Coordinator of Administrative & Board Operations

Shedd Aquarium•Chicago, IL

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Coordinator, Administrative & Board Operations plays a critical role in enabling the effective functioning of the Administration Department and Board of Trustees through operational excellence. Reporting to the Senior Executive Assistant, Office of the President & CEO, the role partners closely with the VP, Office of the President & CEO and serves as a key operational liaison to the Board of Trustees. It provides back-office support and leadership for board operations, communications, and governance processes, while supporting event planning, data management, and administrative execution for the Administration Department. The position plans and manages logistics, budgets, and calendars for Board meetings, events, and retreats, and supports other departmental events. It maintains Board and Trustee data across internal platforms, tracks participation, manages Trustee stewardship, drafts and coordinates Board communications, and supports meeting materials. It also manages Board archives and governance processes, including elections, compliance forms, evaluations, onboarding, and governance-document reviews. Additional duties include coordinating the department’s annual workplan in monday.com, serving as backup to the Senior Executive Assistant, and acting as the department’s Purchasing and Contracts point of contact. This is a full-time, exempt position based in Chicago, Illinois, with a hybrid schedule. Schedule flexibility is required, including the ability to work evenings and weekends and to work onsite more often as needed. The salary range is $50,000–$60,000.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
Three to five years of administrative, project management, and/or event management experience, including support for executive leadership, governance, or compliance functions.
Experience with systems administration, database management, or equivalent technical platforms.
Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
Attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Tact, discretion, and sound judgment when handling highly confidential information.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including exceptional proofreading abilities.
Demonstrated commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission, and values.

Nice To Haves

Board experience is preferred.
Tessitura experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Plan and manage logistics and budgets for Board meetings, events, and retreats based on the vision provided by the VP, Office of the President & CEO.
Support the Senior Executive Assistant in planning and executing non-Board events organized by the department.
Represent the department on the cross-organizational Event Planners working group and help align departmental practices with organizational policies and procedures.
Maintain the Board meeting and event calendar and related Outlook invitations.
Optimize departmental use of Tessitura and coordinate with cross-departmental experts to align data, reporting, and best practices.
Lead departmental Board-related data governance and maintain accurate Trustee contact information across internal platforms, including Tessitura, BoardEffect, the Board directory, website, and email groups.
Track Trustee participation in Board and committee meetings, special input sessions, social events, retreats, and other engagement activities in Tessitura.
Coordinate with the Senior Executive Assistant to keep Board contact information in the President & CEO’s Outlook address book up to date.
Manage records of non-development-related Trustee stewardship with discretion, including recognition gifts, birthday cards, Must See Tours, and responses to requests for VIP tickets, complimentary parking, or other accommodations.
Coordinate Trustee stewardship with the Development team to avoid overlap.
Order and maintain Trustee name tags and badges and update Trustee recognition signage as needed.
Support the Senior Executive Assistant with planning and executing other CEO stakeholder stewardship.
Draft and manage execution of the annual Board communications plan and draft regular communications for the President & CEO or VP, Office of the President & CEO to send.
Support development of Board and committee meeting and orientation materials and coordinate with other departments to ensure consistent, relevant messaging.
Serve as Board Archivist and manage soft- and hard-copy archives of minutes, resolutions, and other relevant documents.
Prepare annual Board demographics reports and conduct governance-related research and analysis as needed.
Manage trustee elections, Annual Compliance Forms, Board evaluations, and new Trustee onboarding.
Assist with bylaws reviews and annual reviews of committee charters, and ensure governance documents are current, including Articles of Incorporation, IRS Determination letters, and Tax-Exempt letters.
Optimize departmental use of monday.com and coordinate the building, maintenance, and enhancement of the annual departmental workplan.
Provide backup support to the Senior Executive Assistant when they are out of the office.
Provide back-office support to the Administration Department, including serving as the department’s Purchasing and Contracts point of contact.
Perform other duties as assigned.