Office Assistant

About the Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Foundation’s focus is a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided more than $2.6 billion in grants to organizations throughout California. The Foundation ended 2023 with $3.1 billion in assets and provided $180.3 million in grants. For more, please visit www.irvine.org.

About the Role

The Office Assistant plays a vital role in ensuring the organization operates smoothly by providing essential administrative and operational support to two principal Executive Assistants and multiple teams across the organization.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to navigate and collaborate across teams with ease, employing clear communication and thoughtful relationship management in an environment that values partnership and cooperation.

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the success of a well-organized institution driven by a clear vision. You will gain exposure to a diverse range of individuals and topics within the philanthropic sector, as well as firsthand experience with the internal infrastructure and operations that support the organization’s mission.

As an Office Assistant, you will build a comprehensive set of professional skills in a dynamic, fast-paced setting. Working alongside a high-performing and diverse team, you will have opportunities to learn, grow, and develop both personally and professionally, supported by colleagues who are equally dedicated to mutual growth and excellence.

Your responsibilities will focus on General Support for the Executive Assistants, as well as specific Programs and Operations teams. Key responsibilities include:

• Calendaring:
  • Manage complex scheduling, including large group meetings, conferences, and multi-participant appointments
  • Coordinate schedules across multiple teams and departments
  • Proactively identify and resolve scheduling conflicts
• Vendors and Consultants:
  • Prepare and process contracts for approvals
  • Ensure contracts are correctly formatted, executed, and filed
  • Track contract and invoice deadlines and renewals
  • Maintain vendor and consultant records
  • Review proposals and summarize essential information.
  • Process vendor and consultant invoices in collaboration with executive assistants, managers, legal, and accounts payable
• General Administration:
  • Preparing and coordinating mailings
  • Provide general support for processing invoices and honorariums
  • Assist with other administrative tasks as needed, including providing backup support for the Facilities and Administrative Coordinator
• Meeting & Events:
  • Provide onsite and offsite support for meetings and events, including:
    • Creating name tents and badges
    • Venue selection and booking
    • Logistics coordination (catering, A/V equipment, etc.)
    • Room set-up, breakdown, and clean-up
    • Guest registration and management
    • Material preparation and distribution

Who you are:

• A Team Player: Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand, or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support both small projects and large strategic goals.
• Resourceful and Adaptable: You’re at ease with ambiguity and rapid change. You possess a positive attitude and identify creative solutions to obstacles. You can juggle many essential responsibilities at once, and you’re rigorous about prioritizing.
• An Effective Collaborator: You’ve successfully worked across cultural lines on a diverse team and can operate effectively in complex situations. You can easily gain trust from team members and are known for supporting them to ensure they are set up for success. You’re not afraid to ask questions.
• Passionate About Learning: You seek out direct feedback and love to invest in your personal development.
• Flexible: You can manage a diverse set of team needs and aren’t afraid to step outside your job description or comfort zone to help the team reach its goals. You’re comfortable with shifting schedules and don’t expect every day to go “as planned.”
• Emotionally Intelligent: You are self-aware and perceptive. You nurture relationships and can work and communicate well with all kinds of people. You are optimistic, empathetic, flexible, curious, and well-respected by all who work with you, irrespective of title.

What you’ll need

• 3+ years of professional experience (we are background agnostic and are excited by candidates with unique and different work histories).
• Project management experience with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• The ability to assert influence in ensuring deadlines are met and leadership stays on track with critical deliverables or administrative timelines.
• Ability to manage relationships at all levels of the organization; demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and in partnership with a wide variety of constituencies.
• Impeccable organization, you are highly detail-oriented, and someone who gets a real sense of satisfaction from producing polished work and managing smooth and orderly processes.
• Ability and willingness to perform a range of tasks – from scheduling on behalf of  executives to restocking the pantry.
• A commitment to diversity and inclusion. You’re always asking: “whose voice is not at the table?” You have experience working with diverse teams and successfully

Compensation and location

The James Irvine Foundation’s compensation philosophy is reflected in its Talent Advancement. The program was created to ensure equity in staff compensation. While every staff member is assigned a Tier based on demonstration of competencies, the Foundation looks to outcomes as criteria for advancement through the program’s Tiers.

The salary for this position is $95,000, non-negotiable, plus benefits.

The James Irvine Foundation offers an attractive benefits package; highlights include comprehensive insurance coverage, 5+ months of paid family leave for new parents, and a very generous 401(k) contribution (10%!).

This is a full-time position, Monday through Friday, and you must be already based in, or be willing to relocate to, the Bay Area. The expectation for this role is to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with Mondays and Fridays only as needed.

The Application Process

The James Irvine Foundation has engaged Equitable Hiring Group to support this hiring process. To apply, please complete the short form here.

Individuals who apply by Friday, December 6, will be given priority; therefore, we encourage you to submit yours soon!

When you apply, we kindly ask you to remove your schools from your resume. There is no need to reformat your resume and leave your degree as is; simplify it to “B.A. Economics,” for example. Just remember to remove any undergraduate and graduate school name references where possible. This “bias-reduced” process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments instead of resume proxies (e.g., where you went to school).

This evaluation process will follow practices shown to reduce bias in decision-making and may be different from other application processes you have experienced.

The overall evaluation process will look to follow this anticipated timeline:

• Early December: Select candidates will be asked to complete short answer questions
• Mid-December: Initial interview with Foundation staff
• Late December: Finalist candidates will be asked to complete a timed, paid, trial assignment
• Early January: Finalists will participate in a multi-team member in-person panel interview
  • Candidate references will also be checked at this step
• Mid-January: Offer extended

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please feel free to email abe@equitablehiringgroup.com.