Executive Assistant to the Executive Director and Manager of Board Relations, Full-time
About the Role
The Bruce Museum seeks an experienced, relationship-focused professional to complement The Susan E. Lynch Executive Director & CEO during a pivotal moment in the Museum's growth and evolution. This is a trusted advisor — someone who is comfortable with ambiguity and exceptional at bringing clarity and focus to critical paths of success.
This position supports the Executive Director, enabling her to work most effectively with internal and external stakeholders on strategic priorities, while systematically anticipating, organizing, and prioritizing the Executive Director’s day-to-day workflow. The role also serves as Manager of Board Relations, managing and promoting positive relationships between trustees, honorary trustees, senior staff, collaborative partners, and other constituencies of the Museum. This individual is responsible for assisting the Executive Director with all administrative tasks related to Board management while maintaining a high degree of confidentiality, discretion, sensitivity, and diplomacy, which is required.
Beyond administrative excellence, this role requires someone who genuinely enjoys building relationships and making people feel valued — cultivating and maintaining the Executive Director’s relationships with the Town of Greenwich, trustees, honorary trustees, and donors, and ensuring these key stakeholders feel connected to the Museum and confident in its leadership. This requires gravitas, warmth, perceptiveness, and the ability to navigate sensitive situations with care in concert with the Senior Leadership Team.
The ideal candidate combines strong organizational capabilities with interpersonal sophistication. They notice details, take initiative, follow through reliably, communicate with clarity and tact, and represent the Executive Director and the Museum with professionalism at all times.
Key Responsibilities:
Executive Office Support
- Manage the Executive Director’s calendar, vetting and prioritizing requests; scheduling and coordinating meetings with board members, donors, artists, museum professionals, press, and elected officials; and proactively identifying and resolving scheduling conflicts before they arise; manage ED’s travel and expenses.
- Anticipate the Executive Director’s needs and proactively bring together the appropriate people and resources to address them.
- Provide administrative support to the Executive Director and prioritize day-to-day workflow, including correspondence, travel, and logistics.
- Draft responses to routine inquiries, correspondence, and communications on the Executive Director’s behalf, incorporating her voice and intent.
- Prepare and draft remarks, presentations, briefing documents, agendas, and meeting materials.
- Represent the Executive Director at internal meetings as needed and act as her voice in her absence.
- Plan and execute meetings as an extension of the Executive Director, including creation of agendas, materials, room reservations, and minutes with action items and accountabilities.
- Plan and facilitate All Staff meetings, including agenda creation, and act as liaison between all staff and the Senior Leadership Team to best address Museum issues and updates.
- Work with the Executive Director and development staff to advance fundraising goals and prospect development.
- Plan and coordinate cultivation dinners/lunches, events, and donor meetings — on- and off-site — ensuring a seamless experience by anticipating logistical needs and aligning with the Executive Director’s preferences.
- Maintain the budget of the Executive Director’s Office.
- Provide administrative support to the Executive Director and any outside facilitators and consultants for board retreats, strategic planning sessions, and other special meetings.
Manager of Board Relations
- Liaise with current, prospective, and former members of the Board of Trustees and Honorary Trustees and steward their relationships with the institution.
- Plan and coordinate all aspects and logistics of board and committee meetings. In consultation with board leadership and senior staff, prepare meeting documents including agendas, work plans, and minutes, and work with all departments to manage the delivery of board meeting information.
- Attend all full Board meetings and Executive Committee meetings; compose and distribute minutes.
- Create and maintain Board of Trustees historical files, including legal bylaws, resolutions, trustee manuals, and lists; liaise with legal counsel to create resolutions and maintain up-to-date bylaws.
- Manage structural aspects of the Governance Committee, especially pertaining to bylaws and annual slates. Work with Development colleagues to develop and implement strategy for nominating pipeline management and maintain ongoing communications about governance prospects.
- Plan and facilitate new trustee orientations and buddy/mentor systems; regularly review and schedule ongoing learning opportunities for all trustees.
- Create and maintain Museum-wide protocols for board and committee meetings, including both Board and Director committees; regularly meet with other staff liaisons to ensure best practices.
- Maintain the calendar of board meeting dates and deadlines in the context of other institutional activities and clearly communicate this to all staff and trustees.
- Collaborate with the Director of Development to maintain trustee annual benefits, including catalogue mailings, special VIP tours and events, and other benefits; assist as needed with annual trustee solicitations and follow up.
- File mandated reports and minutes with the State and the Town, respectively.
Qualifications
Required:
- Minimum of 5 to 8 years of experience providing direct support to senior executives in a dynamic environment, including experience managing board relationships and governance operations
- Proven ability to build authentic, trusting relationships with a community of high-level stakeholders and across a broad and diverse employee base
- Strong interpersonal instincts — able to independently read situations, anticipate needs, respond with appropriate judgment, involve the right players, and achieve positive results
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft correspondence, remarks, and materials in another’s voice
- Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with absolute discretion
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Outlook calendar management; comfortable with and eager to learn other contemporary digital tools and systems
- Self-directed and resourceful, with strong follow-through and attention to detail
- Ability to stay calm and effective when managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Genuine warmth and a positive, service-oriented approach
- Commitment to the Museum’s mission
Preferred:
- Experience in a nonprofit, museum, or cultural organization
- Familiarity with CRM or fundraising databases (Altru, Raiser’s Edge, Tessitura, or similar) and board portals, including BoardSpot.
- Experience supporting board governance in a nonprofit setting
- Bachelor’s degree and record of continuous professional development
Compensation & Benefits
The salary range for this position is $75,000-$85,000 commensurate with experience. The Bruce Museum offers a competitive benefits package.
To apply: Submit a CV to jobs@brucemuseum.org with the subject line applicant’s last name and “EA & Manager of Board Relations.”
