Executive Assistant to the President of MCAAD

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.

The Milken Institute’s events and programmatic activities, involve the exchange of ideas with leaders from around the world. The Institute hosts more than 200 events each year, with our annual flagship event, Global Conference, bringing together 4,500+ participants from around the world, featuring more than 900+ speakers throughout 200+ sessions over the course of the event.

About the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream

The mission of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD or the Center) is to carry forward the values of the American Dream by strengthening freedom, opportunity, and hope and serving as a source of inspiration for anyone with a dream and the drive to achieve it. We stand for individual agency, personal responsibility, and hard work; for free enterprise and entrepreneurship; widened access to capital; and for excellence and innovation in education and health.

The Center, part of the Milken Institute, is located in a restored historic building complex in Washington, DC, on Pennsylvania Avenue steps from the White House and across from the US Treasury. 

About the Position

MCAAD seeks a highly organized, proactive, and resourceful Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive administrative and operational support to the President of MCAAD in our Washington, DC, office, as well as limited support to members of the President’s leadership team.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly motivated professional who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. The Executive Assistant serves as a trusted partner to the President, managing complex priorities, managing and coordinating executive communications (including email and phone calls), and ensuring the efficient execution of daily operations. Success in this role requires sound judgment, exceptional organizational skills, discretion, attention to detail, building and leveraging relationships across the Milken enterprise, and the ability to anticipate needs while managing multiple priorities.

The ideal candidate is a collaborative, service-oriented professional who is intellectually curious, resourceful, and adaptable. The candidate must possess excellent communication and relationship-building skills, exercise the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality, and be committed to supporting executive leadership continuously with excellence.

Responsibilities

The Executive Assistant provides high-level administrative and operational support to the President of MCAAD, and limited support to the MCAAD leadership team. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to the President, including calendar management, scheduling, meeting coordination, monitoring communications, and daily prioritization.
• Support the MCAAD leadership team by scheduling meetings, making occasional travel arrangements, purchasing supplies, and assisting with expense reports.
• Coordinate complex internal and external meetings involving senior leaders, partners, donors, policymakers, media contacts, and other high-profile stakeholders, consistent with the President’s role as a public-facing ambassador for MCAAD.
• Prepare meeting materials, agendas, briefing documents, presentations, talking points, and follow-up items to support effective decision-making and stakeholder engagement.
• Manage and prioritize correspondence on behalf of the President, including drafting, proofreading, organizing, and tracking communications.
• Support the President’s engagement with global audiences, business leaders, philanthropists, policymakers, media, partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Assist with coordination across exhibitions, public programs, events, digital engagement, strategic partnerships, fundraising, and organizational growth initiatives.
• Track deadlines, deliverables, and action items to ensure timely follow-through on priorities across MCAAD and related Institute initiatives.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements, itineraries, logistics, and expense reporting, as needed. The President’s role requires occasional travel to other offices and venues and may include work outside traditional hours, including for evening events at MCAAD in Washington, DC.
• Support event-related logistics, including preparation of schedules, briefing materials, guest lists, run-of-show documents, and coordination with internal teams. Support event execution in person.
• Arrange for and coordinate tours for VIP visitors.
• Serve as a professional point of contact for the President’s office, exercising discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Maintain organized files, records, contact lists, and tracking systems to support the President’s office and MCAAD priorities.
• Collaborate with MCAAD and Milken Institute teams to support alignment with broader organizational priorities.
• Assist with special projects, research, reports, and other administrative or operational needs as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience providing executive-level support in a fast-paced, professional environment.
• Must understand and passionately believe in the American Dream,
• Must be excited about MCAAD’s mission and values, including strengthening freedom, opportunity, and hope; individual agency, personal responsibility and hard work; free enterprise and entrepreneurship; widened access to capital; and excellence and innovation in education and health.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex executive calendars, balancing competing priorities, and adapting to changing business needs.
• Exceptional organizational, time management, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor communications for a variety of internal and external audiences.
• Demonstrated professionalism, sound judgment, and discretion, with the ability to manage confidential and sensitive information.
• Proactive, resourceful, and self-directed, with the ability to anticipate needs, solve problems, and work effectively with minimal supervision.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships across departments and with external stakeholders.
• Ability to be consistently calm, flexible, and effective while managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Experience with Salesforce, SAP Concur, or similar business applications is preferred.
• Willingness to provide occasional on-site support for meetings, events, or other business needs outside of regular business hours, as needed.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

This position will work in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule consisting of four (4) days per week reporting in-person to the Washington, DC office location (Monday – Thursday), with the remaining day working remotely. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute’s sole discretion.

This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world.

Note

The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.

Please submit resume and cover letter illustrating how your experience and skills will contribute to the department and any unique qualities you bring to the position. If applying via Indeed, please upload your resume and any supporting documentation as one attachment. Any application that does not include both a resume and cover letter will be rejected. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact our Human Resources department to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Our Culture

The Milken Institute is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Every person at the Milken Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences. We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone.

Benefits