Associate Director, Special Projects

MILKEN INSTITUTE•Washington, DC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Special Projects provides strategic, high-level support to the Office of the CEO, with a primary focus on developing executive briefing materials, leading research and analysis, managing complex cross-functional projects, and ensuring effective follow-through on priorities connected to meetings, speaking engagements, events, travel, and external communications. This role is ideal for a highly organized, proactive professional who can operate with discretion, exercise sound judgment, synthesize information quickly, and independently drive projects from concept through completion. The Associate Director serves as a trusted partner to executive leadership by anticipating needs, aligning stakeholders, translating research into actionable insights, and helping ensure the CEO and Executive Office are prepared for high-impact engagements and decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in a relevant field preferred.
5–8 years of relevant experience supporting senior leadership, executive offices, strategic initiatives, research, project management, policy, communications, or special projects.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, coordinate multiple stakeholders, and drive work forward with limited oversight.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into clear, concise, executive-ready materials.
Strong research, quantitative, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and translate findings into actionable insights.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with accuracy and attention to detail.
High level of professionalism, discretion, judgment, and comfort handling confidential and sensitive information.
Strong initiative, ownership, and follow-through, with the ability to anticipate needs and propose solutions proactively.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook; experience with research, data, or project management tools preferred.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
Collaborative, flexible, entrepreneurial, and action-oriented approach, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities and operate with good judgment.

Responsibilities

Lead the preparation of executive briefing documents, talking points, background research, meeting materials, and event summaries for the CEO’s speaking engagements, meetings, travel, and external activities.
Manage special projects on behalf of the Office of the CEO, including defining project scope, coordinating stakeholders, tracking deliverables, identifying risks, and ensuring timely completion.
Conduct and synthesize research on a wide range of topics to support executive decision-making, strategic planning, external communications, and organizational priorities.
Conduct quantitative and qualitative research on topics that may include finance, health economics, demographics, global markets, human capital, policy, and job formation.
Collect, clean, analyze, and summarize relevant economic, financial, demographic, policy, and programmatic data to inform briefings, presentations, and decision materials.
Draft, edit, and refine written materials, presentations, summaries, correspondence, and other executive-facing work products with a high degree of accuracy, clarity, and professionalism.
Coordinate with internal teams and external stakeholders to gather information, align inputs, and support successful execution of executive priorities and special initiatives.
Maintain systems for tracking project timelines, deliverables, decisions, and follow-ups, and proactively communicate status updates to appropriate stakeholders.
Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.
Perform other duties as assigned.