Executive Assistant to the Chief People Officer (CPO)

Are you ready to support executive leadership, strengthen People & Culture operations, and help move organizational priorities forward? Do you have experience managing executive priorities, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, and translating complex information into clear actions? National 4-H Council is seeking an Executive Assistant to support the Chief People Officer and help advance the priorities, operations, and work of the People & Culture function.

At National 4-H Council, we empower nearly 6 million young people each year to become confident leaders who are ready for life and work. As the nation's largest youth development organization, we prepare young people to be Beyond Ready through hands-on learning experiences in STEM, Agriculture, Healthy Living, and Civic Engagement.

As the Executive Assistant , you will partner closely with the Chief People Officer and collaborate with the People & Culture team, Executive Team, executive assistants, Board Trustees, and committees. You will manage the CPO's calendar, priorities, information, and commitments; coordinate cross-functional projects and People & Culture initiatives; prepare executive communications and decision-ready materials; and support meetings, events, policy reviews, travel, budgets, and departmental administrative workflows. You will also develop tools, processes, and operating routines that strengthen visibility, coordination, efficiency, and follow-through.

Join us in supporting the people, culture, and organizational priorities that advance National 4-H Council's mission. In this role, you will help increase the CPO's capacity, strengthen People & Culture operations, and coordinate the work that helps prepare more young people to be Beyond Ready. #4HBeyondReady

Mission

4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people empowered for life today and prepared for careers tomorrow. In collaboration with the USDA and our network of 110 public universities, we serve every county and parish in the United States in more than 3,000 local 4-H Extension offices. Our programs have a positive impact on young people: 4-H youth are 2x more likely to excel in school, 4x more likely to contribute to their communities, 2x more likely to make healthier choices, and 2x more likely to pursue STEM education or careers.

National 4-H Council (Council), 4-H's private sector nonprofit partner, builds public-private partnerships and provides resources and leadership development opportunities that expand the reach and impact of 4-H. With the Beyond Ready Initiative, 4-H has the potential to reach 10 million young people annually to help them lead healthy, productive, and engaged lives. Young leaders will have the experience and mentorship to succeed in an evolving workforce and thrive in their communities.

Position Summary

The Executive Assistant to the Chief People Officer (CPO) serves as an executive operating partner to the CPO and operational enabler for the People & Culture function. The role creates capacity for the CPO to focus on organizational performance, talent, culture, and strategic priorities while supporting clear, efficient, and disciplined execution across the function.

Combining executive support, operational coordination, project execution, communications, event management, and process improvement, the Executive Assistant manages the CPO's time and information; establishes effective operating rhythms; prepares the CPO for critical meetings and decisions; coordinates shared People & Culture priorities; and identifies opportunities to improve efficiency.

The role requires sound judgment, discretion, strong relationship-building skills, and the ability to synthesize complex information into clear actions and recommendations.

Primary Responsibilities

Executive Partnership & CPO Effectiveness

• Manage the CPO's calendar with sound judgment, balancing organizational priorities, leadership commitments, preparation, and key deliverables.
• Anticipate decisions, due dates, meetings, and organizational priorities, proactively preparing the CPO with relevant information, materials, and next steps.
• Establish systems to manage the CPO's priorities, commitments, decisions, and follow-through.
• Prepare the CPO for executive leadership, Board or committee, and People & Culture meetings by coordinating agendas, briefing materials, data, and action items.
• Monitor commitments and follow-up from key meetings and initiatives, ensuring owners, deadlines, and next steps are clear.
• Identify competing priorities, risks, and opportunities that may affect strategic commitments and raise issues proactively.
• Exercise sound judgment to resolve matters independently, delegate appropriately, or escalate to the CPO.

People & Culture Operations & Coordination

• Serve as an operational connector across People & Culture, helping shared priorities, information, decisions, and commitments move efficiently while respecting functional ownership and decision-making authority.
• Maintain visibility into key initiatives, milestones, dependencies, due dates, and decisions requiring CPO attention.
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams by establishing timelines, meetings, action items, owners, and follow-up mechanisms.
• Maintain practical tools and operating routines that help the CPO and People & Culture team track priorities, commitments, risks, and upcoming decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve handoffs, reduce duplication, simplify processes, and strengthen operational efficiency.
• Support implementation of People & Culture initiatives through coordination, documentation, logistics, communication, and follow-through.

Strategic Projects & Process Improvement

• Coordinate high-priority People & Culture projects on behalf of the CPO, maintaining timelines, milestones, dependencies, status updates, and executive summaries.
• Prepare project updates and decision materials; identify risks, delays, and resource constraints; and escalate matters requiring CPO attention.
• Develop practical project-management tools, templates, and workflows that improve consistency and visibility.
• Continuously improve administrative and operational processes to reduce manual effort and increase efficiency.

Executive Communications & Information Management

• Draft and coordinate CPO communications, translating priorities and complex People & Culture topics into clear, audience-appropriate messages.
• Partner with the Internal Communications Lead to align CPO messaging, timing, approvals, and distribution.
• Prepare presentations, reports, talking points, briefing documents, dashboards, and other decision-ready materials by synthesizing information from multiple sources.
• Support timely intranet updates related to CPO priorities and major People & Culture initiatives in partnership with Internal Communications and appropriate subject matter owners.
• Maintain effective information-management practices and appropriately secure confidential records.

Event & Meeting Operations

• Coordinate logistics for CPO and People & Culture meetings, retreats, planning sessions, employee events, and other organizational gatherings, including venues, technology, catering, materials, invitations, transportation, and accessibility needs.
• Partner with the appropriate People & Culture owner to clarify event objectives, audiences, content, roles, and desired outcomes.
• Coordinate event follow-up, including action items, communications, documentation, and feedback.
• Establish repeatable processes, templates, and checklists that improve the efficiency and consistency of recurring events.

Policy & Administrative Support

• Coordinate the People & Culture policy review process, maintaining the policy calendar, documentation, approvals, and communication milestones.
• Partner with People & Culture subject matter owners to track reviews and ensure appropriate stakeholder engagement.
• Coordinate travel, accommodations, transportation, itineraries, and related logistics.
• Manage expense reporting, invoice processing, reconciliation, and departmental administrative workflows.
• Support departmental budget tracking and preparation of financial updates for the CPO.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Seven or more years of progressive experience in executive support, executive operations, business operations, project coordination, or a related field.
• Experience supporting a senior executive in a complex, fast-changing organization, including managing competing priorities, confidential information, executive communications, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs, identify risks, exercise sound judgment, and independently drive follow-through.
• Strong business judgment and ability to distinguish urgent activity from work that advances organizational priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into concise, decision-ready materials.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders, deadlines, and dependencies.
• Strong Microsoft 365 proficiency and ability to quickly learn and leverage technology to improve productivity and workflows.
• High level of discretion and demonstrated ability to manage confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
• Strong relationship-building skills and ability to establish credibility at all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated ability to improve processes, introduce structure, and increase operational efficiency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a Chief People Officer, CHRO, or other senior People & Culture leader.
• Experience within a People & Culture, Human Resources, Talent, or mission-driven environment.
• Experience in executive operations, business operations, project management, or chief of staff support.
• Experience coordinating executive meetings, leadership and employee events, retreats, or organizational planning.
• Experience with HR technology, intranet platforms, project-management or reporting tools, or workflow automation.
• Experience supporting organizational transformation, culture, employee engagement, or enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Experience working in remote, hybrid, or distributed environments.

Equal Opportunity and ADA Statement

National 4-H Council is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and organizational needs. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, National 4-H Council provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at View email address on businessworkforce.com

This role is primarily performed in a remote work environment or professional office and requires the ability to use standard office technology, including computers and communication tools. Occasional travel and in-person meetings may be required.