Company Name
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
Company City
Omaha
Company State
NE
Job Location
Omaha, NE or Remote Approved
Company Information
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) is a private grant-making Foundation with a U.S. home office in Omaha, Nebraska, and a global office in Kigali, Rwanda. With annual spending in excess of $500 million, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. The Foundation is unusual for donors of such size as it has only two main areas of grant making: 1) supporting efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and ensure access to safe abortion for women in the U.S. and around the world and 2) to enable low-income students in Nebraska to attend and succeed in college. The Foundation currently employs 44 staff across 14 states in the U.S. and 7 staff in Kigali, Rwanda.
Job Description
THE RESEARCH AND EVALUATION UNIT DESCRIPTION
The Research & Evaluation Executive Assistant (EA) will be an integral member of the Foundation’s R&E team. Currently, R&E includes the Vice President, three Senior Officers, three Officers, and three Associate Officers. R&E drives learning across the Foundation by working in partnership with STBF’s three Programs: College Access and Success, Global Programs and U.S. Programs. R&E enhances the quality and effectiveness of the Foundation’s grantmaking by guiding research and evaluation questions, helping partners think through methodological and analytic approaches, guiding regular assessment of progress towards and achievement of outcomes, and promoting the utilization of measurement and evaluation results. R&E makes the connection between strategy development, outcomes measurement, and evaluation, to assess program and organizational effectiveness and to support learning for the Foundation and for the field. At present, the R&E unit is in a process of co-creating with the Program teams, a newly evolving mandate anchored by evidence, measurement, and learning. Emergent R&E strategies and processes may lead to changes in how current and future staff are configured, and how we operationalize our work. Our team is also committed to supporting ongoing staff professional development and learning.
The R&E team values diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) and incorporates this lens into our work with intentionality. In all partnerships, both internal and external, R&E is committed to creating an environment that is welcoming, and values different perspectives and experiences, collaborative input on technical work, and open discussion regarding relationship dynamics and the best way for everyone to work together. About one-third of the R&E team identify as people of color and about a quarter are LGBTQ+. Candidates for this position will be expected to demonstrate an appreciation for our Foundation’s and the R&E unit’s DEIJ values.
Shared Values
The Foundation is intent on safeguarding the values that drive our culture:
• Mission
• Respect for Donor Intent
• Appetite for Risk and Tolerance for Failure
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Humility
• Passion Tempered by Objectivity and Evidence
• Compassion and Love of Humanity
• Honesty and Integrity
• Kindness and Respect
• Shared Accountability
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Reporting to the R&E Vice President, the Research & Evaluation Executive Assistant (EA) will provide expert, comprehensive administrative support to the R&E Vice President and full team. The EA will help conceptualize and steward the management of R&Es operational processes, systems, and budgets, serving as the VP’s liaison with the Foundation’s Operations team (and working with Program counterparts, as needed), and will provide input into the vision and direction for meeting R&E’s current and future administrative needs.
Key responsibilities include but are not limited to: reviewing, managing, and uploading project materials onto Foundation servers, databases, and other platforms; supporting the R&E VP and senior R&E Officers with contractual compliance and contractor payments; managing internal/external scheduling requests and meeting arrangements; overseeing conference and other scheduling and registration needs; supporting the management and retention of R&E documents/files; providing project management support with Senior R&E Officers as appropriate and desired; and managing various personnel needs, including onboarding new staff. The EA will also assist the team with planning and scheduling in-person meetings and events and work with various vendors (e.g., venue, refreshments), assist with meeting agendas/action items, review and processing of expense reports, and support other logistical needs. Occasionally the EA may travel to offer support for such events. The EA will support other tasks as needed, including providing logistical and practical support to Foundation-wide efforts (e.g., coordinating tasks with administrative staff on other teams and assisting with Foundation-wide operational needs). Finally, there is room for this position to shift and grow considering evolving or emergent team needs.
Job Qualifications
ATTRIBUTES FOR SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE
While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:
• Kindness and respect, with an ability to engage effectively with all colleagues and partners, including those across racial/ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, ages, cultures, nationalities, genders, and sexual orientations.
• This role will be privy to sensitive information. The selected candidate must have a high degree of professionalism and must adhere to confidentiality.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple complex projects and (at times competing) timelines concurrently with ease, agility, and excellence.
• Ability to effectively manage team budgets and ensure financial and contractual compliance, according to Foundation policy.
• Excellent communication skills and resourcefulness.
• Effectively serve as the VP’s liaison with the STBF Operations team and Program counterparts, as needed.
• Flexibility when dealing with evolving or emergent (urgent) priorities; ability to take initiative and execute under pressure.
• Organized, efficient, and detail oriented. Capable of maintaining a swift pace of work with high quality.
• A willingness to think critically and creatively and ask challenging questions.
• Positive, “can-do” attitude, with an ability to succeed in a sophisticated, fast-paced environment that requires impeccable quality and attention to detail.
• Ability to balance teamwork with independent proactivity, and the ability to discern what approach is best suited to the task at hand.
• Responsiveness to constructive feedback and a willingness to continuously improve.
• A willingness to travel as needed, with an expectation of approximately 5-10%.
Background and Experience Qualifications
• Minimum six years’ experience in similar roles with a demonstrated trajectory of increased administrative responsibility over time.
• Some post-secondary education preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and online meeting tools, such as Zoom and Teams.
• Ability to conduct internet searches and find relevant information and/or troubleshoot a given problem using creative tools and approaches.
• Advanced project management skills.
Employment Location: This role can be based at our U.S. headquarters in Omaha, NE, or remotely within the United States – with the exceptions of Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, and Wyoming. Remote staff are required to attend periodic in-person staff meetings in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hiring Requirements: As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check and proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 and any recommended booster doses, subject to applicable laws.
Compensation: The minimum salary for this role is $100,000. The final salary will be commensurate with experience. The Foundation also provides comprehensive benefits.
How to Apply
The Foundation is conducting this search with assistance from Chels Fryer at NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume/CV via NPAG’s website.
Accommodations: If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to .
We are committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. This includes not only creating a diverse team where everyone feels represented, respected, and included, but also embedding these values across our work and practices. All applicants who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.