Assistant to the Director of Breadfruit

Job Description

Position Title: Administrative Assistant – (Assistant to the Director) Department: Breadfruit Institute Reports To: Director of Breadfruit Institute FLSA Status: Exempt, Full-Time

Summary: This position provides efficient and effective administrative and secretarial support to the Director of the Breadfruit Institute.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. • Provide secretarial assistance for Director, including correspondence, phone calls, emails, scheduling, filing, organizing travel arrangements, and expense reports. • Assemble and work with confidential and sensitive information. • Prepare internal and external reports and correspondence, including proofreading for spelling, grammar and layout. Responsible for accuracy and clarity of final copy. • Assist with information resources, including scientific literature, and preparing and posting content on website and social media. • Manage the Institute and take appropriate action on issues arising during Director’s absences. • Develop and implement Institute office procedures and policies. • Coordinate mailings to donors and others, including creating mailing lists (in conjunction with Development Department), preparing information for mailing, archiving results, etc. • Liaison to department heads and other staff members and volunteers. • Interaction with and support of donors as required. • Assist with grant writing, and project monitoring and reporting. • Plan and direct the work of students, interns, and volunteers including scheduling, training and performance reviews. • Schedule/organize/coordinate complex events and activities (e.g., workshops). • Other duties and projects as assigned.

Education and/or Experience: College degree is preferred, with at least five years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Language Skills: • High level of interpersonal skills and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations with poise, tact, and diplomacy. • Ability to read, analyze, and interpret financial reports and international, federal and state agency documents and correspondence. • Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors. • Ability to write correspondence and reports. • Ability to respond to inquiries from international agencies, research institutions, NGOs, researchers, students, and the general public. • Ability to effectively present information to senior management, staff, volunteers, interns, and public audiences.

Mathematical Skills: • Basic mathematical skills related to accounting.

Reasoning Ability: • Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. • Analytical ability to gather and summarize data for reports, find solutions to problems, and prioritize work. • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and juggle multiple competing demands, seeking supervisory assistance as appropriate.

Physical Demands: • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time, talk, hear and use hands to finger, handle or feel. • The employee is frequently required to walk, reach with hands and arms and occasionally to stand. • The vision requirements include: close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: Primarily indoors in office or library setting, utilizing computers and office equipment.

Other Skills and Additional Information: • The Administrative Assistant will report to the Director of the Breadfruit Institute, but is expected to be a self-starter who can efficiently and effectively work independently most of the time. • Proficiency in secretarial and office administrative procedures. • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. • Proficient in Excel with the ability to create and manage complex spreadsheets. • Proficient in Word, including mail merge function, calendar and email applications, and Internet. • Experience with FileMaker Pro or other database management programs is an asset. • Must possess the experience and analytical ability to gather, verify, analyze, summarize, and present data. • Must be highly organized and flexible and have the ability to meet deadlines in multi-task environment and able to produce accurate, high-quality work with attention to detail. • Excellent organizational and analytical abilities, strong initiative and integrity. • Must present well to the public in person and by telephone. • Ability to operate computers, telephone systems, fax machine, postage meter, scanners, and other office machines.

Experience: College degree and five years relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Excellent written and oral language skills; organizational & reasoning ability; computer proficiency in Word, Excel, Internet, and other applications; meet deadlines in multi-task environment & produce accurate, high-quality work with attention to detail. Strong initiative & flexibility required.