Senior Director of Program Administration (Chief of Staff)

JOB SUMMARY

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) established the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) in 2017 to preserve and uplift sites of Black American resilience, activism, and achievement that are fundamental to understanding national identity. In partnership with diverse communities, social impact funders, a national advisory council, and a diverse set of stakeholders, the AACHAF fundraises to advance preservation projects, grantmaking and management, cultural storytelling, social impact, and operations to protect and preserve the buildings, landscapes, and stories where Black American history happened. During the AACHAF's first phase, the NTHP supported more than 300 national preservation projects and led a national movement that used preservation to enact positive social change. Your work with us will not just be a job but a transformative journey that will shape the future of our nation's heritage and the AACHAF’s leadership role in an evolving historic preservation industry. This is an opportunity to be part of something truly impactful and transformative.

The AACHAF Department within the Preservation Division manages a diverse, evolving set of preservation projects, grantmaking, and national initiatives. To grow its impact, improve internal efficiencies and administration, and enhance operations management, the AACHAF seeks a chief of staff with strong administrative and strategic leadership to partner with the AACHAF’s Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team. Together, you will oversee and coordinate the administrative functions, systems, and processes; collaboratively plan and track program priorities, special projects, and impacts; foster staff effectiveness and professional development through project management; and deliver quantifiable outcomes to demonstrate impact. The Senior Director of Program Administration reports to the Executive Director and is a new and strategic leadership role for the AACHAF.

The Senior Director of Program Administration is responsible for building operational infrastructure and identifying the systems and processes necessary to support the AACHAF’s expansion while maintaining its position as a center of innovation within the NTHP and industry. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the Executive Director, departmental leadership, the National Advisory Council, and partners within the National Trust and externally. The Senior Director of Program Administration provides strategic leadership and operational excellence, stakeholder and financial management support, and administrative expertise. A culturally competent, passionate, highly motivated, organized, and detailed professional will contribute to the daily management, work, and enhancement of the systems, reporting, and project coordination of the AACHAF Department, programs, and fundraising.

DUTIES

• Provide strategic leadership and stakeholder management by overseeing the Executive Director's special projects and events.
• Spearhead program updates and activation of the AACHAF's National Advisory Council, including strategic communications through quarterly and annual reports and the schedules and programmatic aspects of the virtual and in-person meetings.
• Provide strategic counsel regarding requests, appointments, and the appropriate use of the Executive Director's time; identify the objectives for the meetings and engagements; ensure the Executive Director is fully prepared for these meetings; and manage follow-up from those meetings and engagements.
• Provide strategic and analytical support to the Executive Director, advise on day-to-day operations, and help the Senior Leadership Team function as effectively as possible.
• Advance operational excellence to ensure day-to-day processes run smoothly and work collaboratively across the program team to develop and coordinate project management of the full suite of AACHAF activities, including utilizing Monday.com and defining and tracking the strategies, goals, milestones, deliverables, and schedules.
• Support financial management through annual planning and development of the operating budget, and track and update the Executive Director monthly in writing and verbally on performance in coordination with the Director of Program Finance, including budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and grants management for all AACHAF investments.
• Organize quarterly departmental staff retreats, bi-weekly Senior Leadership Team meetings and monthly department meetings, support the planning and operation of meetings and retreats, develop the meeting and retreat agendas, oversee preparation and distribution of materials, and handle meeting logistics with the Associate Manager.
• Draft correspondence, talking points, and presentations for the Executive Director and communicate effectively in writing and verbally.
• Oversee core administrative functions, including the Executive Director's briefing materials, and work collaboratively with the Associate Manager to carry out the Executive Director's schedule and travel.
• Guide and execute Executive Director individual priorities, including creating timelines and processes through cross-functional projects and teams.
• Engage directly with the legal, finance, development, marketing, and other divisions and departments on high-level priorities.
• Identify, capture, and disseminate critical knowledge to support decision-making and innovation, develop a system for tracking program performance and impacts for internal and external reporting, and build a database/library of AACHAF resources for external dissemination of best practices.
• Direct the AACHAF’s Fellowship Program to refine and execute the vision, track program impacts, and organize engagement by existing and new fellows.
• Supervise one direct report and staffer managing an emerging AACHAF program concept still in development and collaborate with them on project management, data collection, database management, and other priorities.
• Staff Executive Director for internal and external meetings, as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience, including at least 5 year’s experience directing critical functions for a complex team or department. Experience in a large, national non-profit setting preferred.
• High level experience supporting a Department head, Executive Director, or comparable leader preferred.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, including issue identification and prioritization.
• Advanced project and client-management skills. Ability to achieve results with limited supervision.
• Experience supervising professional staff, as well as successfully managing key internal and external stakeholders and relationships.
• Effective presentation skills. Excellent writing, spelling, grammar, and proofreading skills, as well as strong verbal communication and customer service skills. Strong organizational skills. Excellent attention to detail.
• Proven ability to collaborate across departments to implement processes and achieve results. Track record of building and maintaining productive relationships with multiple stakeholders. When working in the office, public contact and ability to work successfully in close proximity to others required. When working off site, ability to work effectively in a remote environment, maintaining productivity and communications to meet deadlines and goals, is required.
• Demonstrated success in engaging culturally diverse colleagues and stakeholders. Bi-lingual language skills a plus. Ties to culturally diverse affinity groups, professional organizations, or related associations are a plus.
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task efficiently and respond to a high volume of ongoing requests in a timely fashion. Ability to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic work environment. Ability to work effectively with frequent interruptions required. Able to handle frequently changing and/or unscheduled tasks with accuracy. Entrepreneurial spirit and skill set a plus.
• Proven ability to continually develop skills related to use of rapidly changing technology and communications best practices.
• Demonstrated interest in and knowledge of African American culture, history, and cultural heritage preservation preferred.
• Ability to travel as needed.
• Regular and reliable attendance required.

PAY & BENEFITS

This is a full-time, exempt level position, eligible for full benefits, including health, dental and life insurance, retirement benefits, and 3+ weeks of vacation, plus sick time and holidays.

Hiring range: $150,000-160,000