Executive Assistant to the CEO

Think of Us•Washington, DC

7d•$100,000 - $125,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Think of Us (TOU) is transforming the child welfare system into one where young people and families can heal, develop, and thrive. We drive purpose-driven work aligned with meaningful systems change, powered by data and the insights of lived experience. Our focus is on prevention, keeping families strong before crisis, and on building kinship-first systems so children grow up with people they know and trust. Through bold collaborations with leaders and innovators across the public and private sectors — from Presidential Administrations to local providers — we identify leverage points and co-create solutions that re-architect child welfare for the future. This role exists to create structure, calm, and clarity around the pace and high energy of the CEO, Sixto Cancel, without limiting his creativity or leadership style. The ideal candidate will operate as both an exceptional Executive Assistant and a trusted operational thought partner — someone who understands when to step forward, when to build structure, when to offer perspective, and when to quietly execute. The role is grounded, above all, in one responsibility: helping the CEO operate effectively.

Requirements

A minimum of 5 years supporting a senior executive, with 7-8+ years desired, ideally with a founder, CEO, or entrepreneurial leader in a fast-paced, high-growth, or high-visibility environment.
Advanced executive calendar management and complex, multi-time-zone travel coordination.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Exceptional organizational skills paired with the flexibility to adapt as priorities shift quickly as the TOU norm, attention to detail, and follow-through.
Sound judgment, discretion, and maturity in handling confidential and sensitive matters.
Comfort and credibility working with senior leaders, board members, and external stakeholders.
Resilient and tough-skinned, with the ability to stay steady under pressure and receive direct feedback without taking it personally.
Ability to prioritize under pressure and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
Willingness to be available outside standard business hours as needed, particularly around travel, seasons of heightened activity, or time-sensitive matters.
Genuine interest in AI and emerging tools, with an eagerness to learn, experiment, and produce tangible and usable deliverables alongside the CEO who is deeply engaged in that space.
Passion for social impact, child welfare, or related mission-driven work is a strong plus.
Resourcefulness, creative problem-solving, and the ability to work independently.
Experience working with or alongside systems that impact youth and families — or a deep commitment to learning about these systems and approaching the work with humility, curiosity, and care.
Motivation by impact and systems change.
Thriving in a fast-growing, evolving organization and seeing change as an opportunity to innovate, learn, and make things better.
Actively exploring and applying AI tools to make work more effective — using them thoughtfully to increase efficiency, improve insight, and support sound, human-centered decision-making.
Patience, trustworthiness, warmth, and high organization.
Detail-oriented without becoming rigid, and nurturing without becoming parental.
Curiosity, personability, and comfort with humor and personality, while remaining calm under pressure and discreet with sensitive information.
Self-awareness enough to understand the boundaries of the role and confidence enough to offer perspective within them, building trust with the CEO over time through consistency and reliability.

Nice To Haves

Passion for social impact, child welfare, or related mission-driven work is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Own and manage a highly dynamic executive calendar, coordinating internal and external meetings across multiple priorities and time zones — including regular collaboration with colleagues in Ghana and across the US.
Anticipate scheduling conflicts, preparation needs, and follow-up actions before they become problems.
Protect the CEO’s time while maintaining appropriate accessibility to staff, board members, and external stakeholders.
Assess which meetings require the CEO’s direct involvement and which can be delegated, shortened, combined, or declined.
Adjust quickly and calmly as priorities and plans shift throughout the day.
Ensure the CEO is prepared for meetings, conversations, and major decisions with relevant background information, briefing materials, agendas, and participant context.
Synthesize complex information into clear, actionable summaries the CEO can quickly absorb before high-stakes conversations.
Help clarify the intended purpose and desired outcome of meetings in advance, flagging when an agenda is missing or unclear.
Capture commitments, decisions, and follow-up items in real time, and track them to completion to ensure important actions do not get lost.
Proactively follow up with the CEO or other stakeholders when action items are at risk of slipping.
Coordinate frequent domestic and international professional travel, including detailed itineraries, logistics, and contingency plans.
Anticipate disruptions, preferences, and timing needs, including visa/entry and exit requirements for international travel, and remain responsive when plans change unexpectedly.
Prepare a daily or day-ahead briefing that consolidates the CEO's schedule, key logistics, meeting prep needs, and any pending decisions or follow-ups.
Help translate ideas and conversations into clear, actionable next steps.
Support the CEO in organizing his personal priorities and calendar demands, flagging what needs attention now, later, or can be delegated.
Ask thoughtful questions that create clarity, and flag scheduling conflicts, missing follow-ups, or unresolved action items from meetings before they become urgent or critical.
Offer perspective on how a decision or commitment might affect the CEO’s schedule, bandwidth, or existing priorities, while respecting that final decisions remain with him.
Serve as a sounding board the CEO can think out loud with, helping shape rough ideas into workable plans.
Build strong working relationships with Think of Us staff, board members, funders, partners, government leaders, and external stakeholders.
Represent the CEO and the organization with warmth, professionalism, and discretion.
Maintain composure in high-pressure or ambiguous situations.
Navigate sensitive relationships and competing requests with diplomacy, and communicate clearly with individuals at all levels.
Extend the same respect for lived experience that guides the CEO’s work to every interaction with all internal and external stakeholders.
Notice and address needs before they become requests.
Be reachable outside standard business hours when travel disruptions, board meetings, fundraising priorities, or intense preparation for external engagements require real-time problem-solving.
Manage the CEO’s expenses, credit card reconciliation, and reimbursements with accuracy, timeliness, and financial acumen, exercising sound judgment around budget and spend.
Create systems that reduce administrative burden and decision fatigue for the CEO.
Maintain a high standard of service without becoming overly formal or rigid.
Bring a sense of calm and steadiness that helps the CEO stay focused on what matters most.
Act as a stabilizing, trusted presence — someone the CEO and organization can rely on regardless of what’s happening around them.
Use and experiment confidently with technology, including Asana and AI tools, to improve executive workflows.
Identify opportunities to introduce automation or new systems that reduce administrative burden for the CEO.
Support a CEO who enjoys ideating and exploring new possibilities by helping move creative ideas toward practical execution.
Stay curious about emerging tools and approaches, bringing new ideas to the CEO rather than waiting to be asked.

Benefits

100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% for dependents.
Access to Talkspace for confidential therapy and mental health support.
Short-Term Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance included.
Optional Long-Term Disability and Supplemental Life Insurance.
Health Care and Dependent Care FSAs available.
401(k) Plan for pre-tax retirement contributions.
Work-from-home setup stipend to optimize your workspace.
Flexible PTO policy, plus sick leave and paid leaves of absence.
8 company holidays, plus two organization-wide seasonal breaks.
Regular organization-wide learning sessions on relevant and reflective topics.