Administrative Assistant

The Administrative Assistant will partner with the Executive Assistant and senior leaders on the Policy, Advocacy and Communications team, providing high-level administrative support as described below.  This ideal candidate is highly self-motivated, professional, and able to manage a dynamic workload while effectively prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced environment. This is a hybrid position that requires working from our Washington DC office two days per week.

Context

Strada Education Foundation supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between postsecondary education and employment in the U.S., with a focus on helping those who face the greatest challenges. Our strategic plan centers on five keys to strengthen the link between education and opportunity: Clear Outcomes, Quality Coaching, Affordability, Work-Based Learning, and Employer Alignment. We leverage several impact lever teams to advance our work, including actionable research, catalytic grantmaking, nonpartisan policy solutions, strategic communications, strategic investments, and affiliates (e.g., CredLens). We work collaboratively with hundreds of partners across the U.S., including educators, employers, policymakers, learners, and other nonprofits and trade associations. Strada offers a dynamic, collaborative professional environment that provides many learning and professional development opportunities.

• Provide comprehensive calendar management for senior leaders, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment across the PAC team.
• Support special events, meetings, and team activities related to the work of the Policy, Advocacy, and Communications (PAC) team.
• Partner closely with the Executive Assistant, administrative staff, and S/VPs to maintain coordinated scheduling and seamless operations.
• Arrange and book all travel, proactively managing preferences for flights, transportation, hotel accommodations, and other logistical needs.
• Troubleshoot and resolve travel issues as they arise, providing timely solutions and updated arrangements for S/VPs.
• Prepare and submit expense reports accurately, collaborating with Strada’s Corporate Finance Accounts Payable team as needed.
• Process all invoices, including researching vendor payment cycles to ensure accurate and timely payments without over- or underpayment.
• Deliver outstanding customer service, contributing to a welcoming, supportive, and respectful work environment.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for technology, workspace, and operational issues, partnering with Corporate IT, HR, and other departments to ensure timely resolution.
• Model and uphold high performance standards, demonstrating initiative, professionalism, and follow-through.
• Support additional duties, tasks, and special projects as assigned, contributing to smooth team operations and organizational goals.

• 3+ years of executive support experience, including complex scheduling and calendar coordination.
• Proven ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple, heavily scheduled calendars in partnership with other assistants, with the ability to resolve requests quickly and accurately.
• Proactive approach to problem-solving with strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills.
• Excellent logistical and organizational abilities, with strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional communication skills (verbal and written) and the ability to collaborate effectively to identify and resolve issues.
• Strong command of the Microsoft Office Suite and the Google Workspace suite of tools.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion, particularly when interacting with government officials and policymakers.
• Strong interpersonal judgment and the ability to navigate differences with professionalism and minimal conflict.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across a large, complex organization to achieve results.

Mission and Values Alignment:

Committed to providing equitable pathways to opportunity through PSET, particularly for individuals who have faced significant barriers. Demonstrated alignment with Strada's guiding values, commitment to building a strong and healthy workplace culture, and working in a collaborative environment.    

Strategy and Innovation Leadership:

Adept at operationalizing strategy and effectively communicating strategic endeavors within the organization and in external contexts, both verbally and in writing. Particular skill in designing annual plans, monitoring progress, and refining plans as needed. Adaptable with tolerance for ambiguity. Able to problem-solve and navigate varied viewpoints. Capacity to refine efforts based on evidence that change is needed. Ability to lead efforts to visualize and monitor change. Capability to see and support innovative ideas and opportunities across the organization, and to embed innovation within operational plans. Capabilities in taking the perspective of others and adapting an agenda and approach – toward a shared aim - accordingly.   

Strategic Problem Solving: 

Ability to effectively utilize a hypothesis-driven approach to problem solving, with effective quantitative and communication skills. Ability to take on broad-reaching and sometimes ambiguous questions while working collaboratively and cross-functionally with Strada team members across the organization.  

Execution and Operations Leadership:

Ability to translate innovative, strategic ideas into tangible, actionable steps, as well as to effectively monitor progress and partner with others on identifying improvements during implementation to increase the likelihood of successful execution.  

DEI Commitment:

Commitment and professional experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within and organization, including incorporating stakeholder perspectives in the design, implementation, and evaluation of strategic efforts.    

Relationship Building and Collaborative Capabilities: 

Demonstrated ability to cultivate, grow, and manage positive, mutually beneficial relationships at all levels of an organization and with partners outside the organization. Strong communication, interpersonal and relationship management skills—including identifying and working through challenges—underscored by strong judgment and emotional intelligence. Proven collaborator, able to work with colleagues at all levels in the organization. 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to Strada’s organizational vibrancy, employee experience, and mission. Strada is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workplace-certified by Diversity for Social Impact, a strategic professional and organization development company dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion to drive social impact worldwide. We strongly encourage applicants from people of color/the global majority, immigrant, bilingual, and bicultural individuals; people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA2S+  and gender nonconforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We believe every member on the team enriches our workplace by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver critical insights and solutions.