Program Assistant, Gender Equality

Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Assistant provides comprehensive administrative and logistical support to multiple principals, including leaders, and supports programmatic teams within the Gender Equality Division. The position is part of the centralized support team in the Gender Equality Office of the President. It manages complex, high-volume calendars and meetings across time zones, helps principals prioritize their work, and contributes to team operations, onboarding, events, meetings, and team culture. The role is based in the Foundation’s Seattle, Washington office and requires working in the office 50% of the time. Relocation assistance is not available.

Requirements

Some experience in an administrative job for a complex and fast-paced organization.
Experience setting priorities and meeting deadlines while balancing multiple competing priorities.
Strong initiative and organizational skills, with the ability to work autonomously and cross-functionally and remain flexible as tasks and priorities change.
Demonstrated knowledge of building and maintaining productive working relationships in matrixed environments.
Unrestricted work authorization in the country where the position is located; the Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship or other immigration support for this role.

Nice To Haves

Experience with the MS Office suite, especially Outlook, and with Copilot, Claude, or other AI tools is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive administrative support, including managing high volumes of email, tracking priorities, handling expenses and reimbursements, and completing special projects as needed.
Use technology, artificial intelligence, automation, and digital tools to streamline support and ensure efficiency and accuracy.
Manage complex, high-volume calendars and coordinate meetings for multiple principals across time zones.
Continuously manage calendar conflicts and prioritize meetings and tasks.
Communicate with principals about calendar questions, conflicts, and trade-offs to support informed decisions.
Support team effectiveness and culture by serving as a resource on business operations, participating in assistant meetings, and collaborating with leadership on team culture initiatives.
Coordinate onboarding meetings for new team members.
Provide clear, timely, audience-appropriate communication for inquiries and requests, and maintain consistent communication with internal and external partners.
Handle sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.