Administrative Assistant (bilingual English/spanish)

Life Span seeks a bilingual Spanish speaking Administrative Assistant for our reception office at our Chicago Loop location to welcome and assist clients and visitors and staff.  This position serves as the primary point of contact for clients and guests, answering and routing incoming calls, gathering client intake information, providing resources and referrals, and supporting staff as part of a collaborative team. Additional responsibilities include managing office supplies, maintaining client and office records, completing administrative and data-entry tasks, assisting with daily office operations, and helping maintain an organized, professional, and welcoming office environment.  This is a hybrid-remote position based in our Chicago, Illinois office.

Life Span is a nationally known leader in the provision of services to survivors of violence and their children. Our comprehensive services include criminal court advocacy, representation in civil protective order cases, expert representation in family law cases, immigration services and counseling for survivors and their children.  Our work encompasses such issues as police domestic violence, human trafficking, immigration, employment issues, sexual assault civil no contact orders, the effects of trauma on clients and their children, teen dating violence, and the criminalization of survivors. Our agency has two sites, one in Des Plaines and one in Chicago.  Our services are available in many languages including English, Spanish, Polish and Arabic and are free of charge. Our agency provides national leadership in policy work and systemic advocacy, and our staff has trained advocates, lawyers, judges, counselors and other professionals in Illinois and across the country on critical issues and innovative practices.

Life Span values staff who reflect the communities we serve in strengths, backgrounds and lived experiences.  It is essential that our staff and leadership reflect the communities we serve. 

Work Hours/Location: This position is based at: 70 East Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois..

Scheduled days/hours are Monday-Friday.  9:00 AM-5:00 PM.   Limited evening and weekend work hours may be required.  Occasional travel may be required for training, conferences or other organizational activities at a minimum of twice per year.

Remote Work:
As an essential point of contact for office visitors and staff, this is a primarily on-site hybrid position with the opportunity for up to one remote workday per week, at the discretion of Life Span. Reliable internet access is required. Employees must be readily accessible and available during work hours by phone, email, and Teams to perform the essential functions of the position.

Reports To:  Life Span’s Director of Operations.

Essential Job Functions

Telephone Calls, Visitors & Lobby:

• Screen, announce, and direct calls to staff; provide information and referrals to callers, including survivors seeking assistance and those outside the scope of our services. 
• Conduct and support Chicago office legal prescreen calls. 
• Welcome, assist and announce visitors and clients. 
• Maintain an inviting lobby area; include Life Span event notices and information for clients. 
• Assist with client surveys by supporting participation and completion.
  • Ensure lobby information are always available. 
  • Maintain and distribute client resource information. 
  • Follow visitor security and communication policies for office entry. 

Office Support:

• Complete office tasks, such as bookkeeping, photocopying, scanning, filing, data entry, and faxing.
• Track and replenish office supplies.  
• Draft documents, contact clients, and interpret for clients/staff.  
• Process and distribute mail, deliveries, and shipments, including package drop-offs as needed.
• Collaborate with administrative staff to respond to general email inquiries.
  • Serve as a contact for building management, office maintenance, and conference room scheduling. 
  • Notarize documents.
  • Schedule recurring kitchen cleanups and recruit staff to assist.
  • Assist with staff communications and employee recognition activities, including birthdays, anniversaries, & accomplishments.
  • Assist with new employee onboarding and orientation activities.
    • Assist with timekeeping timesheet review and log entries. 
    • Periodically attend Legal intake meetings.  

Equipment Maintenance:

• Maintain postage equipment and supplies.
• Coordinate printer service, repairs, and related records.
  • Communicate office-wide disruptions to IT and the Operations team. 
  • Maintain air purifier equipment on a scheduled basis.
  • Serve as a point of contact for service providers and assist with scheduling coordination.

Other:

• Attend trainings, as assigned by supervisor 
• Attend and participate in team meetings 
• Other duties as assigned 

Qualifications & Skills:

• At least four years of experience demonstrating administrative, customer service, and organizational skills through work, volunteer activities, training, education, or other relevant experience.
• Commitment to the mission, vision, and goals of Life Span 

• Bilingual with ability to communicate fluently in English and Spanish with clients, visitors, and staff, including written communication. 
• Ability to follow directions and problem solve 
• Basic computer skills and experience with Microsoft apps including Teams, OneDrive, Word, Outlook. 
• Strong telephone and interpersonal communication skills, including answering, screening, routing, and transferring calls, while providing courteous, professional, and client-centered assistance to callers.

• Ability to work with clients in crisis 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree 
• 2+ years of experience working in a nonprofit work environment 
• Advanced skills  using Microsoft Office 365 applications, Foxit, LegalServer applications and the 3CX phone system. 
• Ability to set goals, priorities, work independently, and as part of a collaborative team.

• Experience in non-profit gender-based violence services is helpful for this position 

Compensation:

Life Span values staff as our most important resource and we offer a competitive starting salary, generous benefits, and opportunities for professional development. Starting salary is $57,000. Bilingual staff may receive an additional $2,000 per year.

Benefits include generous vacation, sick and miscellaneous leave; nineteen paid holidays; Summer Fridays; health, dental and vision insurance; life and disability insurance; a 403b retirement plan, pre-tax public transit benefits, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) plans; and an (EAP) employee assistance plan, and online will preparation.

Loan Forgiveness Benefit:

• Life Span is a qualifying employer for the federal PSLF program. 
• Employees in qualifying positions may be eligible for ISAC-administered student loan repayment programs.

To Apply:

Please send your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager via email to View email address on thenonprofitnetwork.org .  

No Telephone Calls Please.