Executive Assistant, Business Operations

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

3d•$47 - $70•Onsite

About The Position

The Executive Assistant provides high-level, strategic administrative support to the COO and the Director, Strategy Planning and Management, and Chief of Staff. The role also serves as an operational backbone for the Business Operations division and the Office of the COO (OCOO), balancing executive support with team- and division-level operations, program management, knowledge management, and process improvement. It connects with the offices of the COO, CFO, CLO, and CPO, and is based in Seattle, Washington. The role independently manages complex executive schedules, correspondence, preparation, follow-through, and domestic and international travel. It builds and coordinates OCOO and division rhythms of business; supports team operations, leadership meetings, onboarding, and internal workflows; and scopes, runs, and improves division-wide programs and the foundation policy library. It also creates and maintains knowledge-management systems and collaboration resources, promotes practical and responsible use of approved AI tools, and plans meetings, events, offsites, and retreats. The position requires sound judgment, discretion, initiative, and the ability to move between fast-paced executive support and structured operations work.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.
At least 5 years of experience in executive support, administrative leadership, team operations, and/or project or program coordination in a fast-paced organization.
Experience with complex calendar management, travel coordination, and event or retreat planning.
Deep knowledge of the mission, values, resources, culture, systems, and business strategies.
Excellent judgment, discretion, and ability to prioritize and re-prioritize in ambiguous, fast-moving situations.
Demonstrated ability to independently run and optimize programs or workstreams, including scoping work, tracking deliverables, identifying process gaps, and driving cross-functional follow-through at team and division or organizational levels.
Experience building, curating, and maintaining knowledge-management systems, libraries, or collaboration platforms, including organizing and governing content for broader team or organizational use.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to represent leadership and the team accurately and diplomatically.
High familiarity with and hands-on daily use of AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, or Claude across scheduling, correspondence, meeting preparation, and knowledge management.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively and shift between hands-on executive support and structured operations, program, and knowledge-management work.
A proactive builder’s mindset, including initiative in identifying inefficiencies, creating practical solutions, testing improvements, and helping others adopt better ways of working.
Unrestricted work authorization in the country where the position is located; the Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship or support for this role.
Successful completion of a background check is required for employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience curating AI resources, use cases, or learning content for a team.

Responsibilities

Independently manage a complex, high-volume executive calendar across time zones, aligning schedules with priorities and re-prioritizing as needed.
Manage complex and confidential correspondence, anticipate needs, prioritize and escalate appropriately, and represent the principal’s voice and perspective.
Coordinate briefing materials, track deliverables, and follow up on outstanding action items.
Manage end-to-end domestic and international travel logistics, including itineraries, visas as needed, travel materials, trip-partner coordination, and on-the-ground support when required.
Build and coordinate OCOO rhythms of business, including team meetings, leadership sessions, agendas, presentations, and follow-up trackers.
Support OCOO team operations, including space planning, onboarding and offboarding, and day-to-day operational needs; maintain onboarding information and shared resources.
Support OCOO leadership team meetings and communications, including meeting design, agendas, decision and action capture, and alignment across team operations.
Liaise between the team and internal partners, route requests, and support approvals and communications workflows.
Build, coordinate, and sequence Business Operations division-wide rhythms of business, including business reviews, annual review cycles, performance and partnership check-ins, and annual planning.
Scope, run, track, and continuously improve division-wide programs and initiatives; surface risks and drive work to completion.
Manage the day-to-day operation of the foundation policy library and administrative process, coordinating content, structure, access, updates, and documentation with policy owners and managers in accordance with protocols.
Coordinate across leadership, the Chief of Staff function, and division stakeholders to provide visibility into commitments, manage dependencies, and follow up across workstreams.
Identify process and system improvements and build tools, templates, trackers, and appropriate AI-enabled or automated solutions.
Create, maintain, and improve knowledge-management systems and collaboration platforms for OCOO and division-wide programs, organizing information so colleagues can find accurate and current documents, decisions, guidance, and context.
Build and run the OCOO AI learning agenda by sourcing and evaluating tools, use cases, and resources; maintaining learning materials; and facilitating learning sessions, demonstrations, and tip-sharing.
Promote practical everyday use of AI tools and help colleagues adopt them in calendar management, correspondence, meeting preparation, and knowledge management.
Promote responsible use of approved AI tools, protection of confidential information, and compliance with foundation guidance and security practices.
Lead or support planning and execution of team and division events, offsites, and retreats, including logistics, run-of-show, materials, and follow-up.
Advise on event and meeting design to align content and format with leadership priorities and team culture.
Represent the principal and OCOO in internal and external communications with discretion and professionalism.
Represent the assistant/coordinator community in division-wide initiatives and contribute to a connected support culture.