Workplace Associate CH - Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C. 

NRDC is seeking a Workplace Strategy Associate to work with the Workplace Strategy team in our Chicago office. This is a hybrid position.

Position Summary 

The Workplace Associate will support the efficient day-to-day operation of the Chicago office. Reporting to the Director of Office Planning, the position is responsible for ensuring a safe and healthy work environment for staff and enforcing policies and procedures that impact on the office.  

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:  

Office & Building Management:  

• Support Senior Workplace Management Specialist with facility operations and maintenance of the office.  Areas of responsibilities include facility management, inventory and purchase supplies, furniture procurement, overseeing office maintenance, and security.    
• Use our ticketing system for receiving and responding to company program and office repair and maintenance requests, determining the nature of the problem(s) and either completing the request or recommending appropriate solutions to employees in a timely manner.    
• Support Senior Workplace Management Specialist with researching new vendors, RFP (Request for Proposals) processes & following institutional processes on contract submittals that align with NRDC’s values and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) goals.   
•   Serve as point of contact for facility operations and maintenance of the office and building.   
• Manage guest/visitor experience.  

Office Culture:  

• Provide support for staff engagements that promote NRDC culture, such as full staff meetings, summer gatherings, annual holiday parties, etc.    
• Point of contact for coordinating office events, meetings, and use of conference rooms.  
• Collaborate with Senior Workplace Management Specialist to orient new employees and interns to our office and train them on office protocols and procedures.   
• Provide high employee engagement and positive experiences for in-office and remote staff.    

Administration:  

• Process invoices for CH, DC and NY offices.  
• Daily monitoring of main reception line voicemails and dissemination to appropriate parties, including tracking call volume.   
• Manage incoming and outgoing mail and deliveries.  
• Manage Kastle visitor management system and general office security including creating access cards and resolving issues related to KastlePresence app, and the Kastle security system.  
• Provide support for AgilQuest, RFP, contracts, and data processing in collaboration with Senior Workplace Management Specialist.   
• Order office supplies and ensure office amenities are offered and accessible.  

Qualifications

Minimum Education & Experience:   

• 2-year Associate’s degree or equivalent work experience 
• 1 year of general office administration experience including processing invoices and expense reports 
• 1-2 years of administrative support experience 

Skills, Abilities, Competencies:  

• Proficient with MS Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams.  
• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, 5% annually 
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) principles 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment. 

Frequently: Perform desk-based computer tasks 

Frequently: Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary 

Frequently:  Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers 

Frequently: Ability to attend events and activities in the office or offsite  

Work is sometimes performed primarily in-office. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations. Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects. The job includes work-related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time-sensitive, or multiple matters. 

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $55,500 to $61,200  

Our offices are open, and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, and we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues. We call this purposeful presence. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.