Executive Operations Specialist

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Status: Part-Time, Non-Exempt (20-25 hours/week)

Location: Mostly Remote with occasional office visits; Chapel Hill, NC

Position Summary

The Executive Operations Specialist serves as a strategic administrative and operational partner to the CEO, helping increase organizational effectiveness through strong coordination, follow-through, project management, and systems improvement.

This role combines the best elements of executive support, project coordination, board administration, and operational organization. The Specialist ensures priorities remain visible, decisions are documented, commitments are tracked, and important work continues moving forward across the organization.

The role also helps identify and implement practical technology and AI-enabled solutions that streamline workflows and improve organizational effectiveness.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, tech-savvy, comfortable working independently, and skilled at turning ideas and conversations into clear next steps, systems, and results.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Support & Prioritization

• Manage CEO calendar, scheduling, travel arrangements, conference registrations, and meeting logistics.
• Help maintain a structured weekly planning process that aligns time and attention with organizational priorities.
• Maintain a centralized system for tracking organizational priorities, leadership commitments, key decisions, and follow-up actions.
• Track commitments, deadlines, action items, and follow-up responsibilities.
• Prepare briefing materials, agendas, talking points, and meeting summaries.
• Develop, format, and maintain presentations, reports, and other materials for board, staff, donor, and external meetings.
• Coordinate meeting preparation and ensure timely follow-through on key decisions and commitments.
• Assist with email management and prioritization as directed.
• Prepare and submit executive expense reports and related administrative documentation.

Project, Planning & Organizational Coordination

• Support execution of organizational priorities by tracking milestones, deadlines, dependencies, risks, and decision points.
• Maintain project dashboards and reporting tools that provide visibility into progress across departments.
• Coordinate information gathering and status updates from staff while respecting departmental ownership.
• Help identify process gaps, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improved coordination.
• Maintain organizational planning documents and ensure key information remains current and accessible.
• Maintain executive and organizational planning documents, including strategic priorities, annual goals, scorecards, and related tracking systems.
• Monitor updates, deadlines, and reporting cycles to ensure planning documents remain current and actionable.

Data, Reporting & Decision Support

• Assist with the development and maintenance of organizational scorecards, dashboards, and performance reports.
• Compile information from multiple departments to support leadership and board decision-making.
• Create recurring reports that improve visibility into organizational goals, metrics, and progress.
• Support leadership with data collection, reporting, and analysis that informs planning and operational decision-making.

Board & Governance Support

• Coordinate Board and committee meeting logistics.
• Prepare, organize, and distribute board packets and supporting materials.
• Maintain governance records, policies, board calendars, and committee documentation.
• Track board action items and monitor completion of assigned follow-up tasks.
• Support the CEO and Board Chair with scheduling and meeting preparation.

Systems, Documentation & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), templates, and documentation.
• Organize executive and organizational files to improve accessibility and consistency.
• Support adoption of AI and technology tools that improve efficiency and reduce administrative burden.
• Create and maintain reporting systems, dashboards, and recurring operational processes.
• Recommend improvements that increase organizational efficiency, clarity, and accountability.

Communications & Stakeholder Coordination

• Draft and edit routine executive communications.
• Coordinate logistics for leadership team meetings, retreats, and special projects.
• Serve as a point of contact for select internal and external stakeholders.
• Support communication and coordination across departments to ensure timely execution of priority work.

Qualifications

Required

• Associate's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in executive support, project coordination, operations, administration, or a related field.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with a high degree of accuracy and discretion.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and proactively.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and sound judgment.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree.
• Experience supporting senior executives, boards, or nonprofit organizations.
• Experience creating dashboards, tracking systems, or reporting tools.
• Familiarity with project management software and workflow automation tools.
• Experience using AI tools to improve productivity and administrative processes.