CIO Special Assistant
About the Company
For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people. We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being.
About the Job
Reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), the Special Assistant will be responsible for administrative, logistical, and operational support and help facilitate the progression of projects and initiatives requiring the CIO’s and CISO’s time, attention, and work product.
The Special Assistant will also serve as a liaison to their counterparts in senior leadership teams across the organization to enhance coordination, collaboration, and cross-departmental communication, and work to advance the mission and strategic goals of the ACLU. This position will handle information that is highly sensitive and confidential.
Responsibilities
Complete a broad variety of administrative and logistical tasks that facilitate effective leadership, including - calendar management, assisting with special projects; designing and producing documents, reports, and presentations; collecting and preparing information for meetings with staff and outside parties; composing and preparing correspondence; maintaining contact and attendee lists; arranging travel; and completing expense reports
Arrange and handle all logistics for departmental and organization-wide meetings: scheduling; preparing draft agendas and talking points; developing, compiling, and distributing presentation materials; and drafting meeting minutes
Serve as "gatekeeper" and "gateway" for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the CIO and CISO, including those of a highly confidential and critical nature; prioritize and determine appropriate course of action, referral, or response, exercising judgement to reflect CIO’s and CISO’s styles and organization policy
Provide sophisticated calendar and task management assistance: prioritize inquiries and requests while troubleshooting and resolving conflicts; maintain an organized system of tracking, monitoring, and prioritizing tasks and projects related to the CIO and CISO portfolios; make judgements and recommendations to ensure smooth day-to-day engagements
Work closely with the CIO and CISO to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up as appropriate; act as a "barometer," having a sense for the issues taking place in the environment and keeping the CIO and CISO updated and anticipating needs in advance of engagements
Receive and screen communications to the CIO and CISO, including office visitors, telephone calls, email messages, and mail; provide assistance using independent judgment to determine those requiring priority attention
Draft regular organization-wide communication(s) from CIO or CISO; liaise with communications, digital, internal communications counterparts as necessary
Manage and update intranet pages for the CIO and CISO departments
Manage vendor billing and invoices on behalf of IT and Information Security teams
Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Significant executive support experience, including supporting C-level executives and board members
Excellent judgement with ability to maintain a high level of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information
Excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and switch gears at a moment’s notice
Highly organized with great attention to detail
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to design and edit basic graphic presentations and materials using Microsoft Office applications
Willingness to conquer the “small tasks” with an understanding of their vital importance in the success of the team
Ability to complete a high volume of tasks and projects with little or no guidance
