Administrative and Operations Associate

Chicago Beyond • Chicago, IL

2d • $70,000 - $85,000 • Onsite

About The Position

As the Administrative & Operations Associate at Chicago Beyond, you will play a pivotal role in shaping how people experience Chicago Beyond through our space and events in addition to keeping the organization running smoothly day-to-day. Reporting directly to the Director of Business Operations (DBO), this role closely leads and supports process improvement initiatives, project management, and core operational execution including administrative support to the leadership team. You will also help operationalize Chicago Beyond's strategy by translating priorities into reliable systems, thoughtful experiences, and well-run operations. This includes operationalizing our space strategy, supporting partners to ensure their events are smooth and effective, and maintaining the infrastructure that allows our teams and partners to do their best work. This is a hands-on, strategic, and highly trusted role for someone who is organized, proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable navigating ambiguity. You will be a central connector across people, systems, and spaces, ensuring that our operations are reliable, responsible, and thoughtfully executed. In addition to what is outlined below, you will be responsible for other duties as assigned to support the goals and objectives of the organization.

Requirements

• 2-4+ years of experience in administrative, executive support, operations, event management, project management, or office management roles.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field.
• Hospitality mindset with demonstrated expertise curating high-touch experiences and supporting complex events; experience with high-production or multi-day events a plus.
• Service orientation mindset, acting before issues arise and anticipating needs.
• Strong operational judgment and professionalism, with the ability to assess nuance, manage risk and trade-offs, and handle sensitive information with discretion and integrity.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with comfort engaging senior leaders and external stakeholders including partners, press, and public officials.
• Comfort managing complexity under time pressure in fast-paced environments.
• Proven ability to work independently, anticipate needs, adapt to changing priorities, and follow through reliably.
• Process-oriented thinker with a continuous improvement mindset and ability to adapt processes over time.
• Tech-savvy with strong fluency in collaboration, project management, calendar management software, email, and office tools (ex: Slack, Asana, Notion, CRM, Microsoft Office, calendar and email platforms) and comfort quickly learning new systems (including AV systems).
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple deadlines effectively.
• Basic financial acumen, including experience with budget tracking and financial reporting; QuickBooks experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Curate and continuously improve a consistent, high-touch visitor experience aligned with Chicago Beyond’s values.
• Develop and maintain visitor experience standards.
• Own the day-to-day experience of our space, ensuring it is welcoming, intentional, and thoughtfully maintained.
• Serve as a visible, trusted on-site representative of Chicago Beyond and as the primary point of contact for general space inquiries and visitors.
• Anticipate partner and guest needs, proactively addressing friction and elevating the experience.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve event experience standards, including AV playbooks and safety, security, and emergency protocols.
• Support planning and execution of single and multi-day events of varying complexity, managing logistics including but not limited to catering, facilities, accessibility needs, registration, signage, materials, vendors, and space setup.
• Coordinate closely with internal teams and national partners on pre-event planning, logistics, and post-event follow up.
• Support development and execution of day-of run-of-show, including vendor coordination, to ensure a seamless participant experience.
• Serve as a reliable operational partner to teams hosting events, anticipating needs, resolving issues in real time, and ensuring partners are set up for success so experiences run smoothly end-to-end.
• Manage AV requirements and hybrid event technology based on event, content, and production requirements.
• Coordinate post-event follow-up logistics as needed (materials, notes, reimbursements, documentation, Thank Yous, gifts).
• Apply a continuous improvement mindset to capture lessons learned and raise the bar for future events.
• Act as an operational partner to the Director of Business Operations, translating priorities into systems, workflows, and execution plans.
• Partner closely with the Director of Business Operations on budget management, expense management, and financial reporting to ensure expenses are complete, accurate, timely, and aligned with internal controls.
• Support hiring logistics across the full lifecycle, including scheduling interviews, coordinating candidates, supporting onboarding, and assisting with administrative aspects of professional development.
• Develop & maintain dashboards and trackers for key operational areas such as events, inventory, and vendors, helping to create visibility, accountability and continuous improvement across our work
• Identify opportunities and lead projects to improve efficiency, clarity, and effectiveness across administrative and operational processes.
• Support special projects and initiatives assigned by the Director of Operations, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to achieve objectives.
• Support implementation of new tools, systems, or workflows led by the Director of Business Operations.
• Provide executive administrative support to key team members as required, including but not limited to calendar management, scheduling, meeting preparation, and business travel arrangements.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the organization, screening calls, responding to inquiries, and managing correspondence.
• Assist the DBO with administrative needs (e.g., logistics, drafting correspondence, preparing reports, and conducting research).
• Facilitate communication among team members, ensure timely dissemination of information, and manage several key organization-wide calendars (e.g., national comms calendar, events calendar, etc.).
• Own day-to-day office operations, including baseline AV setup, inventory management, supply procurement, kitchen upkeep, vendor relations, and ensuring shared spaces are clean, functional, and welcoming.
• Manage usage of Chicago Beyond’s space, including partner requests, external meetings & events, managing/greeting visitors, setting up conference rooms, and organizing catering when necessary.
• Serve as the point person for facilities, vendors, maintenance and office space requests, mailing and shifting, etc.
• Open and close the space daily.
• Develop and support safety, security, and emergency protocols for the space.
• Manage key shared calendars (events, space usage, internal milestones).

Benefits

• Chicago Beyond provides a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive medical, dental, and vision plans, a matching 401(k) program, and generous paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level