Administrative Assistant - Covenant House Illinois

Company Overview 

Founded in 2017, Covenant House Illinois (CHIL) provides critical protection and resources for youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness throughout Chicagoland and across Illinois. To date, CHIL has served nearly 2,000 young people, administering tailored, wraparound services, including interim and transitional shelter, workforce and education programming, clinical case management, life-skills training, and more to help youth permanently escape the cycle of homelessness. CHIL's programs and services are youth affirming, supportive, and rooted in harm reduction and trauma-sensitive care. With a newly renovated campus on Chicago’s west side and a recently enacted three-year strategic plan outlining a comprehensive vision of program expansion and service innovation, CHIL is uniquely positioned to meet the emerging needs of young people experiencing housing instability and provide the resources and care they need to achieve sustainable independence.   

Primary Responsibilities 

The Administrative Assistant will work directly with the Chief Executive Officer and administrative staff and will be responsible for performing administrative duties. The ideal candidate is highly self-motivated, professional, and capable of managing their workload and prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced non-profit environment. Lastly, this individual should be able to draft documents and help the executive with any necessary meeting preparations. 

Key Responsibilities/Job Duties 

• Acts as the administrative point of contact between the administrative teams and internal/external demands.  

• Managing the CEO’s calendar, including making appointments and prioritizing the most sensitive matters. 

• Undertakes the tasks of receiving calls, taking messages, and routing correspondence politely and professionally. 

• Support all Board of Trustee matters including meeting minutes, agenda distribution and other tasks as assigned. 

• Responsible for accurately and comprehensively documenting meeting proceedings, action items, and key discussions during team meetings, ensuring the creation of clear and concise meeting minutes that capture essential details for reference and follow-up purposes. 

• Handles the CEO’s requests and queries promptly and appropriately.  

• Conserves the CEO’s time by reading, researching, and routing correspondence; drafting letters and documents; collecting and analyzing information, initiating telecommunications.  

• Maintains the CEO’s appointment schedule by planning and scheduling meetings, conferences, teleconferences, and travel.  

Administrative Duties 

• Produces information by transcribing, formatting, inputting, editing, retrieving, copying, and transmitting text, data, and graphics.  

• Maintains confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential.  

• Prepares reports by collecting and analyzing information.  

• Developing and utilizing filing systems for easy retrieval. 

• Maintaining comprehensive and accurate records.  

• Recording meeting discussions and distributing to necessary parties.  

• Performing minor accounting duties. 

• Organizing meetings, including scheduling, sending reminders, and organizing catering when necessary. 

• Supports the submission of funding requests and audit coordination via organizing documentation, tracking documentation requests, and submitting as required. 

• Maintains office supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies, evaluating new office products, placing, and expediting orders for supplies, verifying receipt of supplies.  

• Maintains the cleanliness and order of the office space. 

• Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements, following manufacturer’s instructions, troubleshooting malfunctions, calling for repairs, maintaining equipment inventories, evaluating new equipment and techniques.  

• Other duties as assigned by the HR Manager. Other additional and/or alternative duties as assigned by the CEO, including supporting other departments or Executives as needed. 

HR Duties 

• Assists with new-employee referrals & background checks.  

• Files documents into appropriate employee files. 

• Assists or prepares HR (Human Resources) correspondence as requested. 

• Assists with recruitment and interviewing processes. 

• Prepares new-employee files. 

Qualifications 

• Minimum of 4+ years of experience as an Executive Assistant reporting directly to senior management.  

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. 

Desired Skills 

• Advanced Microsoft Office suite skills, with an ability to become familiar with firm-specific programs and software. 

• Proficiency in collaboration and delegation of duties.  

• Strong organizational, schedule management, project management, and problem-solving skills with impeccable multi-tasking abilities.  

• Exceptional interpersonal skills. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills 

• Proficiency in collaboration and delegation of duties. 

• Adaptability to last minute changes. 

• Friendly and professional demeanor. 

Our Community: 

Our critical mission demands that we have all voices at the table. A team of diverse people, perspectives, and experiences is smarter, stronger, and more effective for our young people. At Covenant House, every team member is valued, respected, heard, and supported, and we welcome honest and courageous self-reflection on any aspects of our work that are based on biased or outdated viewpoints. We deliberately create opportunities for our staff to grow and thrive.  

Working Conditions:  

• This position requires the employee to work onsite in our office facility.  

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to verbally communicate, listen, stand for moderate periods of time, walk, and lift up to 25 pounds.  

• Performs all duties as assigned. 

• An annual tuberculin test is required.  

• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.