Title: Administrative Associate
Reports to: Finance & Operations Director
Full-time, Exempt
Organization Overview:
Mission: Seattle Arts & Lectures cultivates transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all ages.
We invite you to join our fun, book-loving, social justice-driven team of 12 to fulfill the mission of SAL as our Administrative Associate. SAL fulfills its mission through educational, public, and community programming, in-person and online. Our public literary events bring the most talented and thought- provoking writers of our times to speak about and read their work. Our free Summer Book Bingo program (co-presented with the Seattle Public Library) inspires our community to reconnect with the joy of reading through a series of fun challenges. Our youth programs include Writers in the Schools (WITS) and the Seattle Youth Poetry Fellowship (YPF) program. WITS places local, professional writers in public school classroom residencies to inspire K-12 students to tell their stories as they develop lifelong writing skills. YPF elevates the powerful voices of local youth poets committed to community engagement, education, and equity in our region.
SAL offers thoughtfully curated experiences through programs that are intergenerational in nature, bolstering both emerging and established literary artists, and inviting change and new perspectives in our audience. We believe these activities are essential to continuously and courageously revitalize equity, justice, and belonging. Our work both internally and externally is guided by our core values: belonging, racial equity, transparency and trust, curiosity, and joy.
We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture in all areas of our work and culture. SAL is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals from all cultures and communities are warmly encouraged to apply. We recognize that opportunities in the arts have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. We strongly encourage individuals with these identities to apply.
Strong candidates will bring a diverse set of skills, characteristics, and experiences, both professional and lived. SAL focuses on a holistic view of potential candidates and understanding that no single candidate will offer every desired skill and characteristic. The following offers an aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile, and we encourage applications from candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds.
Position Overview:
The Administrative Associate is a new position that will support the growing staff and operations of the organization through administrative and financial activities that intersect with various departments. This position will directly support the Finance & Operations Director (FOD) with the financial activities and human resources functions of the organization, will support the Executive Director (ED) as well as Board of Directors by providing executive assistance and administrative support, and will help support all SAL programs and staff by managing and maintaining the shared office space, supplies, equipment, and financial and data systems.
INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & ACCESS:
All staff actively participate in SAL’s ongoing efforts to become an anti-racist organization and embody an organizational culture that supports and reinforces our inclusion, diversity, equity, & access goals. Our 2020-24 Strategic Plan and SAL’s Equity Accountability Reports are available on the SAL website under “About.” This commitment and understanding should be demonstrated throughout the performance of the Administrative Associate’s job responsibilities and staff activities.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Finance & Accounting (30%)
- Process accounts payable to ensure timely payment of vendors and contractors.
- Process and track accounts receivable and work with FOD, bookkeeper, & other departments to ensure timely billing and payments.
- Prepare weekly deposits and track income and expenses in partnership with FOD.
- Assist FOD with developing and managing the annual budget; producing financial reports; responding to internal and external financial inquiries; and providing information needed to prepare the 990, such as collecting vendor W-9 forms.
- Monitor credit card and expense reimbursement charges; collect and file staff receipts.
- Support financial administration as needed, including staff credit card receipts, Quickbooks & PatronManager reconciliations, credit card settlement reports, and expense data-entry.
- Provide staff with financial data necessary for short- and long-term decision making.
Executive Director & Board of Directors (25%)
- Serve as the primary administrative coordinator of board and committee activities; support meeting and event logistics; produce and distribute materials such as the board handbook or PowerPoint presentations, maintain board web presence, board and committee distribution lists, and rosters; and coordinate new board member orientations.
- Attend and take the minutes of the board, Finance, and Governance committee meetings.
- Support the Executive Director in scheduling meetings with donors and other external stakeholders.
- Take on special projects and other tasks as assigned.
Office Support (20%)
- Manage activities essential to the daily operations of SAL’s office, including purchasing, inventory, scheduling, and maintenance of office, supplies, and office equipment. Includes researching options for major purchases.
- Interface with outside consultants and contractors relating to SAL operations and facilities, including IT, website, database, and building maintenance.
- Ensure that SAL remains in legal compliance by submitting annual local, state, and federal filings and keeping appropriate records.
- Handle general administrative duties including scheduling and supporting staff meetings, drafting emails, managing mailings, preparing reports, data entry, and maintaining appropriate filing systems.
- Serves as a PatronManager Super Admin, providing encouragement, support, and training across teams, working on upgrades and changes to the system, and improving the efficiency of SAL’s data management.
- Supports teams by removing redundancies and improving and systematizing operations as needed.
- Open, distribute, and/or respond to incoming mail.
Human Resources (15%)
- Support hiring processes by posting job announcements, scheduling interviews, and coordinating with the hiring committee.
- Manage human resource related activities including onboarding and exiting, annual performance evaluations, employee relations, and benefits administration.
- Keep employee handbook up-to-date and organization-wide policies current in collaboration with the staff leadership team to ensure alignment with anti-racist goals and a healthy workplace culture.
- Help with onboarding new staff members by working with Directors to create onboarding plans, scheduling introductory one-on-ones, and ensuring that new staff are supported.
- Create timesheets for nonexempt employees and train staff on their use.
- Develop systems, policies, and procedures for managing interns and volunteers.
General (10%)
- Support Public Programs, Youth Programs, and Development teams at events.
- Meaningfully participate in staff, board, and committee meetings, caucus groups, organizational learning sessions, and other opportunities to shape our organizational culture and strategic direction.
- Grow and apply the skills and practices needed to create an inclusive organizational culture including (but not limited to): clear and kind communication, giving and receiving feedback, mutual accountability, and self-care and boundaries.
- Collaborate with staff in making key strategic decisions.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- A passion for SAL’s mission, values, and programs
- A commitment to racial equity and social justice
- Minimum two years of experience working in an administrative or financial role, preferably in a nonprofit setting
- Interest and ability to work as part of a highly collaborative team in an open-plan office and in a hybrid work environment
- Outstanding attention to detail
- Outstanding organizational and time management skills; ability to multi-task
- Passion for building and improving systems to better support the entire SAL team
- Flexible and improvisational approach to problem-solving
- Proficiency with Mac platforms a plus
- Proficiency with Salesforce/PatronManager database a plus
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:
- In-person evening/weekend hours required (typically 5 to 5 times per month, September to June).
- Note: Seattle Arts & Lectures is a fully vaccinated office and all medically eligible new staff members will be asked to provide proof of vaccination.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
This is a 40 hours/week full-time exempt position. Salary range is $45,000-50,000 per year (commensurate with experience and qualifications) with a robust benefits package, including:
- Generous paid time off, including 20 vacation days/year starting your second year (15 days in year one), as well as wellness time, 3 personal days, and holidays
- 100% of medical, vision, and dental insurance, long-term disability, and group life insurance covered, including an Employee Assistance Program
- 403(b) retirement plan pre-tax distribution with a 3% gross salary match funded by SAL
- Flex time as appropriate
- Hybrid/remote schedule as appropriate with a laptop and support for some home office equipment
- Support and budget for professional development and growth
HIRING PROCESS & TIMELINE:
We will review applications on a rolling basis; priority will be given to candidates who apply before July 9.
The hiring process will involve a phone interview, an in-person interview with the hiring team, and finalists will be invited to a final round of Zoom interviews with the entire SAL staff. Ideally, the selected candidate will begin in August.
Finalists will be paid a stipend of $250.
TO APPLY:
Send a resume and cover letter that tells us why this position is a good fit. Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.
Submit applications electronically in one PDF document to [email protected]. The email subject line should be “SAL Administrative Associate”
Open until filled. For best consideration, please submit no later than 9 p.m. on July 2, 2022.
Contact Information for inquiries related to this position (email preferred):
Liz Keenan
Hiring Coordinator
[email protected] 206.621.2230 x22
