Senior Advisor (Job #281) ($112,781 - $124,448) (Remote)
Remote within RCAC's service areas: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
General Purpose:
The Senior Advisor is a critical role, enabling the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to work most effectively with internal and external partners and collaborators and allowing her/him to focus on RCAC's highest level business priorities. The focus of this position is not administrative; it is a highly strategic and facilitative position that maximizes the CEO's effectiveness by ensuring they have the time, space and information to effectively address the most important strategic issues facing the organization.
With a range of influence and through partnership facilitation, the Senior Advisor will support decision-making by the CEO and C-Suite through identifying and arranging pertinent information, opportunities and risks, ensuring the governance and decision-making processes are clear to all involved. The Senior Advisor will ensure the CEO is well-informed and engaged in a range of programs, projects and initiatives, including providing direction and support in Board matters with the RCAC Board of Directors. This position requires a combination of focus, resourcefulness and flexibility, as well as a willingness to play an active, behind-the-scenes role. As a trusted lead on the executive services team, the role requires strong emotional intelligence, self-motivation and strong analytical skills. The Senior Advisor will fully support the CEO and in certain instances, the C-Suite, with communications planning (external and internal), in coordination with the RCAC Communications team, as appropriate. that promotes transparency and connection with staff, Board, peer groups, community partners and other RCAC supporters. Additionally, this position will oversee or provide execution of various projects as warranted by experience, expertise and availability.
Specific job goals, objectives and tasks are established for each employee as part of the annual evaluation and work plan process. The statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all qualifications, responsibilities, duties, and skills required.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Management:
- Manage the CEO Executive Assistant, ensuring coordination and management of the CEO's calendar, scheduling of meetings, conferences, appointments, special projects, vouchers, and travel logistics for the CEO and Board members to ensure smooth day-to-day activities, engagements and responsibilities.
Executive Effectiveness:
- Coordinate agendas for CEO requested meetings. Prepare CEO and others by ensuring advance understanding of meeting purpose and agenda. Prepare and provide background and briefing information. Maintain a meeting cadence and facilitate meetings when necessary. Record and communicate key learnings, decisions, actions, and commitments. Responsible for post-meeting follow-through, including action items, coordination of deliverables, execution of strategic timelines and progress reporting to the CEO and other participants.
- Model effective information framing, appropriate decision-making protocols, and progress tracking.
- Provide the CEO with analysis, oversight, and prioritization on key business initiatives and topics.
- Provides hands-on support to transform ideas into reality and monitor their progress, to include drafting letters and reports, tracking deadlines, drafting articles for publication and coordinating tasks with other RCAC staff.
- Represent the CEO with internal and external groups as assigned and appropriate.
- Assist CEO in championing the desired culture, including wellness and DEI.
- Organize the CEO's time and attention by:
- Triaging and prioritizing the demands on the CEO's time.
- Developing insights into the nature and value of various relationships; donors, elected officials, etc. and working closely with the CEO to prioritize those relationships most critical for advancing the organizations objectives.
- Finding effective ways to connect with staff throughout the year.
Communications / Development:
- Draft internal written communications for the CEO, and as appropriate, Executive Team members, to ensure there is clarity and consistency in organization-wide communication. Draft external communications as needed.
- Foster clear, complete, and actionable communications by the CEO across all staff using various channels, such as in-person meetings, email, social media, and more.
- In partnership with the Communication Team, maintain a communications plan and cadence for staff, the Board, and all partners, funders, clients and communities.
- Work closely with the CEO and others to draft reports, articles, speeches, presentations and fundraising materials for the CEO.
- Through coordination with the Development Team, maintain lists of funders, collaborators, and partners with whom their CEOs want regular contact, and tee up communications or arrange meetings to support ongoing relationship building, providing advance communication and information to assist in CEO preparation readiness for arranged contacts.
- Participate as a team member in planning and executing major special events.
Project Management and other:
- Understand and contribute to strategic thinking and operational planning to assist CEO in ensuring accountability and alignment.
- Manage and/or coordinate special projects, most often in concert with other C-Suite members, acting where required as a change agent for critical initiatives; bring together important partners and collaborators stakeholders and help drive decisions.
- Strengthen our desired culture and values through modeling transparency and collaboration.
- Research, perform benchmarking, analyze data, and make recommendations.
- Identify gaps, provide technical assistance and recommend new systems and processes to streamline CEO deliverables.
- Ensures Executive team compliance with Finance and Procurement guidelines.
Board Management and other duties:
- Manage the cadence of board meetings, preparing and sending out materials in advance. Gather data from across the organization to support creation of the meeting Agenda. Review initial drafts of materials for the board, such as financial updates or program dashboards to help lay out the information required for the CEO report preparation in a concise and clear format.
- Manage the board onboarding process, term lengths, and support CEO and board in researching and recruiting new board members.
- Ensure board members are provided any information as needed.
- Attend and participate in all meetings and trainings, as assigned.
- Complete and submit own timesheets and approve staff timesheets in a timely and accurate manner.
- Supports the CEO and Board of Directors in program implementation and process changes.
- Perform other tasks and projects as assigned by the CEO.
Supervision Exercised:
- May supervise an Executive Assistant or Scheduler position, as needed.
Minimum Qualifications and Necessary Requirements:
- EDUCATION/EQUIVALENT: Bachelor's degree in business administration, or related field plus five years' experience, or ten years of experience, without a formal degree.
- LICENSE/CERTIFICATION: Valid driver's license and proof of insurance that meets the minimum requirements ($100,000/$300,000) of RCAC corporate liability policy.
- EXPERIENCE: Seven to ten years of experience in increasingly responsible positions, primarily focusing on Administration, Strategic Analysis, Development, and Communications. Experience with nonprofit organization(s) a plus. Proficient computer skills with Microsoft Office programs. High proficiency with the English language, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Must pass a background investigation.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Strong community networking skills and ability to build resources and relationships.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, email, internet, calendaring applications, and other presentation/communication software. Experience with Customer Relationship Management systems a plus.
- Extraordinary ability to organize, manage projects, and prioritize crucial information and tasks.
- Ability to work with executives to drive strategy execution with strong knowledge of business operations, long-term vision, and strategic development. Must be comfortable working across different issues, at strategic to tactical levels, with a diverse group of partners, peers and collaborators.
- High level of independent thinking and judgment.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and persuasive skills with a can-do and flexible attitude. Ability to work well under pressure, with high emotional intelligence.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision, multitask, maintain confidentiality, and meet deadlines.
- Team player with excellent collaboration skills and experience working cross-functionally with multiple levels of staff.
- High bar for personal accountability and holding others accountable.
- Excellent analytical and problem solving/resolution skills.
- Ability to work in fast-paced environments with a high degree of context-switching.
- Ability to maintain professional conduct, attitude, and appearance at all times.
- Ability to analyze situations and adopt appropriate courses of action.
- Ability to meet strict timelines.
Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk. The employee occasionally is required to stand; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty-five pounds. Specific vision requirements include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and depth perception.
Working Location and Conditions:
The preferred location for this position is in Sacramento. However, a remote work location may be an option for discussion, for the right candidate. While RCAC is committed to staff wellness, occasional evening and/or weekend work may be required. Automotive and airline travel, including overnight travel, will be required regularly, usually once or twice a month.
RCAC is an equal opportunity employer and considers all employees and job applicants without regard to race, religion, color, gender, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status, or any other status protected by law. RCAC strives to reflect the diverse constituencies that the organization serves.