Executive Assistant & Special Projects Coordinator

The Opportunity

Essie Justice Group (Essie) is building grassroots power to dismantle the US incarceration system, the most egregious creator of racial and gender injustice of our time. We are a loving and powerful community of women with incarcerated loved ones. Our community includes cisgender women, transgender women, formerly incarcerated women, gender nonconforming (GNC) people, elders, and young people.

After eight years of building an active membership across California and beyond, Essie is deepening its base-building and leadership development strategies with the 1 in 4 women with incarcerated loved ones to propel bold decarceration agendas across the nation. We seek to transform the criminal legal system and create a Black feminist future rooted in care, equity, community safety, and liberation. In the midst of significant organizational growth, we are seeking a mission-driven, conscientious, and motivated Executive Assistant to join our team.

Serving as the Executive Director’s assistant means that, oftentimes, this individual will be the first person new partners, donors, or potential members interact with and thus, the first introduction to our organization. The ideal candidate is an accessible and welcoming ambassador with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills. Writing in a sharp, succinct, and positive manner is their niche. The Executive Assistant understands the power they are helping to build with their meticulous, unwavering support and takes deep pride in their “behind the scenes” work to maintain order in a fast-paced environment and to ensure the Executive Director’s schedule and travel coordination are impeccable.

Start date: July 24, 2023

Application due date: March 12, 2023

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Administrative Support - Provide a range of administrative support tasks to enable and enhance the ability of the Executive Director to maximize her time and focus on leadership and strategic tasks.

• Coordinate the Executive Director’s calendar, including scheduling, responding to meeting requests, sending calendar invitations, and setting up online or in-person meetings. Make real-time adjustments to the Executive Directors calendar.
• Coordinate travel arrangements for the Executive Director including booking accommodations, ground transportation, meals and tracking documentation for expense reports.
• Liaise with organizational representatives to coordinate logistics for the Executive Director’s participation in events and/or speaking engagements. Compile materials to support speaking engagement preparation.
• Draft and respond to correspondence on behalf of the Executive Director.
• Maintain a deep knowledge of important relationships the Executive Director holds and actively caretake these relationships through correspondence, meeting coordination, and special touches. Attend key meetings and support with accurate note taking, as needed.
• Provide administrative and logistical support for meetings of Essie’s Board of Directors.

Special Projects -  Support priority projects held by directors.

• As needed, lead the coordination, communication, and logistics for events or meetings related to directors’ core body of work.

Who We’re Looking For

Ideal Qualifications

• 2+ years experience in office administration or logistics. Prior experience providing administrative support to a senior leader in a fast-paced work environment is a strong plus.

• Commitment to supporting the leadership of women and gender non-conforming people with incarcerated loved ones and our families.

• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

• Impeccable attention to detail.

• Track record as a collaborative team player who excels in managing multiple projects, and is comfortable working in a fast-paced and non-traditional work environment.

• Adept at computer programs including Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Google Suite, and Zoom.

• Commitment to the beliefs and values of Essie with a demonstrated passion for progressive politics, specifically in gender justice, race justice and ending mass incarceration.

Qualities

• Discernment, confidentiality, and honesty we can trust. You are a thoughtful team member who acts in alignment with your integrity and are unfailingly trustworthy.

• Staying organized is a point of pride. You are extremely organized and take pride in maintaining smooth and user-friendly administrative systems especially in a fast-paced work environment. You can anticipate needs and take initiative to address them.

• Resourceful multi-tasker. You have figured out a way to effectively manage your time and are not easily flustered when your to-do list expands. You simply troubleshoot and strategize how to complete all your tasks and are comfortable asking for help or making appropriate adjustments when needed.

• Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.

• Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a positive approach, can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go.

The Position

The Executive Assistant is a full-time, salaried, exempt position. This position is supervised by the Manager of Executive Office & Special Projects. The salary for this position is between $65,000 - $75,000, depending on experience, with full medical, dental, and vision benefits, optional 401(k) with up to 3% match, a substantial vacation package, and a monthly personal wellness stipend. The position is based in one of Essie’s offices in Oakland or Los Angeles, California with a strong preference for Los Angeles. All Essie staff are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with limited exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

To Apply

Please prepare (1) a personal, specific, and thoughtful cover letter to the “Essie Hiring Committee” addressing why you would like to work for Essie and (2) a resume. Submit both items through our hiring portal (https://essiejusticegroup.bamboohr.com/jobs).

Essie Justice Group provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and skills. Essie does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Essie values and specifically seeks applicants who are people with incarcerated loved ones; formerly incarcerated people; people of color; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.

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

About Essie Justice Group

Essie Justice Group is a non profit organization of women with incarcerated loved ones taking on the rampant injustices created by mass incarceration. Our award-winning Healing to Advocacy Model brings women together to heal, build collective power, and drive social change. Essie is Great Place to Work-Certified™ by Great Place to Work.

Learn more at www.essiejusticegroup.org.