. As the leader of the Executive Support Team, you will provide direct coaching, training, and feedback to 3-4 direct reports. As a core member of the Office of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this role will work closely with the Executive Assistant to the CEO  to build and maintain systems of efficiency across multiple teams.

This role sits within the Office of the CEO and reports directly to the Chief of Staff to the CEO.

What You’ll Do

Manage Executive Support and Operations Team (50%)

• Lead the centralized executive support team, setting team goals and providing direct management, training, and coaching to support staff.
• Plan and execute team calls to share progress on deliverables, discuss challenges and possible solutions, share best practices, and create a positive team culture.
• Identify training needs and opportunities for the executive support team.
• Connect monthly with executive leaders to share updates on what the executive support team is prioritizing, to gather feedback, and to share updates. 
• Work collaboratively with Executive Directors and Central Team leads (e.g., Finance, External Affairs, Operations) to ensure that appropriate needs are met and troubleshoots issues or concerns as they arise.
• Conduct annual performance reviews, collaborating with executive leaders closely, for each executive support coordinator
• Onboard, coach, and manage a CEO Operations Intern

Administrative Support & Management for Senior Leaders (40%)

• Assist 1-2 Senior Leaders with administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic planning.
• Provide administrative support, including scheduling internal and external meetings, managing calendars, and arranging travel.
• Coordinate logistics for meetings, including managing the invitations and RSVPs, preparing materials, and securing space.
• Enter stakeholder data and project details into Salesforce.
• Ensure timely, professional correspondence to internal and external stakeholders and project manage correspondence.
• Execute and/or assist with ad hoc projects and tasks.
• Serve as back-up support to the CEO or executive leaders in the absence of the Executive Assistant to the CEO or executive support senior coordinators.

Create and Manage Systems (10%)

• Collaborate with the Chief of Staff, Executive Assistant to the CEO, and other teams including the External Affairs team to create shared systems of support and accountability to be used across multiple teams.
• Create a library of resources and best practices for the Executive Support team.
• Develop toolkits to help organize pertinent information and ensure opportunities for shared knowledge are captured.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5 years of experience supporting senior leaders with a high volume of correspondence, meetings, and travel
• 3 years of experience managing others, ideally in executive support roles
• Proficiency in Zoom, Expensify, and booking online travel

Preferred Qualifications

• 8 years of experience supporting senior leaders with a high volume of correspondence, meetings, and travel
• Ability to set strategy for an operations team and manage goals, benchmarks, and outcomes to ensure efficient service and support to executive leaders
• Exceptional written and interpersonal communication, critical thinking, organizational skills, and excellent attention to detail
• Ability to flawlessly manage multiple projects concurrently and independently while staying focused on the objective when things are ambiguous or changing
• Strong professional judgment and maturity; sensitivity with managing confidential information, and the ability to exercise discretion
• Strong customer service ethic and ability to proactively prepare for potential issues
• Seeks out feedback, is receptive to feedback given proactively, and actively uses it to improve
• Interacts comfortably and authentically with people who have a range of identities, personalities, and ways of operating
• Proficient in Salesforce
• Ability to effectively manage up to ensure the timely completion of projects and tasks
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help to develop others.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL)at least 3 days per week
• Travel occasionally for org-wide and team-wide meetings and to support EAs within their regions.
• Non-traditional hours may be required to support teams in different time zones or to offer support during key events.

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Finalist Interview
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

New hires can expect a starting salary at the lower end of the range, as Braven compensates based on the requirements and scope of the role rather than years of experience or prior salary, allowing for growth with performance and maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $76,000-$94,900 in Chicago. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.  

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe that our total rewards package matches what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. 

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, we require teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Chicago. Due to the nature of their roles, members of the Office of the CEO may be required to report to the office on additional days (as needed) to best support the CEO and Alignment Team priorities. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.