Executive Assistant

FirstRepair is seeking a seasoned, highly reliable Executive Assistant (EA) to serve as an operational anchor for our Founder and Executive Director.

Our Executive Director is a visionary, relationship-driven leader with an entrepreneurial work style and a high-volume public schedule. An administrative professional will assist her to turn spoken ideas into structured follow-through, resolving schedule conflicts before they happen, anticipating logistics, and keeping daily priorities on track.

This role requires a high-bandwidth professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, navigates changing priorities with ease, and provides the steady scaffolding a visionary leader needs to operate at her best.

This is not an entry-level administrative position. It is designed for an experienced professional who excels at managing up, establishing operational flow in a small team setting, and driving execution independently.

Key Responsibilities

Calendar Leadership & Time Management

Manage a high-volume executive calendar, anticipating conflicts and recommending adjustments before issues arise.

Act as a time-management anchor for the Executive Director—providing clear reminders, daily prep, and prompts to keep her on track throughout the workday.

Ensure all meeting details are accounted for including virtual links, pre-meeting materials, background information on attendees, etc.

Executive Prep & Follow-Through

Prepare briefing materials, agendas, and background context well in advance of meetings, speaking engagements, and board sessions. Ensure Executive Director has time blocked for preparation and material review and post-meeting follow up.

Track action items resulting from executive engagements and maintain a system of consistent, supportive prompting to ensure timely completion (e.g., collecting receipts, confirming sign-offs, following up on commitments).

Draft and edit high-level correspondence and business communications for the Executive Director to review and send.

Travel, Systems, & Lightweight Project Management

Coordinate complex domestic and occasional international travel logistics, detailed itineraries, and event travel prep.

Reconcile business expenses, collect receipts, and submit accurate expense documentation on a regular schedule.

Coordination safety and security with Chief Operating Officer and external vendors.

Log interactions, update records, and maintain accurate stakeholder pipeline data in Salesforce CRM.

Maintain an organized electronic document system and manage lightweight project management workflows tied directly to executive deliverables (e.g., board prep cycles, organizational event milestones).

External Stakeholder & Board Liaison

Serve as a polished, credible liaison between the Executive Director, Board members, donors, vendors, and movement partners.

Support board meeting logistics, including the advance distribution of electronic materials and virtual meeting facilitation.

Screen and route incoming calls, inquiries, and correspondence with discretion, confidentiality, and sound judgment.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Executive Support Experience: 5+ years of experience supporting C-Suite Executives, Founders, or Executive Directors.
• Proactive Work Style: Exceptional ability to work with a visionary, verbal delegator; high degree of emotional intelligence, discretion, and self-direction.
• Required Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency with Google Workspace, MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint), Adobe Acrobat, and Zoom. Preferred:
• Communication & Discretion: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proven track record of handling confidential information with complete integrity.
• Travel Logistics: Experience organizing complex travel itineraries and reconciling expenses.
• Candidates must be based in the U.S., strong preference for candidates located near a major airport for convenient travel logistics

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in a non-profit, social justice, or movement-building organization.
• Familiarity supporting Boards of Directors or high-profile public leaders.
• Experience with Salesforce CRM: Demonstrated experience logging contacts, updating records, and tracking pipeline data.

Work Environment & Travel

Schedule : Part-time (averaging 20 hours/week). Specific core hours will be established collaboratively within the window of Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Central Time.

Location : Remote anywhere in the United States. Proximity to Evanston, IL is not required, but preference will be given to candidates located near a major airport for travel ease.

Travel : Occasional domestic and international travel accompanying the Executive Director (compensated pro-rata in addition to the standard 20-hour weekly schedule).

Required Event: Must be available for in-person attendance at FirstRepair's annual Symposium during the first week of December.