Executive Assistant (Foundation), Senior
Blue Shield of California · San Francisco, California, United States
Your Role
The Foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Shield Association. Blue Shield of California has contributed more than $500 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation since 2002 to have a positive impact on California communities. Our mission is to build lasting and equitable solutions that make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence.
The Senior Executive Assistant provides high-level, specialized administrative and operational support to multiple Foundation directors and executive leaders. This role independently manages complex scheduling, confidential communications, meeting preparation, travel and expenses, and cross-functional coordination. The position also supports Foundation-wide operations, executive team processes, and Board of Trustees activities, helping leaders focus on organizational priorities and ensuring timely execution of key activities.
Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.
Your Work
In this role, you will:
- Provide specialized, high-level administrative support to the Foundation’s Executive Team members (Chiefs of Staff, Communications, Evaluation and Data Services, Program, and Finance Operations and Grants), exercising independent judgment, discretion, and a high degree of autonomy in managing competing priorities.
- Provide back-up executive administrative support to the CEO, Board of Trustees, and other administrative colleagues as needed, coordinating with appropriate staff to ensure continuity of service.
- Manage complex executive calendars, meetings, travel arrangements, and monthly expense reporting; anticipate scheduling conflicts and coordinate timely resolutions.
- Complete special projects assigned by the President/CEO, Chief of Staff, and other executive team members.
- Serve as a trusted liaison with internal and external stakeholders. Frequent Foundation external partners include high-level policymakers like the Governor and First Partner, peer executives in philanthropy, and nonprofit CEOs and community leaders. Internal partners include all Foundation staff across diverse teams and company staff and senior leadership.
- Independently coordinate special projects and cross-functional initiatives, managing timelines, tracking deliverables, identifying potential issues, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely completion of objectives.
- Handle sensitive and confidential executive, personnel, and organizational information with sound judgment and professionalism.
- Prepare, proofread, and coordinate executive-level correspondence, presentations, meeting materials, and briefing information. Analyze and compile data, develop reports and recommendations, and identify opportunities to improve administrative processes and efficiencies.
- Coordinate executive team meetings, including preparing and distributing weekly agendas, gathering materials, and tracking action items.
- Plan and coordinate Foundation-wide meetings, lunches, retreats, and special events, including logistics, catering, materials, vendors, and communications in partnership with relevant teams.
- Provide support for Board of Trustees meetings and events, carrying out tasks as needed such as securing catering, identifying venues, preparing trustee reimbursements, and quarterly stipend processing. Serve as a partner to the Foundation’s board liaison, chief of staff, CEO, and trustees to help plan, execute, and improve Board meetings and materials.
- Lead the annual development and updating of the Trustee Manual, ensuring information is accurate and current. Provide backup support for Board meeting materials, including preparation and distribution of Board books through Diligent in coordination with the CEO Office.
- Maintain Foundation operational processes, including office supplies and inventory, visitor access for office entry, technology and meeting space use, and weekly mail collection and distribution.
- Serve as a resource for relevant administrative systems, policies, and procedures; support onboarding activities and identify practical process improvements.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Your Knowledge and Experience
- Requires a bachelor’s degree or High School Diploma/GED and four years of additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
- Requires at least 5 years of relevant executive support experience with C-suite-level leaders, including experience supporting complex meetings and executive operations.
- Requires experience handling executive expenses, scheduling meetings, and coordinating large-scale conferences or events.
- Demonstrated ability to manage highly confidential and sensitive information with discretion and sound judgment.
- Strong executive presence, professional written and verbal communication skills, and ability to build effective relationships across teams and with external stakeholders.
- Advanced organizational skills, analytical thinking, proactive problem-solving, and ability to manage multiple competing priorities independently.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, including preparation of executive-level presentations; ability to learn systems such as Asana, PDF tools, expense and travel applications, and Diligent.
Preferred Knowledge and Experience
- Experience supporting a board of trustees or directors, including board meeting logistics and materials.
- Experience in a nonprofit, foundation, healthcare, or related organizational environment.
Hybrid
This role requires employees to be in-office based on the Foundation’s hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means in-person meetings 8 times per month. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.