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Coordinator, New Work Exploration

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Full-time
On-site
Chicago Office United States of America
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. The Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. We work on a few big bets that strive toward transformative change in areas of profound concern, including the existential threats of climate change, the challenges of criminal justice reform, revitalizing local news in the U.S., and corruption in Nigeria.

In addition, we maintain enduring commitments in our hometown Chicago, where we invest in people, places, and partnerships to build a more inclusive Chicago and in journalism and media, where we invest in more just and inclusive news and narratives.

We also make awards to extraordinarily creative individuals through the MacArthur Fellows program and for solutions to critical problems of our time through 100&Change.
For more information, please visit our website at www.macfound.org.

The New Work Exploration team is responsible for researching, developing, and proposing new areas of grantmaking and ways of working for the Foundation. With direction from the Board and Foundation leadership, we source ideas internally and externally; explore them through research, convening, consultation, and grantmaking; develop initial strategic frameworks; and propose forms these ideas could take, whether short-term initiatives or longer-term programs. We collaborate with teams across the Foundation in pursuit of these goals.

The Coordinator provides administrative and logistical support to the Director of Strategy and the Program Development Officers. The Coordinator is an integral and active member of the New Work Exploration team.
This role gives an energetic, pro-active, curious individual the opportunity to learn from and contribute to a collaborative, often fast-paced team.
This role is time-limited for an initial period of 5 years with the possibility of extension.

Job Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Schedule and manage logistics for team meetings, including creating agendas and preparing documents, as well as taking and synthesizing meeting notes
  • Coordinate with the Meeting Planning and Events team for catering, physical space considerations, and virtual meeting planning assistance, when needed
  • Collaborate and communicate effectively across the New Work team to support and enhance team cohesion and integration with each other
  • Coordinate and collaborate with the administrative and program staff within New Work and with staff across the Foundation to plan and prepare for meetings, events, convenings, and mutual learning
  • Arrange and coordinate appointments and travel for the Director of Strategy and the Program Development Officers, including involvement in convenings and domestic/international travel, as needed
  • Process expense reports for the Director of Strategy and the Program Development Officers
  • Coordinate with Information Technology for hardware and software needs, and to troubleshoot technology systems that support the team’s productivity and effectiveness
  • Interact with, provide guidance to, and respond to questions from grantees, consultants, and other external partners; includes managing the New Work Exploration inquiry inbox
  • Provide general proofreading and editing, as needed
  • Coordinate document and information management tasks that add value for the New Work Exploration team

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Serve as back-up to the Administrator and Associate to the Managing Director of the New Work Exploration team
  • Understand and endorse the mission and values of the Foundation
  • Participate in special projects and Foundation working groups
  • Undertake other duties and responsibilities as assigned

The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois.

Annual salary for this role will start at $67,600. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and a comprehensive benefits package to support your life, health, and well-being.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

The work environment is an office setting. Intermittent physical activities will include bending, reaching, sitting, and moving around the office during working hours. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable a person with physical disabilities to perform the job.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of three to five years of relevant administrative experience
  • A bachelor’s degree is desirable
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, project-oriented team environment
  • Exceptional verbal and written communications skills
  • Demonstrated ability to take initiative and to execute complex projects and tasks with exceptional attention to detail
  • Demonstrated organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly, anticipate what may be needed with the team, and support planning ahead
  • Able to think and work independently, hold a working knowledge of programs, and good judgement about process
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams); proficiency in Zoom, Asana, and Salesforce desirable
  • Highly proactive, creative, resourceful, and solutions oriented
  • Curious and mission-driven, motivated by the purpose of our work