Administrative Office Coordinator

Hiring Organization:  Whiting Foundation

Website: www.whiting.org

City and State:  New York, NY.

Title:                   Administrative Office Coordinator (FT)

Location:            New York, NY

Reports to:        Executive Director

Status:                Full-time – exempt (hybrid – four days in office)

About the Whiting Foundation: The Whiting Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports writers, scholars, and the humanities by providing grants, including the signature annual Whiting Award for emerging writers, and supporting the preservation of cultural heritage and high school humanities programs. Based in New York City, the organization focuses on fostering creativity and deepening understanding of the human experience through literature and the humanities. The Foundation aims to bring about a world where everyone can engage deeply with the richness of literature and the humanities.

The Programs:

• The Whiting Awards annually honor emerging writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
• The Nonfiction for Works in Progress Grant supports the final stages of deeply researched, well-composed books.
• The Cultural Heritage and Preservation program supports the preservation of endangered cultural heritage globally, recognizing that irreplaceable works are at risk of being lost.
• The High-School Humanities program supports grants at the high school level. It fosters engagement with rich works of history, philosophy, literature, and the arts, so that students graduate equipped with the beginnings of a mental map of human history and cultural achievement.
• The Literary Magazine Prizes advance the crucial role of print and digital publications as champions of writers and writing.

The Position and your Impact:

The Whiting Foundation seeks an Administrative Office Coordinator with an avid interest in the humanities and a demonstrable passion for organization and project management. Reporting to the Executive Director and working with the Whiting team the Office Coordinator will gain an insider's understanding of how foundations operate, hone administrative skills, and actively contribute to advancing the Foundation's mission. The ideal candidate will have 1-2 years of experience in providing administrative support for office operations, program administration, or grant administration.

Key Responsibilities and Requirements

The core of the Administrative Office Coordinator’s job is to provide operational, administrative, and logistical support that drives the success of our programs:

• Program administration: The Office Coordinator manages complex processes, including tracking applications, coordinating the distribution of materials, and organizing information and materials in preparation for meetings and announcements.
  • Demonstrated success in a previous office administration role
  • Fluency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and Google Drive (Docs, Sheets)

• Database and website maintenance: The Office Coordinator maintains databases and keeps information on the website up to date.
  • The ability to quickly learn new software and CRM systems (e.g., Mailchimp and Submittable)
  • Strong research skills and the ability to synthesize information effectively

• Event and office coordination: The Office Coordinator ensures events run smoothly, from public celebrations to internal selection and review meetings. Duties include scheduling, arranging travel & accommodations, booking venues, and managing onsite logistics. The role also helps manage day-to-day operations at the office.
  • Facility with details and the ability to tackle complexity without hesitation
  • A proactive, highly organized approach to tasks

• Communication with grantees, partners, and the stakeholders: The Office Coordinator fields questions from grantees and potential applicants and works closely with Whiting staff, representing the Foundation and its mission.
  • Maturity of judgment and strong communication skills
  • Discretion and diplomacy in handling confidential information

Specific Duties:

• Under the direction of the Executive Director, manages all office logistics and facilitates communication with the building manager, vendor suppliers, and office cleaners.
• Coordinate the approval of all payments from the Executive Director and Accounting, prior to any financial, travel, or vendor engagement and fiscal commitments.
• Works closely with Whiting staff to manage processes and operations, including fielding telephone and email inquiries, coordinating the distribution of materials, and organizing information and materials.
• Coordinates announcements, mailings, ad placements; application management; catering; travel logistics and printing; book purchases, and office supplies and maintenance.
• Supports Whiting staff in planning and executing the Foundation's public events, providing greater detail and logistics as required for success.
• Maintains information databases and keeps the website up to date with grantee information, related news, and staff and programmatic changes.
• Works closely with the Executive Director and Whiting staff to ensure public events and internal meetings run smoothly.
• Supports the Executive Director in all aspects of Whiting Board of Trustees relations: preparing and distributing materials in advance of Board meetings and Trustee Working Group meetings.
• Supports Whiting staff in managing and tracking timelines and deadlines for grant agreements, payments, and grant acknowledgement letters.
• Maintains the Foundation's office subscription accounts and manages the email info@whiting.org
• Managing administrative accounts and serving as a billing administrator.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Compensation and Benefits: The position is full-time. The salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Whiting offers a competitive benefits package.

The position requires working onsite, in our Tribeca offices, hybrid, with occasional evening or weekend events.

Job Details

The starting salary range is approximately $60,000-65,000, based on experience and other qualifications. Whiting also provides a competitive benefits package, including subsidized health care and 401 (k) matching.

Whiting is a small, energetic organization, and there is some fluidity in our roles. Program Officers and Associates assist with additional tasks throughout the year, from routine to generative.

How to Apply:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please submit (a) your résumé and (b) a thoughtful cover letter describing your interest to position@whiting.org

Include position title: Administrative Office Coordinator in the subject heading

Due to the size of our staff and volume of responses, we unfortunately cannot acknowledge receipt of applications.

Equal Employment Opportunity:  Whiting is an equal opportunity employer.

Send letter and CV to position@whiting.org