Special Assistant, Client Development (Washington, DC) job in Washington

You are mission driven and action oriented. You love to get involved, and work as part of a team to accomplish something great. Any job is your job if it helps the team succeed, and you thrive on variety. Today, you’re looking for a role where you can use those traits to make a real difference in the world by advancing the most important social issues facing humanity today. If that sounds like you, Arabella Advisors can’t wait to meet you.

We’re looking for a resourceful, detail-oriented, organized, high-performing individual to serve as a special assistant to Arabella’s Founder, Principal, and Senior Managing Director Eric Kessler. This is an excellent opportunity for an organized, client-service oriented individual who is interested in building a career in the social sector through exceptional work with senior leaders at Arabella and in the sector.

Essential Responsibilities
• Provide primary administrative and business development support for the Founder
• Handle all requests for meetings, appointments, and scheduling
• Manage travel logistics and expense report follow-up for the Founder
• Provide briefings, research and background documents to the Founder for meetings, events, and trips
• Coordinate logistics for internal and external meetings and speaking engagements on behalf of the Founder, including event logistics, set up, clean up, and run of show
• Attend and participate in meetings with the Founder on an as needed basis
• Proactively manage the pipeline of new opportunities on behalf of the Founder
• Oversee special projects and autonomous assignments as required

To be successful in this role you’ll need:
• Demonstrated experience anticipating the needs of a senior leader and planning time and materials appropriately
• High degree of organization and attention to detail and ability to manage and make progress on multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to draft high quality written materials and correspondence
• Strong work ethic, positive attitude, and a willingness to be flexible and do whatever it takes to get the job done
• Sound judgment, maturity, and the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and poise
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and experience with Salesforce
• Flexibility, initiative, and entrepreneurial spirit
• Ability to work cooperatively and across teams
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required

Our Core Competencies:

[Service Excellence] Ability to provide excellent, including the ability to efficiently and independently address routine service matters, to suggest effective client-centered solutions when elevating challenges or concerns, and to understand how the team can operate to maintain high-quality service.
[Project and Task Management] The ability to complete complex tasks, to use a work plan to undertake projects, and to understand how those projects impact the client, team, and/or firm’s objectives
[Stakeholder Management] The ability to understand stakeholders’ perspectives and circumstances, and to build and manage strong relationships that reflect that understanding.
[Communication] The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and professionally, including the ability to adapt style, tone, and content to various audiences; to make technical information assessible to broader audiences; and to collaborate with others to produce strong written deliverables
[Collaboration] The ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with others to achieve shared goals, including knowing when and how to compromise, being willing to proactively help colleagues, and sharing knowledge in various mediums
[Continuous Learning] An enthusiasm for taking on stretch and development opportunities, including the ability to accept feedback and use it to improve performance
[Resourcefulness] The ability to take ownership and be creative and solutions-oriented when encountering challenges that don’t have obvious answers, including knowing when to elevate challenges along with possible solutions

About Arabella Advisors
Arabella Advisors helps foundations, philanthropists and investors who are serious about impact achieve the greatest good with their resources. We work on issues ranging from the social and economic advancement of women and girls, and conservation of our climate and planet, to reducing poverty and inequity in the United States and around the world. Our staff members are mission-driven and action-oriented, and have a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, business, nonprofits, government, finance, law, and other fields. We combine creative, strategic thinking with knowledge and networks developed through decades of hands-on experience. The fastest-growing philanthropic advisory firm in the nation, Arabella is also a certified B Corporation.

Working with Us

We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers website to learn more.

To encourage work/life balance we offer flexible work options. Our office is an open space with cubicles and standing desks and informal work areas. Our salaries are closer to the range of a nonprofit and our benefits are excellent. You’ll start with three weeks of vacation, 80 hours of personal time, and 20 hours of paid time to volunteer at an organization of your choice. In addition to six federal holidays, you get to pick four more from a list of inclusive religious holidays and your birthday.

We have a competitive health package that includes medical, vision, dental, and prescription insurance. We also provide funds for professional development, a fitness benefit, and cover part of your personal cell phone plan.

How to apply

Submit a resume and a one-page cover online. The cover letter should address why you’re excited to work at Arabella and why you’re qualified for this specific job.

We value diversity and inclusion and encourage all qualified people to apply. If we can make this easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know.

While Arabella is open to individuals from various locations applying to join our team, please note that we generally are unable to pay for relocation expenses.

We will review applications as they are received and look forward to hearing from you.