Executive Assistant to the COO
Top Benefits
About the role
We need the ocean. The ocean needs us.
Role Summary
As the Executive Assistant to the COO, you will provide high-level support to the Chief Operating Officer, board committees, and the executive leadership team. In this role, you will manage scheduling, organization, project coordination, and a wide range of administrative responsibilities. You will also play a key role in planning events and coordinating initiatives that engage senior leadership and key stakeholders.
Who You Are
You are a highly organized and detail-oriented professional with proven experience supporting senior executives and boards. You demonstrate discretion, sound judgement, and initiative, anticipating needs and ensuring priorities are managed seamlessly. You excel in communication and relationship management, enabling the COO and leadership team to operate at their highest level of focus and effectiveness.
What You Will Be Doing
Administrative Support
- Prepare agendas, records, and transcribe minutes; gather, organize and distribute information on behalf of the COO, Senior Management, and Board Committees.
- Provide comprehensive administrative support to the COO, including drafting correspondence, sourcing information via email, phone, mail, or in-person; manage the COO’s calendar, coordinate appointments, and maintain VIP contact lists.
- Handle all travel arrangements for Senior Leadership team, negotiating consolidator rates and ensuring accounting process and procedures are followed.
- Coordinate and prepare the executive office administration budget, monitor expenses.
- Lead, manage and support on special projects, including coordinating and overseeing the Annual General Meeting.
- Conduct project work such as gathering information, attending meetings, providing recommendations, developing proposals, preparing reports, and ensuring successful delivery of events and initiatives.
- Preserve, organize, and manage Ocean Wise records and information, ensuring the security and confidentiality of materials.
- Prepare high-quality documents and briefing materials for the COO as required.
Executive Communications and Relationship Management
- Manage the transmission of confidential and sensitive information, directly support the COO in fostering strong relationships with staff, volunteers, donors, corporate partners and board committees.
- Facilitate and coordinate executive-level engagement with corporate partners, donors, and board committees by liaising directly, scheduling meetings, and taking proactive steps to ensure positive, ongoing relationships.
What You Bring
- Demonstrated experience at a senior administrative level.
- Must have experience with board administrative procedures including preparing for and coordinating board meetings, board committee meetings, distribution of board materials, etc.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new technologies.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to balance diplomacy, confidentiality, and tact.
- Proven ability to maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, including senior leadership, board committee members, donors, and external partners.
- Strong presentation and public speaking skills.
- Ability to exercise initiative and good judgement, proactive in anticipating challenges and troubleshooting with optimism.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to seamlessly pivot to emerging business needs.
- Assets include: project management related education or experience, prior experience working within the non-profit sector.
How You Will Be Measured
- Agendas, minutes, reports and briefing materials are consistently accurate, timely, and tailored to leadership needs. The COO’s calendar, travel, and budget are managed smoothly, with minimal scheduling conflicts or errors.
- Special projects are executed on time, within budget, and achieve desired outcomes, with positive feedback from participants and stakeholders.
- Sensitive information is handled discreetly and securely, with demonstrated professionalism and sound judgement in knowing when to act, escalate, or hold back.
- The COO and Senior Leadership Team are able to operate at a higher level of focus because administrative and organizational details are proactively anticipated and managed.
- Positive, trust-based relationships are maintained with staff, board committee members, donors, and external partners.
- Processes are regularly streamlined to save time, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
What We Offer
This full-time, benefits-eligible position offers:
- A hybrid working environment, 3 days per week, in person in our beautiful downtown Vancouver head office
- A competitive base salary, $65,000 – 72,000, in line with market data for not-for-profit organization
- Benefits coverage on a premium cost-shared basis, including extended health and dental coverage, vision coverage, $300 Health spending account, group term and supplemental life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability
- RRSP matching of up to 6% after one year of service
- 15 paid vacation days to start
- 10 paid sick days,
- 2 wellness days
- 12 paid Statutory and General Holidays each calendar year
- An annual all-staff retreat to allow in-person connections and team building
- Professional development opportunities
- The opportunity to be part of a team that’s helping to save the ocean!
Where and How You’ll Work
Our typical work week is 37.5 hours. This is a hybrid position, with an in-office component of 3 days per week at our headquarters in downtown Vancouver. While this role is currently eligible to operate in a remote capacity 2 days per week, Ocean Wise reserves the right, with reasonable notice, to require you to perform your duties fully in person at an Ocean Wise office or other designated locations. This role may require flexibility to travel for meetings and/or to work occasional weekends and evenings to attend Ocean Wise shoreline cleanups, events, and conferences. This role involves sitting, standing, working on a computer or laptop, participating in phone and video calls.
Who We Are
Ocean Wise is a global conversation organization on a mission to build communities that take meaningful action to protect and restore our ocean. Learn more about us at ocean.org.
Inclusion and Diversity
At Ocean Wise, we believe that a welcoming and diverse workplace fosters the inclusion of voices that have been historically underrepresented. We encourage applications from individuals belonging to equity-deserving groups and will work with applicants requesting accommodations at any stage of the hiring process.
About Ocean Wise
Ocean Wise is a global non-for-profit conservation organization inspiring action to conserve our oceans.
Our vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing. For it is the ocean that gives us the air we breathe and the wonder of life. More than ever, it needs us to give back.
Our hope is that you will join us in shifting the way we live with small but impactful changes that will regenerate life on this planet for generation upon generation to come.
Let's be Ocean Wise.
Executive Assistant to the COO
Top Benefits
About the role
We need the ocean. The ocean needs us.
Role Summary
As the Executive Assistant to the COO, you will provide high-level support to the Chief Operating Officer, board committees, and the executive leadership team. In this role, you will manage scheduling, organization, project coordination, and a wide range of administrative responsibilities. You will also play a key role in planning events and coordinating initiatives that engage senior leadership and key stakeholders.
Who You Are
You are a highly organized and detail-oriented professional with proven experience supporting senior executives and boards. You demonstrate discretion, sound judgement, and initiative, anticipating needs and ensuring priorities are managed seamlessly. You excel in communication and relationship management, enabling the COO and leadership team to operate at their highest level of focus and effectiveness.
What You Will Be Doing
Administrative Support
- Prepare agendas, records, and transcribe minutes; gather, organize and distribute information on behalf of the COO, Senior Management, and Board Committees.
- Provide comprehensive administrative support to the COO, including drafting correspondence, sourcing information via email, phone, mail, or in-person; manage the COO’s calendar, coordinate appointments, and maintain VIP contact lists.
- Handle all travel arrangements for Senior Leadership team, negotiating consolidator rates and ensuring accounting process and procedures are followed.
- Coordinate and prepare the executive office administration budget, monitor expenses.
- Lead, manage and support on special projects, including coordinating and overseeing the Annual General Meeting.
- Conduct project work such as gathering information, attending meetings, providing recommendations, developing proposals, preparing reports, and ensuring successful delivery of events and initiatives.
- Preserve, organize, and manage Ocean Wise records and information, ensuring the security and confidentiality of materials.
- Prepare high-quality documents and briefing materials for the COO as required.
Executive Communications and Relationship Management
- Manage the transmission of confidential and sensitive information, directly support the COO in fostering strong relationships with staff, volunteers, donors, corporate partners and board committees.
- Facilitate and coordinate executive-level engagement with corporate partners, donors, and board committees by liaising directly, scheduling meetings, and taking proactive steps to ensure positive, ongoing relationships.
What You Bring
- Demonstrated experience at a senior administrative level.
- Must have experience with board administrative procedures including preparing for and coordinating board meetings, board committee meetings, distribution of board materials, etc.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new technologies.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to balance diplomacy, confidentiality, and tact.
- Proven ability to maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, including senior leadership, board committee members, donors, and external partners.
- Strong presentation and public speaking skills.
- Ability to exercise initiative and good judgement, proactive in anticipating challenges and troubleshooting with optimism.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to seamlessly pivot to emerging business needs.
- Assets include: project management related education or experience, prior experience working within the non-profit sector.
How You Will Be Measured
- Agendas, minutes, reports and briefing materials are consistently accurate, timely, and tailored to leadership needs. The COO’s calendar, travel, and budget are managed smoothly, with minimal scheduling conflicts or errors.
- Special projects are executed on time, within budget, and achieve desired outcomes, with positive feedback from participants and stakeholders.
- Sensitive information is handled discreetly and securely, with demonstrated professionalism and sound judgement in knowing when to act, escalate, or hold back.
- The COO and Senior Leadership Team are able to operate at a higher level of focus because administrative and organizational details are proactively anticipated and managed.
- Positive, trust-based relationships are maintained with staff, board committee members, donors, and external partners.
- Processes are regularly streamlined to save time, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
What We Offer
This full-time, benefits-eligible position offers:
- A hybrid working environment, 3 days per week, in person in our beautiful downtown Vancouver head office
- A competitive base salary, $65,000 – 72,000, in line with market data for not-for-profit organization
- Benefits coverage on a premium cost-shared basis, including extended health and dental coverage, vision coverage, $300 Health spending account, group term and supplemental life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability
- RRSP matching of up to 6% after one year of service
- 15 paid vacation days to start
- 10 paid sick days,
- 2 wellness days
- 12 paid Statutory and General Holidays each calendar year
- An annual all-staff retreat to allow in-person connections and team building
- Professional development opportunities
- The opportunity to be part of a team that’s helping to save the ocean!
Where and How You’ll Work
Our typical work week is 37.5 hours. This is a hybrid position, with an in-office component of 3 days per week at our headquarters in downtown Vancouver. While this role is currently eligible to operate in a remote capacity 2 days per week, Ocean Wise reserves the right, with reasonable notice, to require you to perform your duties fully in person at an Ocean Wise office or other designated locations. This role may require flexibility to travel for meetings and/or to work occasional weekends and evenings to attend Ocean Wise shoreline cleanups, events, and conferences. This role involves sitting, standing, working on a computer or laptop, participating in phone and video calls.
Who We Are
Ocean Wise is a global conversation organization on a mission to build communities that take meaningful action to protect and restore our ocean. Learn more about us at ocean.org.
Inclusion and Diversity
At Ocean Wise, we believe that a welcoming and diverse workplace fosters the inclusion of voices that have been historically underrepresented. We encourage applications from individuals belonging to equity-deserving groups and will work with applicants requesting accommodations at any stage of the hiring process.
About Ocean Wise
Ocean Wise is a global non-for-profit conservation organization inspiring action to conserve our oceans.
Our vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing. For it is the ocean that gives us the air we breathe and the wonder of life. More than ever, it needs us to give back.
Our hope is that you will join us in shifting the way we live with small but impactful changes that will regenerate life on this planet for generation upon generation to come.
Let's be Ocean Wise.