Executive Assistant to the CEO

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Intro to Position

Love NPR and want to support its vision and mission?  Are you a multi-tasker with superb organizational skills, the ability to see around corners, eagerness to help others, and the energy to pull it off?  

Executive Assistants at NPR are highly functioning valuable team members responsible for providing executive-level administrative support to various senior level staff members. They work both independently and as a team to efficiently support executive level staff and all with whom they interact. They play a critical role in ensuring NPR operates efficiently and they provide the highest level of service to internal and external customers by approaching all tasks with the client in mind and by being respectful, knowledgeable, proactive, efficient, and professional -- whether in person, via phone or email.  They provide detailed scheduling and travel assistance, often on deadline and in pressure situations.  They serve as the face of their respective departments with internal and external customers and visitors. The successful candidate will have strong writing and research skills. 

NPR is seeking an experienced and highly resourceful Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief of Staff (COS) to provide strategic administrative support in a high-impact environment.  This role is vital in supporting the CEO by managing complex scheduling, high-level communications, and cross-functional coordination while exercising exceptional judgement and discretion. 

Attention to detail, excellent communication and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously will be key in supporting the CEO and COS’s daily operations and maximizing their productivity.  Success in this role will contribute significantly to the smooth operation of the Office of the CEO. 

Application Instructions 

• Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 4th at 5pm ET
• Materials to Submit: Please submit a resume/cv & a one page cover letter. In your cover letter, please share why you are applying for this position, what makes you uniquely qualified for the role and what specific experience you have had drafting professional correspondence to internal and external business partners.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain the CEO and COS’s multiple calendars; scheduling and coordinating meetings, appointments, and events, being sensitive to professional and personal conflicts.
• Support the CEO by prioritizing tasks through strategic inbox administration, including message prioritization, response management and coordinating tasks identified through email communications.
• Create and facilitate professional, accurate and timely communication between the office of the CEO and other executives and staff, as well as with a broad range of external stakeholders, keeping in mind local, national and international current events.
• Manage and prioritize incoming correspondence to ensure prompt responses.
• Establish a process to provide the CEO with necessary background information and briefing materials ahead of phone calls, meetings, events, conferences, and speaking engagements.
• Serve as a bridge for smooth communication between the Office of the CEO and internal teams, demonstrating leadership and collaboration to maintain trust and support with other administrative staff.
• Adapt quickly to changing priorities and last-minute schedule adjustments.
• Arrange air travel, hotels, and other transportation for domestic and international travel; prepare travel documents for the CEO.
• Manage and support special projects aligned with the CEO’s priorities.
• Manage logistics for internal and external meetings, events, conferences, and presentations – including helping to coordinate the agenda and potentially moderating weekly team meetings. 
• Prepare to engage in complex, sensitive and highly confidential interactions inside and outside the organization.
• Collaborate with the executive team to provide input on initiatives, programs, and policies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Review and reconcile expense receipts and invoices; prepare and process expense reports to ensure accuracy, compliance, and proper categorization.
• Handle confidential and sensitive information with the highest level of discretion.
• Ensure internal processes run smoothly by identifying bottlenecks, flagging concerns, and supporting internal coordination across divisions and executive team members

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience as an Executive Assistant, preferably with C-Suite executives in corporate and high-demand environments.
• Proven experience in managing complex calendars
• Advanced proficiency in calendar management tools and scheduling software. 
• Demonstrated ability to build trust, maintain relationships, and handle confidential information with discretion. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage and optimize the schedules of senior executives, ensuring alignment with business priorities and personal preferences.
• Ability to prioritize simultaneous assignments in a dynamic, fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Experience interacting with high-level executives, including board members, donors, and policy leaders.
• Experience supporting executives within the news/media/entertainment industry preferred but not required.
• Active consumer of news and comfortable using social media tools to maintain a high level of situational awareness regarding current events.

Education Requirement

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in work experience

Work Location

• On-site: This is an on-site role based in Washington, DC.

Job Type

• This is a full time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range: The U.S. based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $96,000 - $117,700 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.

You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.

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