Executive Assistant

Description

POSITION PURPOSE

The Executive Assistant is a trusted partner to the Chief Executive Officer and the operational hub for CLSI’s executive office, governance program, and major organizational meetings. The position combines high-level executive support, disciplined governance administration, and end-to-end meeting coordination to improve executive focus, enable sound board oversight, and create consistently professional experiences for directors, volunteers, staff, members, and external stakeholders. The incumbent anticipates needs, exercises sound judgment, protects confidential information, and converts decisions into organized follow through.

Requirements

ROLE PROFILE

Executive Assistant: Anticipates priorities, protects the CEO’s time, prepares the CEO for decisions and engagements, and keeps the executive office operating with discretion and precision.

Governance Manager: Provides the systems, records, calendars, communications, and meeting support needed for effective Board and committee governance. Provides support for Board committees.

Meetings Coordinator: Plans and executes virtual, hybrid, and in-person meetings from initial scope through closeout, with a focus on participant experience, budget stewardship, and risk-aware logistics.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Works closely with the CEO, Board Chair and officers, Board and committee members, senior leadership, staff, volunteers, members, strategic partners, and meeting and travel vendors. Serves as a highly professional first point of contact for the executive office and governance program.

1. EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Provides proactive, strategic, and confidential support that expands the CEO’s capacity and strengthens the effectiveness of the executive office.

· Owns a complex and dynamic executive calendar; evaluates requests, resolves conflicts, protects time for strategic priorities, and ensures appropriate preparation and follow-through.

· Anticipates upcoming needs by monitoring deadlines, commitments, decision points, travel, stakeholder expectations, and dependencies across the organization.

· Prepares concise briefing materials, agendas, itineraries, correspondence, presentations, talking points, and background summaries; verifies completeness, accuracy, and readiness.

· Coordinates domestic and international travel, including transportation, lodging, itineraries, meeting logistics, documentation, and contingency planning.

· Manages the CEO’s expense reports and corporate-card reconciliation accurately and on schedule; maintains supporting documentation and follows applicable policies.

· Serves as a trusted liaison between the CEO and Board leaders, senior staff, volunteers, members, partners, and external stakeholders; handles interactions with diplomacy, responsiveness, and sound judgment.

· Triages incoming communications and requests, identifies urgency and organizational significance, drafts responses when appropriate, and routes matters to the right owner without losing accountability.

· Maintains organized and secure executive-office records and working files, applying appropriate confidentiality, retention, and access controls.

· Supports all-hands (all staff) meetings and selected strategic initiatives by coordinating inputs, documenting decisions, tracking commitments, and prompting timely completion.

· Continuously improves executive-office workflows, templates, calendars, and digital tools to reduce friction and strengthen visibility, consistency, and follow-through.

2. GOVERNANCE MANAGER

Manages the governance operating system that enables the Board of Directors and Board-level committees to fulfill their oversight responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

· Develops and maintains an annual governance calendar covering Board and committee meetings, elections, nominations, orientation, evaluations, policy reviews, disclosures, and recurring approvals.

· Partners with the CEO, to develop purposeful agendas, establish decision objectives, sequence topics, and confirm presenters and materials.

· Manages the full board-book cycle: issues timelines and instructions, collects and quality-checks materials, organizes and distributes secure packets, controls versions, and preserves final records.

· Coordinates Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, Awards Committee, and governance task-force meetings, as assigned.

· Captures accurate minutes that clearly document attendance status when confirmed, key deliberations, decisions, motions, approvals, and action items without creating unnecessary transcript-like detail.

· Maintains a centralized action and decision log; confirms owners and target dates, follows up between meetings, and reports unresolved matters to the appropriate leader.

· Maintains official governance records, including bylaws, policies, charters, rosters, terms, resolutions, minutes, disclosures, acknowledgments, and historical records in accordance with approved retention practices.

· Coordinates director and officer onboarding, orientation, annual disclosures, conflict-of-interest documentation, committee appointments, and offboarding.

· Maintains accurate governance information in board portals, websites, distribution lists, officer accounts, and other approved systems; manages access and permissions with appropriate safeguards.

· Supports bylaws, charter, and governance-policy review processes; maintains a controlled record of approved revisions and effective dates.

· Provides procedural support for meetings and helps leaders apply CLSI bylaws, committee charters, and adopted parliamentary practices; escalates legal or interpretive questions to CEO.

· Monitors the health of governance operations through timely packets, accurate records, action completion, calendar adherence, and director experience; recommends practical improvements.

3. MEETINGS COORDINATOR

Plans and delivers well-run virtual, hybrid, and in-person meetings that advance organizational objectives and provide a welcoming, accessible, and professional participant experience.

· Leads planning for in-person Board meetings, leadership sessions, standards-development meetings, workshops, stakeholder convenings, and other assigned events.

· Creates project plans, critical-path timelines, responsibility matrices, run-of-show documents, communication schedules, and closeout checklists for each assigned meeting.

· Clarifies meeting purpose, audience, format, service level, budget parameters, accessibility needs, and success criteria with the meeting owner before committing resources.

· Coordinates venue and platform selection, sleeping rooms, meeting rooms, registration, travel, ground transportation, food and beverage, audiovisual services, signage, materials, accessibility, and on-site or virtual support.

· Solicits and compares vendor proposals, supports contracting and purchase processes, monitors commitments, confirms insurance or risk requirements as applicable, and validates invoices against contracted services.

· Builds participant communications that are timely, complete, and easy to use, including invitations, confirmations, travel guidance, agendas, access instructions, deadline reminders, and changes.

· Maintains accurate registration and attendee information, including required accommodations, dietary needs, travel details, and contact information, while protecting personal data.

· Conducts readiness reviews and rehearsals; technology, room sets, materials, staffing, emergency contacts, and contingency plans.

· Serves as the primary operational contact during assigned meetings, resolves issues calmly, coordinates vendors and staff, and protects the experience of participants and presenters.

· Completes post-meeting reconciliation and closeout, including invoices, expense documentation, attendance records, materials, vendor feedback, lessons learned, and recommendations for future meetings.

· Uses participant feedback, budget performance, incident logs, and operational observations to improve templates, vendor choices, service standards, and meeting practices.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND DECISION-MAKING

· Operates with substantial independence within established priorities, policies, budgets, and delegated authority.

· Makes day-to-day decisions regarding executive-office workflow, governance calendars and records, and meeting logistics; raises material risks, policy exceptions, contractual commitments, sensitive personnel matters, and governance interpretations to the appropriate accountable leader.

· Protects confidential and privileged information and uses discretion in determining what may be shared, with whom, and through which approved channel.

· Balances service, urgency, cost, quality, inclusion, and organizational risk when recommending solutions.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

· The CEO is well prepared, focused on the highest-value priorities, and supported by reliable information and disciplined follow-through.

· Board and committee work is supported by timely schedules, decision-ready materials, accurate minutes, secure records, and visible action tracking.

· Meetings are delivered on purpose, within approved parameters, and with a consistently professional participant experience.

· Stakeholders experience the executive office as responsive, organized, welcoming, discreet, and dependable.

· Risks, conflicts, and missed commitments are identified early and escalated appropriately.

· Administrative systems and templates become simpler, more consistent, and easier for others to use.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

· Exceptional judgment, discretion, integrity, and ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.

· Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs, manage competing priorities, and bring structure to ambiguous or rapidly changing situations.

· Executive-level written and verbal communication skills, including accurate proofreading, concise briefing, and professional correspondence.

· Working knowledge of nonprofit or association governance, board and committee practices, bylaws, charters, minutes, conflicts of interest, and records stewardship.

· Advanced calendar, travel (especially international), meeting, and event coordination skills, including virtual and hybrid delivery.

· Strong project management, vendor coordination, negotiation, budget tracking, and problem-solving capabilities.

· High proficiency with Microsoft 365, virtual-meeting platforms, presentation tools, spreadsheets, shared document systems, and board or committee portals; ability to learn new systems quickly.

· Ability to build trust and work effectively with executives, directors, volunteers, staff, members, and external stakeholders across cultures and time zones.

· Consistent attention to detail without losing sight of purpose, audience, deadlines, and organizational impact.

· Commitment to CLSI’s mission, values, inclusive practices, and service to the global laboratory medicine community.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

· Bachelor’s degree in business administration, communications, nonprofit management, hospitality, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education and directly relevant experience will be considered.

· At least seven years of progressively responsible executive support, governance administration, board relations, or meeting management experience, including direct support to a senior executive.

· Demonstrated experience supporting a board of directors and committees in a nonprofit, association, standards-development, healthcare, scientific, or similarly complex environment strongly preferred.

· Experience coordinating multi-day, hybrid, or geographically distributed meetings and managing external vendors preferred.

· Relevant credentials such as Certified Administrative Professional, Professional in Meeting Management, Certified Meeting Professional, or governance education are valued but not required.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND TRAVEL

· Primarily computer-based work in a remote or hybrid professional environment, with extended periods of sitting and frequent virtual interaction.

· Ability to work occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekends to support CEO, Board activities, international stakeholders, travel, and major meetings.

· Domestic and international travel may be required. The actual frequency will depend on the annual governance and meeting calendar.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the position.

ABOUT CLSI

At Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), we unite the laboratory medicine community to shape the future of diagnostic and testing practices worldwide. With over 250+ standards and guidelines in use across 75+ countries, our work is trusted by laboratories, regulators, and health systems to improve accuracy, accelerate innovation, and protect public health.

We’re excited to announce an opening for a part-time Technical Expert with FDA reviewing experience in microbiology-related in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices. This is a unique opportunity to bring your expertise to a mission-driven organization making a global impact.

IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO WORK! HERE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS WHY:

• Significant, thought-leading, and globally impactful work.
• Brilliant and curious teammates.
• Highly passionate and committed people.
• Flexible, fully remote workplace.
• Supportive scheduling and ample PTO.
• Four weeks PTO
• Medical Insurance 100% paid by CLSI
• Best-in-class technology and applications.
• Commitment to global and personal health and wellness.