Executive Assistant, Global Restoration Initiative

This position can be based in WRI office in Washington DC. Applicants will be expected to hold existing work authorization for their preferred location at the time application is submitted. WRI is unable to sponsor this role for visa work authorization.  

About the Program:

The Global Restoration Initiative (GRI) helps catalyze the restoration of forests, farmlands, and ecosystems. Our goal is to help restore ecosystem function, economic productivity, livelihoods and hope. The GRI is a flagship initiative of the Food, Land, and Water program at WRI and works with governments, grassroots community organizations, entrepreneurs, and international partners to inspire, enable, and implement restoration on degraded landscapes, returning them to economic and environmental productivity. Alongside partners, WRI has identified more than two billion hectares of cleared and degraded forest and agricultural lands suitable for restoration – an area roughly twice the size of China. Using this data as a foundation, we work to promote restoration of degraded lands back into natural forests, agroforestry systems, or productive agriculture. Our programmatic work centers on ensuring that restoration practitioners have access to technical assistance, financing, enabling policies, and robust monitoring systems. Embracing forest and landscape restoration will allow for a world in which the amount of forest cover grows while the productivity of existing agricultural land increases.

Job Highlight:

You will engage daily with WRI's global body of staff and high-level officials across the world giving your insight into WRI's portfolio of restoration work. You will report directly to the Director of the Global Restoration Initiative. You will be based in the WRI Global office in Washington, DC and will be expected to follow a hybrid model of remote and in-office work. Existing US work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor work authorization for this position.

What will you do:

Administrative Support (100% time):

• Plan, coordinate, and maintain the GRI Director’s business calendar, scheduling and arranging meetings, providing reminders were necessary, and updating the Director as needed to cover urgent incoming requests
• Attend key meetings to document detailed notes and provide professional summaries of the notes and action items for the Director to forward to participants
• Manage a fast-flowing email inbox, bringing urgent issues and those requiring action to the Director’s attention
• Help to transform verbally dictated updates into written updates for a team that works across many time zones internationally
• Organize and prepare for business travel by completing bookings, pre-travel paperwork and other requirements (e.g., medical testing or vaccinations) and creating detailed itineraries
• Process expense claims
• Help draft and edit correspondence, talking points, presentations, and other documents
• Support event planning and catering needs for in-person and virtual events and workshops
• Maintain an effective electronic filing system, including recording of official correspondence and maintaining a business contacts database (Salesforce)
• Support desk research tasks, where appropriate
• Assist with special projects as assigned. This will include but not be limited to data gathering, record keeping, convening stakeholders, and preparing communications and other projects of importance
  

What will you need: 

• Education: You have a completed Bachelor’s degree
• Experience: You have 2+ years full-time relevant work experience in an administrative or executive assistant role, including scheduling, travel management, and inbox management
• You have experience working with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint), online management software (Monday.com, Salesforce, Concur, etc.), and web-based communications (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.)
• Languages: Verbal and written proficiency in English required. Fluency in any of WRI's other languages is a bonus (especially languages that are prevalent in the geographies where the GRI works, e.g., Hindi, French, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.)
• Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based
  

Potential Salary: 
Salary range for the position is between 57,000 USD to 64,000 USD. WRI offers a competitive remuneration and benefits package.  

 
How to Apply:   

Please submit a resume with cover letter by the date of May 26, 2023. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.  

What we offer:  

• A competitive salary
• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US.
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work.
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI.
• Long-term commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure. 

About Us: 

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.   

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.  

Our mission and values:  

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. 

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.   

Our culture:   

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.  

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.  

Click here to apply