Administrative Assistant

Climate Breakthrough

Administrative Assistant

San Francisco Bay Area required/hybrid work

Full Time (35 hours/week)

One-Year Contract

About Us

Climate Breakthrough is a global philanthropy supporting extraordinary climate leaders to pursue ambitious and transformative climate endeavors through the Climate Breakthrough Award: a multi-million-dollar, multi-year, flexible grant. Our mission is to make an outsized impact in resolving the climate crisis by freeing leaders to translate their boldest ideas into transformative climate action that swiftly and justly closes the gap between the world today and a sustainable future.

Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Climate Breakthrough is funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, the JPB Foundation, The Lemelson Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Oceankind, and Vere Initiatives. For more information, visit www.ClimateBreakthrough.org.

About the Role

Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Administrative Assistant is a one-year contract position based in the San Francisco Bay Area. This role will provide support in two primary areas: Executive Assistant (EA) support to the Executive Director (ED) during the new parent leave of the current EA (approx. 8 months and transition periods), and events coordination support. Coordinating between the ED office, the Climate Breakthrough Board, external partners, and the Climate Breakthrough team, the Administrative Assistant must be highly organized and a strong communicator. In addition to EA responsibilities the Administrative Assistant will provide logistical and coordination support with multiple events during the year, particularly supporting the Operations Manager with our largest annual event, the Awardee Retreat, an international convening bringing together awardees, board members, and Climate Breakthrough staff.

The ideal Administrative Assistant is detail-oriented, organized, reliable, an excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills, and able to work independently.

The Administrative Assistant’s work will be divided into the following areas:

Events Coordination Support

• Assist Operations Manager in logistical planning and execution of 2025 Awardee Retreat
• Including coordinating with international event planners; doing location, venue, and activity research; menu planning for complex dietary needs; participant coordination; travel planning and booking; and on the ground event execution.
• Lead logistical coordination of other events including team sprints/retreats (SF Bay Area), new Awardee Onboarding, and conference side-events.

ED Scheduling and Task Support

• Assist in optimizing the ED’s calendar, time, and tasks.
• Perform complex scheduling in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Track tasks requested by the ED or to be completed by the ED.
• Plan and coordinate the ED's active calendar of appointments in alignment with established priorities, serving as both "gatekeeper" and "gateway" to create win-win situations for direct access to the ED's time and office.
• Prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously, proactively, discreetly with kindness and respect, and follow-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.
• Review communications and documents for accuracy, completeness, format, and grammar.

ED Travel & Meeting Coordination

• Arrange ED travel, meeting spaces, agendas, and assemble necessary documents.
• Ensure the ED is fully briefed and prepared for meetings, events, and trips by coordinating with staff to compile and provide background information and reference materials.
• Support expense report submission.

Board Support

• Coordinate agenda, meeting minutes, logistics, and meeting space for Climate Breakthrough Board meetings.

This role will also provide ad hoc organizational support such as note taking, facilities, and other administrative responsibilities or support as needed.

Qualifications

Successful applicants will have most of the following qualifications:

• 1-3 years of administrative and event management experience, ideally with some international experience
• Experience coordinating meetings/events for senior leaders, including international travel arrangements
• Past experience in environmental or philanthropic organizations
• Ability to act with discretion and communicate with professionalism
• Strong writing, administrative, and organizational skills, excellent attention to detail
• Self-motivation, initiative, resourcefulness, dependability, and ability to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision
• Proficiency in Google Suite with an ability to navigate other workplace software such as Adobe, Microsoft Office, Slack, Asana, and CRMs
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize, collaborate, and be flexible in good humor
• Commitment to and enthusiasm for the mission of Climate Breakthrough
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness and commitment to justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity
• Ability to travel internationally for work events
• Fluency in English required, other languages an asset

Position Details

This role must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area and be able to work from our San Francisco office at least one day/week. Ability to work with the ED at an Oakland office on occasion a plus. Please note that Full Time at Climate Breakthrough is 35 hours/week; we also have a 31.5 hour/week option (90% time), for which salary is adjusted accordingly.

The desired start date for this position is October 15, 2024.

Climate Breakthrough is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

As a result of Climate Breakthrough’s development over the last eight years, we are growing and making valuable structural changes as an organization. As part of this transition, Climate Breakthrough has codified principles and is establishing practices that reflect our strong commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our current team and new hires work together closely to set the standards to which we hold our work and ourselves.