Executive Operations Lead

About Quinn Evans

Quinn Evans is a nationally recognized architecture and design firm and recipient of the American Institute of Architects’ 2024 Firm Award. Our process is informed by the past to address today’s complex challenges and design our shared future. We are technical experts, caretakers, conveners, and listeners. We identify the solutions that best serve the community and the long-term life of a place. We bring expertise in cultural and sustainable stewardship to every aspect of our practice and projects. Our projects encompass a variety of project types including public sites, museums, and visitor centers, civic, performing arts, educational, and hospitality, to multi-family housing.

Team building is critical to our practice. Together, we create better work and more fulfilling professional lives. We do this through a culture that fosters constructive engagement leveraging a diversity of staff, practice, client communities, and points of view.

Be a part of a collaborative and diverse team that is designing ways for places and people to thrive today and tomorrow. Quinn Evans is one of the largest women-owned design practices in the country. We take pride in our diverse team and workplace culture. We emphasize leadership, innovation, teamwork, and professional development. We offer competitive compensation, a supportive hybrid work environment, and opportunity to make a difference through work on unique and impactful projects.

We contribute to and advance our profession through sponsorship and team member leadership positions. This includes the American Institute of Architects, Association for Preservation Technology, membership in the President’s Circle of the National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA) and as a signatory of the 1.5°C COP26 Communiqué.

Job Description:

Quinn Evans seeks an Executive Operations Lead to provide executive support to the CEO while helping advance, coordinate, and execute the CEO’s priorities across the firm. The role also provides administrative leadership and office support for the Washington, DC office.

This role combines executive operations, leadership coordination, strategic support, organizational follow-through, and local office administration. The position serves as a trusted resource to the CEO and Executive Team, helping ensure leaders are prepared, informed, aligned, and able to focus their time and attention on the firm’s highest priorities.

The successful candidate will bring a proactive, strategic, people-oriented approach to the role. They will be highly organized, resourceful, and comfortable operating with a high degree of independence and judgment. They will anticipate needs, identify issues and opportunities, synthesize information, solve problems, and take ownership of work from beginning to end.

The role also leads and coordinates the administrative team, helping establish effective practices, encourage collaboration across offices, and support the professional development and performance of administrative team members.

Responsibilities:

Executive Support

• Manage the CEO’s calendar, including internal and external meetings, business development activities, travel, and leadership commitments.
• Proactively manage the CEO’s time to support strategic priorities and ensure appropriate time is allocated to preparation, decision-making, relationship building, and firm leadership.
• Anticipate scheduling conflicts and competing priorities and recommend solutions.
• Ensure that the purpose, participants, preparation requirements, desired outcomes, and logistics for scheduled activities are clear.
• Coordinate travel planning, itineraries, accommodations, and related logistics for the CEO and, as appropriate, members of the Executive Team.
• Schedule and manage logistics for Executive Team meetings, leadership meetings, retreats, and other firmwide activities.
• Maintain the annual calendar for One Firm activities and provide reminders regarding upcoming commitments, milestones, and follow-up obligations.
• Help the CEO protect time for strategic priorities while maintaining responsiveness to important business needs.

Strategic Support to the CEO

• Serve as a trusted resource and thought partner to the CEO, providing context, organization, and perspective to support effective decision-making.
• Help the CEO identify and prioritize matters requiring attention, follow-up, or escalation.
• Prepare the CEO for important meetings, discussions, and decisions by gathering, organizing, and synthesizing relevant information.
• Identify connections, trends, recurring issues, and emerging opportunities that may be relevant to the CEO and Executive Team.
• Develop materials, summaries, presentations, reports, and other information to support executive decision-making.
• Proactively follow up on commitments and priorities arising from CEO and Executive Team discussions.
• Help translate CEO priorities into coordinated actions and ensure appropriate follow-through.
• Anticipate needs and independently address issues before they become obstacles to the CEO or Executive Team.
• Conduct research and gather information as needed to support the CEO's understanding and evaluation of business and organizational matters.

Executive Team & Organizational Coordination

• Support effective coordination among the CEO, Executive Team, and other firm leaders.
• Prepare agendas, materials, background information, and other resources for Executive Team meetings.
• Track decisions, commitments, action items, and next steps arising from leadership discussions.
• Facilitate appropriate follow-up and help maintain accountability for agreed-upon actions.
• Coordinate information and activities across teams and offices when initiatives require collaboration.
• Maintain awareness of key firm priorities, milestones, and leadership commitments.
• Help ensure that important information reaches the appropriate leaders in a timely and organized manner.
• Support leadership retreats, planning activities, firmwide meetings, and other executive-level events.

Information & Knowledge Management

• Gather, organize, synthesize, and distribute information required for effective executive and leadership decision-making.
• Maintain organized records of key decisions, meeting notes, action items, data, reports, and narrative documents.
• Manage and distribute information regarding outcomes and results from leadership meetings and initiatives.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive business, personnel, client, and organizational information.

Executive Communications & Relationships

• Represent the CEO and Quinn Evans professionally in internal and external communications.
• Draft, edit, proofread, and coordinate executive-level communications, correspondence, presentations, and other materials.
• Work effectively with firm leaders, employees, clients, consultants, community partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships across the firm and serve as a responsive and resourceful point of contact.

Executive Operations & Special Projects

• Lead or coordinate projects that support the effectiveness of the CEO, Executive Team, and firm leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, communication, coordination, and information flow.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives on behalf of the CEO or Executive Team.
• Monitor timelines, deliverables, and dependencies for assigned initiatives.
• Take ownership of assigned projects and drive them through completion with appropriate communication and follow-through.
• Support firmwide initiatives and other special projects requiring executive-level coordination.

Administrative Team Leadership

• Lead and coordinate the administrative team in providing consistent, high-quality support across the firm.
• Establish effective communication and collaboration practices among administrative team members.
• Understand and support different workstyles, strengths, responsibilities, and development needs across the administrative team.
• Foster professional development and continuous improvement within the administrative team.
• Support goal setting, feedback, performance management, and development of admin team members.
• Identify opportunities to improve administrative processes, systems, and collaboration across offices and departments.
• Serve as a resource and escalation point for administrative team members when priorities or responsibilities are unclear or competing.
• Delegate administrative activities appropriately while maintaining accountability for timely and high-quality execution.

DC Office Support

• Serve as the primary administrative resource for the Washington, DC office, helping maintain an organized, welcoming, and productive workplace.
• Coordinate logistics for local office meetings, presentations, events, and gatherings, including scheduling, room setup, technology coordination, materials, and catering.
• Help maintain a professional and welcoming office environment for employees, clients, consultants, and visitors.
• Coordinate with building management, vendors, IT, facilities, and other service providers to address office needs and resolve issues.
• Monitor office supplies, equipment, kitchen, and meeting-room needs and coordinate replenishment or service as appropriate.
• Delegate or coordinate office administration as appropriate while maintaining overall accountability for the DC office's administrative needs.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Significant experience supporting senior executives, organizational leaders, or complex professional services environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex executive calendars and competing priorities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with employees, consultants, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver work with accuracy and urgency.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently, anticipate needs, exercise sound judgment, and take initiative without waiting for direction.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to gather, synthesize, and communicate information effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects and drive follow-through across multiple stakeholders.
• Experience working in a service-oriented or professional services environment; knowledge of architectural and engineering terminology is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build effective relationships with individuals at all levels of an organization.
• Demonstrated discretion, trustworthiness, and ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Adaptable and resourceful, with the ability to respond effectively to changing priorities and circumstances.
• Experience leading, coordinating, or developing administrative staff preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Deltek, Affinity, and remote collaboration platforms.
• Commitment to contributing to a vibrant, collaborative hybrid work environment.

Compensation 

• Salary Range: $65,000-$95,000

Quinn Evans is an equal opportunity employer, offering employment to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation/gender status, Veteran’s status, and disability. We are committed to diversity and inclusion and encourage women and diverse applicants to apply.