The Advocacy Institute was created to support the legislative advocacy of social justice and movement-building organizations in across New York State. In the last 5 years, we’ve helped hundreds of organizers and advocates engage in more efficient and effective legislative advocacy. The Advocacy Institute is a high impact work-environment. We create and sustain this environment by engaging proactively in intentional and transparent discussions about identity, power, oppression, trust, capacity building, teamwork, and performance. Throughout, we ground ourselves in a commitment to feminist, multiracial leadership.

Role Overview

We’re looking for an Administrative Assistant for 16 hours a week for a six-month period. Our ideal candidate is excited to put their scheduling, event planning, and logistical skills to work! You’ll be a part of a team that is delivering innovative trainings and tools, committed to legislative advocacy wins, and strengthening the partnership between the social justice community and philanthropy.  

You’ll be our main point of contact with key vendors and venues, handle significant printing and mailing tasks, manage planning spreadsheets, manage accounts for a range of online tools, coordinate travel and accommodations, as well as catering, room set-up and technology needs for all events. The Administrative Assistant will report directly to one of the organization’s Co-Directors, who they will also support with scheduling and email management.

How your time will generally be allocated:

• Event Logistics - 40%
• Administrative & Office Management - 40%
• Scheduling & Calendar Management - 20%

What You’ll Be Doing

• Placing catering orders
• Printing materials for trainings and fundraisers
• Ordering and maintain office supplies
• Booking transportation and accommodations for staff travel
• Booking venues for trainings and events
• Maintaining databases and inventory
• Researching vendors for pricing and delivery options
• Liaising with our office space regarding any office updates
• Organizing and maintain office space, printers, files, and tech tools
• Preparing thank you letters for donors
• Maintaining computers and other IT services
• Monitoring our public email address
• Scheduling meetings for designated staff
• Uploading content into Survey Monkey

Organizational Relationship:

The Administrative Assistant interacts with co-workers to provide support in order to fulfill organizational goals. They also interact with external vendors and contractors managing the financial relationship.

Who you are (Valued Skills)

• Committed to excellence: consistently produce high-caliber work, free of errors
• Responsible: follow through with tasks, stay on deadlines
• Clear Communicator: communicate needs, questions, and results effectively
• Solutions-oriented: solve problems creatively, successfully assess when to forge ahead and when to ask questions or get supervision
• Coachable: welcome feedback, always a student looking to gain mastery, learn from mistakes, capable of iterating and adapting
• Detail-oriented: listen, read and take notes carefully
• Team-oriented: maintain sight of how your work fits into the broader picture, orient towards the team’s collective success
• Transparent: err towards transparency
• Interpersonally capable: can hold a wide-array of conversations effectively: (e.g. relationship-building, problem solving, "difficult", etc.)

Experience / Skills

• Project and event planning with an emphasis on logistical details
• Maintaining and improving systems for full team coordination and collaboration success (including tools similar to Google Drive, Podio, Zapier, SurveyMonkey, Mailchimp and more)
• Mail Merge, printing management (including large format printers) and coordination of participant packets
• Booking travel, accommodations and itinerary logistics
• Tracking office supply inventory, workspace organization and management of training materials
• Developing and maintaining vendor relationships
• Strong writing and proofreading skills
• File and document organization, both digital and paper-based
• Experience with social justice movement work, preferred

Physical Demands

• This position requires national travel between 3-5 times a year
• Must be able to lift boxes of training materials. Must have the physical ability to move boxes weighing 20 to
• 30 pounds each 10 to 15 % of work time.
• Able to climb stairs.
• Must have the physical ability to navigate 2 flights of stairs daily as the building does not have an elevator.
• Able to walk around the office.
• Must be able to move around the office to deliver packages to other departments 1-2 times per week.

Work Environment

• Work remotely Monday and Fridays
• Based in a shared office space in Brooklyn, NY with elevator access
• Workspace is a desk in a small shared work area with a moderate level of noise and interruptions.
• The Advocacy Institute is a high impact work-environment. We create and sustain this environment by engaging proactively in intentional and transparent discussions about identity, power, oppression, trust, capacity building, teamwork, and high performance.
• Individual and Collective Transformation. We are committed to transforming the legislative landscape in New York for justice and dignity. This means we strive to create a workplace that values people’s whole selves and identities.

Time & Compensation

• This is a part-time position of approximately 16 hours per week starting as soon as the position is filled and lasting for six months.
• There is the possibility that this role might expand past six months.
• This position is paid hourly at $25/hr.
• Vacation and sick time will accrue and is pro-rated to hours worked

Apply

Thank you for your interest in the Advocacy Institute!

• To apply, please submit an application package that includes the following:
  • Resume
  • Cover letter
  • Written response to these prompts:
    • How do you know that you have a great attention for detail?
    • Walk me through a moment when you discovered that you’d made a mistake that affected others and how you handled it.
    • Is it important for you to work at a social justice organization? If so, why?

Also, please note:

• No telephone calls please.  
• Because of the high volume of anticipated applicants, we regret that we will be unable to respond to all submissions.
• The Advocacy Institute is a project of the Tides Center, an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Women, people of color, transgender and gender non-conforming people are encouraged to apply.
• Applications will be considered on a rolling basis up until the position is filled. We will fully consider all application packages that are submitted before we close the application portal.