Executive Assistant to COO

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable. 

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.   

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. 9 out of 9 times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50 and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking an Executive Assistant to support the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the Global Business Operations (GBO) division by providing day to day coordination and administrative support, ensuring leaders focus their time and efforts on GBO’s strategic priorities. This position is responsible for handling information requests and performing administrative functions such as calendar management, meeting support, travel arrangements, arranging conference calls, and expense reporting to ensure GBO leaders spend their work time and resources on non-administrative tasks. This position will represent the priorities and strategy of the division with internal and external stakeholders and serve as a strong partner to the COO through daily interaction and collaboration to establish shared goals, determine priorities, manage tasks, and generate clear and consistent communication. 

This position is based in the Washington, DC area and is available to be hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays). It reports to the Chief Operating Officer and requires current authorization to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position, now or in the future. 

Networking & Partnership 

• Build cross-functional relationships and serve as a contributing member of the executive leadership administrative team by attending meetings and retreats and serving on related project teams; 

• As appropriate, convene and lead operations administrative team to achieve seamless, integrated operations service; 

Communication 

• Assist in managing the GBO department SharePoint Intranet and related operations communications and information repository platforms; 

• Organize divisional meetings to ensure updates are communicated on project progress, staffing, department needs and deadlines, as well as to foster team morale and unity; 

• Serve as a point of contact for the GBO division within and outside of GBO by dispersing communication to both internal and external stakeholders on GBO processes, rollouts, initiatives and policies; 

• Communicate organizational deadlines to GBO and help ensure GBO meets deadlines assigned outside and within GBO; 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the COO internally and externally, communicating questions and concerns appropriately to the COO; 

• Draft memos and presentations for the COO; 

Events and Logistics 

• Plan and execute GBO social rhythms, including monthly and quarterly events and activities; 

Clerical and Administration 

• Take minutes during GBO division meetings, schedule follow-ups as necessary, record next steps and delegate responsibility of tasks; 

• Organize team meetings to ensure updates are communicated on project progress, staffing, department needs and deadlines, as well as to foster team morale and unity; 

• Maintain awareness of GBO and GLT schedules or any major conflicts while coordinating cross-departmental meetings; 

• Provide daily support to the COO as necessary; 

• Equip the COO to participate fully in meetings through comprehensive preparation and timely briefing; 

• Attend certain meetings with the COO and follow up appropriately when necessary; 

• Maintain the COO’s calendar based on agreed upon priorities including scheduling time for essential tasks and queuing up regular tradeoff discussions with the COO; 

• Monitor the COO’s email inbox by drafting correspondence on behalf of the COO, flagging significant pieces of communication to ensure timely follow-up, and tracking requests; 

• Prepare materials to enable the COO to meet important deadlines; 

• Assist the COO in effectively creating and managing the GBO budget; 

• Provide support to the COO for national and international travel, including hotels, flights, per diem, etc.; 

• Assist the COO in managing and tracking divisional and cross-functional projects, ensuring all COO deadlines are met within communicated timelines; 

• Advance action items for the COO’s meetings; 

• Complete expense reports and payment requests in a timely manner for the COO; 

• Assist the COO in facilitating the engagement and onboarding of new GBO hires and interns/fellows; 

• Complete minor administrative tasks for GBO leadership (e.g., filing expense reports, paying vendor invoices, approving timesheets, submitting IT tickets, etc.); 

Strategy & Knowledge Development & Implementation 

• Develop and utilize technology skills to enhance the Division’s contribution to IJM strategic initiatives; 

• Stay current on project management, human centered design, and user experience best practices; 

• Learn and provide support in app, online web course (LMS), and web page design; 

• Learn and provide support in basic graphic design, including diagrams, infographics, and project visual aids; 

• Provide expertise on SmartSheet and other relevant project management software; 

• Capitalize on the unique breadth of exposure to divisional activities to inform strategy by identifying, documenting, and sharing with the COO any needs, redundancies, and collaboration opportunities for divisional teams and projects; 

• Advise the COO on priorities based on engagement across teams and understanding of operational needs; and 

• Participation in IJM’s community of spiritual formation.   

• At least 5 years of experience providing top-level administrative support in a fast-paced, professional, multicultural environment; 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or equivalent; 

• Superior administrative capacity to manage many projects and tasks simultaneously and to complete them with minimal oversight; 

• Exceptional experience in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint; 

• Customer service experience; 

• Excellent planning and implementation skills; and 

• Ability to keep highly confidential information and issues private. 

• Eager commitment to IJM's Core Values: Christian, Professional and Bridge-Building; 

• Self-starter with strong initiative;  

• Disciplined with priorities; 

• Strong interpersonal skills and self-awareness; 

• Exceptional verbal and written communication; 

• Flexible, collaborative and eager to support others; 

• Effective team player who fosters collaborative environment; and 

• Adept at creative problem solving. 

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document. 

*What is a statement of faith? 
A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship. 

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits 

• Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area 

• Retirement benefit options  

• Paid leave starting at 23 days 

• 12 holidays (plus early release the day prior) 

• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation 

• Robust staff care resources 

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes. 

At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e-1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed. 

IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.