Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Senior Executive Assistant & Board Liaison

Position Type: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt
Location: Flexible (remote); Must be located and eligible to work in the U.S.
Salary Range: $82,400 – $103,000
Closing Date: March 21, 2025

Candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The position will remain open until we have a sufficient pool of diverse candidates who meet the job requirements, at which point we may pause the review of new applications before the stated deadline. Please understand you may not be contacted for several weeks after you apply.

Ideal Start Date: 2-4 weeks after offer

About the Center for Disaster Philanthropy

CDP began in 2010 with the goal of pioneering the practice of strategic disaster philanthropy. Since then, it has grown in its ambition, envisioning a world where the impact of disasters is minimized through thoughtful, equitable and responsive recovery for all. CDP has a $40 million budget and a team of more than 30 staff members working remotely across the U.S.  

CDP is a trusted partner, expert and authoritative resource helping hundreds of individuals, foundations and corporations boost the impact of philanthropic giving in response to disaster and humanitarian crises by supporting equitable recovery and addressing root causes of vulnerabilities worldwide.

In 2024, CDP awarded approximately $16 million through 70 grants to grantee partners worldwide, demonstrated thought leadership through webinars,  blog posts, featured speaking engagements and other events, and served 20+ philanthropic partners through consulting efforts. 

  • In 2020, CDP was a featured nonprofit for the 14th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.
  • CDP has earned Charity Navigator’s Four-Star Charity rating and Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal.

As an organization grounded in racial and intersectional equity, our team members are deeply committed to strengthening communities most vulnerable to disasters because of systemic inequities. We are guided by our values of integrity, boldness and innovation, humility and empathy in all we do in pursuit of our mission.

Bottom line: We aspire to walk the talk of anti-racism and to treat each other and our partners in ways that inspire trust, creativity, learning and care.

Be a part of our fast-growing team that offers countless ways to help communities thrive. Join us!   

Responsibilities & Duties

This position serves as the CEO’s go-to resource. Reporting to the president & CEO, the senior executive assistant & board liaison provides overall administrative, communications and strategic support to the CEO and serves as a key contact to CDP’s board of directors.

Due to the nature of the position, some early morning, evening and weekend hours, as well as occasional travel, should be expected.

The successful candidate will display the following traits:

You must be strategic and creative and enjoy working with a growing organization driven by mission, values and results. This position requires the utmost professionalism in dealing with staff, funders, board members and other critical relationships for CDP. The senior executive assistant & board liaison will have access to confidential information and must operate with great discretion. The senior executive assistant/liaison must be consistent, well-organized, efficient, mindful of their external, ambassadorial role and have a customer-service-oriented mindset.

The ideal candidate must have exemplary time management skills and the ability to identify and anticipate the CEO’s needs. This includes an ability to prioritize conflicting needs, handle matters independently and expeditiously, act proactively and follow through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.

Primary responsibilities include:

The senior executive assistant and board liaison manages the CEO’s calendar, supports donor and board communications preparation, and assists with assigned research and additional administrative duties. This position may provide overflow administrative support to other teams during high-volume periods, e.g., scheduling and coordinating meetings with multiple stakeholders, document preparation, etc.

As board liaison, this position supports the executive team’s work with the board of directors and its committees, ensuring that all governance matters are handled smoothly and effectively. This position will involve scheduling, planning, executing, and following up on each board and committee meeting. This position will also manage special projects related to the board, such as tracking term limits, board prospects and learning trips, developing a board portal, and more.

Executive support

  • Manage the CEO’s calendar to ensure priorities are properly elevated and key internal and external relationships are stewarded. This may involve coordinating with multiple internal stakeholders, especially executive team members, and helping to enforce standards and decisions about calendar priorities.
  • Schedule meetings, speaking engagements and travel to manage the CEO’s time efficiently.
  • Ensure the CEO is prepared for internal and external meetings, including coordinating briefing materials, travel logistics and agendas.
  • Support the organization and coordination of executive team meetings and quarterly in-person retreats.
  • Staff CEO at select meetings or events, including taking notes and helping ensure internal communications and follow-up.
  • Support identifying and applying to speaking engagements and other organizational leadership and fundraising opportunities for the CEO.
  • Draft and edit emails, documents and presentations.
  • Handle administrative work for the CEO, including submission of receipts and other financial and operational paperwork.
  • Organize complex travel arrangements (domestic and international) for philanthropy and board disaster/humanitarian learning tours, including preparing itineraries and agenda materials for the CEO and other participants and applying for visa documents necessary to travel.
  • Correspond and coordinate with the CEO regularly and consistently so both parties are well-informed of commitments and changes to the CEO’s schedule.

Board support

  • Serve as the main point of contact for managing, facilitating and coordinating logistics for all board-related meetings and events, including the budget and board member reimbursements.
  • With the CEO, other CDP executives and the board chair, lead in the preparation of board materials for quarterly meetings.
  • Take minutes and notes for all meetings, including committee meetings.
  • Support the CEO and governance and nominations committee chair as the key project manager for all new board member recruitment, onboarding and orientation.
  • Support board committees as requested/required by the primary staff liaison and board representatives.
  • Develop and manage a system for maintaining, tracking and updating board governing documents, minutes, files, folders, etc., including advancing a board portal.

Other duties as assigned

  • Serve on committees, panels and task forces at CDP as appropriate and as available.
  • Perform other duties and job-related tasks that may be assigned.

This position reports to the president & CEO but serves the whole organization. Upon request, the senior executive assistant & board liaison may participate in different department meetings, team meetings or retreats to further their ability to provide a bridge for smooth communication between the CEO and internal departments.

Required qualifications and skill

  • At least 7 years of specialized knowledge and experience supporting C-Level or senior executive, preferably in a nonprofit organization.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
  • Demonstrated ability to oversee multiple high-level, complex tasks with excellent attention to detail.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and make decisions with considerable latitude.
  • Superior written and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
  • Emotional maturity.
  • Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response.
  • Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Forward-looking thinker who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
  • Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners and donors.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat, and social media web platforms.

Preferred skills and qualifications

  • Familiarity with, although not necessarily a professional background in the philanthropic or disaster fields.
  • Experience working with Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable constituent relationship management (CRM) system.
  • Willingness to learn and utilize project management and client relationship tools.

Personal characteristics

  • Commitment to the values intrinsic to CDP’s mission and strategy.
  • Energetic and eager to tackle new projects and ideas.
  • High tolerance of ambiguity and appetite to tackle issues constructively.
  • A team player capable of cultivating productive relationships across teams.
  • Sense of humor.

We welcome and encourage applicants with non-traditional career paths. If you don’t meet the qualifications outlined here, please apply and tell us how your experiences would equip you for the job.  

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

To apply

Qualified candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter via this link. Applications must highlight competencies against requirements.

All applicants must be able to provide documentation that they are legally eligible to work in the United States for an extended period.

Due to the expected volume of applications, only finalists will be notified. No phone calls, please.