Job Description

The Commercial Club of Chicago and Civic Committee Overview

The Commercial Club of Chicago is a membership organization of senior leaders in the region. Our members span the business, education, civic, cultural, and philanthropic sectors - unified by excitement for the future of Chicago. We believe cooperation and an open exchange of ideas are fundamental to success. We have helped tackle the most pressing issues facing Chicago and have been instrumental in some of the City’s most visionary efforts. Today, the Commercial Club continues to address social and economic issues of importance to the Chicago region.

The Civic Committee’s mission is to make the Chicago region a great place for everyone to live, work, and do business. Originally formed in 1983, the Civic Committee is tasked with identifying key issues facing the State of Illinois and the greater Chicago region and providing leadership, high-quality research, long-term policy recommendations and programmatic actions for the benefit of the city, region and state and all who live here. The Civic Committee is composed of the leaders of the Chicago region’s leading private sector employers and works with public officials and other civic organizations on transformational initiatives to promote our region's social and economic well-being. The Civic Committee generally serves as the Club’s lead on policy and programmatic initiatives and our focus areas currently include efforts in public safety, business diversity, transportation and infrastructure, and state and local finance.

We also work alongside, and partially fund, the organizations established by us to tackle key issues head-on:

Terms of Employment

This is a full-time position with benefits, dual reporting to the Senior Vice President (SVP) for Transportation and Infrastructure and the Director for State and Local Finance. Initial employment will be on a introductory basis, with detailed evaluations and feedback at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks.

Position Summary

The Administrative Assistant supports the Senior Vice President for Transportation and Infrastructure and the Director for State and Local Finance in the day-to-day management and administration of two of the Organization’s primary policy initiatives and their associated task forces: transportation and infrastructure and state/local finance. This is a dual reporting role. The Assistant’s primary responsibility is to manage all administrative tasks for both the Senior Vice President and the Director for State and Local Finance including:

• Scheduling and coordinating all internal and external meetings, including paying particular attention to needs and protocols for both virtual and in-person meetings.
• Attending meetings and taking meeting minutes as requested by the SVP/Director.
• Drafting correspondence and supporting the execution of communications and engagement including emails, briefing memos, and various other communications from the SVP/Director to internal and external stakeholders, as needed.
• Coordinating, finalizing and distributing background materials for all task force meetings and related activities with Civic Committee/Commercial Club entities, as requested by the SVP/Director.
• Preparing and filing expense reports for both SVP/Director.
• Planning and scheduling travel.
• Arranging detailed itineraries and agendas as needed.
• Strong coordination with the President’s Executive Assistant and other administrative assistants across the organization.

The individual must be incredibly detail-oriented, self-motivated, and have the ability to exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative, and organizational skills. The individual must have the ability to operate in a demanding environment, maintain balance against competing priorities, and abide by communicated deadlines and guidelines. Flexibility and adaptability are key attributes of a successful candidate in this role. This individual must also possess cultural sensitivity and awareness, with the ability to navigate and address sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy, across various cultures and communities. This individual must be able to work independently on projects, from conception to completion, take initiative when necessary, and work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion. A positive attitude, flexibility, and team working abilities are critical.

SVP for Transportation Specific Support Functions

• Serve as primary administrative support staff to SVP, supporting communication, and convening, including developing meeting invitations, calendar invitations, logistics, and other meeting related needs;
• Successfully complete critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting letters, personal correspondence, and other tasks as needed;
• Schedule, organize, plan, and managing logistics of site visits to important transportation and infrastructure projects; and
• Participate in the development of the budget of the Transportation Task Force

Director for State and Local Finance-Specific Support Functions

• Plan and schedule meetings with a remote-first approach, as the Director is 100% remote.
• Maintain logs of meetings with State and Local government officials for reports on lobbying time.
• Coordinate with the Senior Policy Associate on the production of materials (memos, slide decks, agendas, etc.) for meetings.
• Plan and schedule travel for quarterly Board Meetings for the Director.

Position Requirements and Compensation

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• Strong work tenure: five to seven years of progressively responsible administrative support, ideally working with c-level executives and/or board members in a fast-paced office setting.
• Express a commitment to Chicago/the region as well as a desire to grow in their career as well as take an interest and curiosity in research and the nonprofit sector.
• Take initiative and possess excellent communications skills to ensure solutions and interactions are consistent with organization objectives.
• Exercise a high level of confidentiality as well as strict level of confidentiality and use professional judgment and discretion.
• Experience and interest in project management preferred.
• Manage numerous requests/deliverables simultaneously with the expectation of multiple and changing priorities.
• Display excellent and versatile writing skills including the ability to compose superior formal business correspondence and other professional documents.
• Maintain strong customer service skills; exhibit exceptional interpersonal skills and judgment under stress and deadlines.
• Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, SharePoint, Teams), Adobe Acrobat, required.
• Previous experience in Project Management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, Monday.com, Airtable) preferred.
• Adaptable to remote platforms beyond Microsoft Office Suite, including Zoom, WebEx, etc., required.

Competencies

• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with members, staff, and external partners.
• Expert level written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines.
• Forward looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.

Working Environment

The position is in Chicago. Regular travel within the city is required. We believe that the path to achieving our missions requires our organizations and teams to regularly collaborate, work in teams, maintain collegiality, and provide a space for thought-partnership, all of which are best accomplished in person. However, we also recognize that appropriate flexibility is beneficial to the effectiveness of our employees and our organizations. With that in mind, we offer opportunities for employees to work in a combination of in-person and remote work (“hybrid” option).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Club and its affiliated organizations are equal opportunity employers and do not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of any legally protected characteristic, whether actual or perceived, including, including, but not limited to, an individual’s race, religion, color, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or other legally protected status. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination

Compensation

Commensurate with experience, starting at $55,000 annually. The Club offers a competitive benefits package, subject to specific policy eligibility guidelines.

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