Executive Assistant and Board Secretary

If you are up for the challenge and would like to be considered for this position, we would like to hear from you. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) is looking to fill the following career opportunity:

POSITION: Executive Assistant and Board Secretary

STATUS: Permanent; Full-Time

SHIFT: 35 hours per week

LOCATION: Flexibly Remote – 2 days/week at the Provincial Office in Vancouver, BC

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

We welcome diversity, value differences, and foster inclusion in our employment practices. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion by reading our Foundational Principles on our website. We invite applications from all qualified individuals who are philosophically aligned with our mission and principles.

Join an international leader in Animal Welfare! The BC SPCA is seeking a dynamic and personable Executive Assistant (EA) to provide senior administrative support to the Board of Directors, Board Committees and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), including spearheading logistics, preparing and distributing necessary reports/materials and conducting administrative and governance-related record-keeping. This full-time position, reporting directly to the CEO, anticipates needs, proactively suggests and devises solutions and provides information management support as necessary.

What we do:

The BC SPCA is 127 years young and growing stronger every year. We are a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia. With 42 locations throughout BC and a provincial office in Vancouver, the BC SPCA provides a wide range of services and programs for tens of thousands of animals in distress each year.

The BC SPCA is an Imagine Canada accredited charity and has consistently received the highest charitable ratings from Charity Intelligence Canada and MoneySense magazine. Come join our dedicated, professional, and friendly team!

We’re passionate about helping animals live safe, healthy and loved lives, and about helping their humans too. We’re the only animal welfare organization in B.C. that has the authority to enforce laws relating to animal cruelty. And, we’re one of North America’s most progressive animal welfare organizations with evidence-based standards of care. We’re knowledge leaders.

The role of Executive Assistant and Board Secretary

As the first point of contact, the EA provides exceptional customer service and professionally represents the CEO to all internal and external stakeholders. The EA also coordinates the flow of information, supports budget development and monitors expenditures, arranges travel and accommodation and provides project support to the CEO.

While every day is different, a day in this role might include:

• Manage the CEO’s appointment schedule and time commitments through methods such as receiving appointment requests and meeting/conference invitations, determining urgency and nature of requests and scheduling and making necessary arrangements.
• Make travel and accommodation arrangements for CEO and Board attendance at meetings and conferences.
• Function as the confidential liaison for the CEO; screens and responds to verbal and written communication to the executive leadership team, other leadership teams, the Board and members of the public.
• Drafts and provides guidance and direction on interpretation and application of organizational policies and procedures and prepares draft reports on a range of topics for consideration by the CEO.
• Provides support to the CEO in interactions with the Executive Leadership Team, including meeting preparation, document production, recording decisions and follow-up as necessary.
• Liaise with external agencies on behalf of the CEO to respond to and/or share information and ensure follow-up by relevant personnel on emergent issues.
• Produce a variety of accurate and well-designed documents including correspondence, memos, meeting agendas and reports utilizing various word processing and spreadsheet software packages, including creation of files, tables and spreadsheets.
  • As requested by the CEO, the EA investigates, gathers and compiles information on issues and drafts reports outlining alternative options and recommendations.
• Provide administrative support to the Board of Directors, including preparation and distribution of Board meeting materials; recording minutes of meetings of the Board and its Committees; logistical arrangements and accurate file maintenance of the work of the Board.
• Oversee the scheduling, administration and conduct of the annual general meeting of the Society.
• Oversees the annual accreditation process for the Imagine Canada Standards program, liaising with Departments to ensure timely and accurate completion of the application.
• Serves as primary administrator of the BoardEffect database, ensuring it is up to date and an effective governance resource for the CEO, the Board and the Executive Leadership Team.
• Manages the Complaints log in accordance with Imagine Canada Standards requirements, as well administers adherence to all governance related policy within the Society.
• Supports the CEO in the development and management of the recruitments and election process for Board members

What type of person are you?

• You enjoy working within a dynamic and complex environment that is mission-driven and community oriented.
• You have consistently demonstrated the highest standards of excellence, enjoy challenges and are results-driven.
• Your highly proficient computer skills and organizational skills set you apart from others and will assist you as you multi-task and prioritize multiple deadlines.
• You are a highly resourceful team player, with the ability to work independently when necessary.
• You are a self-starter who consistently takes initiative.
• You demonstrate sound judgement regarding confidential and sensitive matters and provide the highest level of customer service to all stakeholders.
• Your governance and Board support experience set you apart from others.

What skills have you developed?

• A Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum 8 years’ experience as an executive assistant and as Board Secretary; or an equivalent combination of education and experience acceptable to the employer.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; confident, clear, and respectful communicator to a wide range of diverse audiences
• Ability to exercise a high level of professionalism and discretion with confidential and sensitive information
• Excellent customer service, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent organizational skills and extremely detailed oriented
• Proven ability to effectively prioritize work flow and meet deadlines
• Ability to exercise good judgement, show initiative and be proactive
• Self-starter and able to work independently as well as part of a team
• Advanced PC Skills – (i.e. Word, Excel, Power Point and MS Outlook) and ability to quickly adapt to new technologies
• Must be able to work some evenings and weekends (lieu time is available to offset)
• Philosophical harmony with the BC SPCA mission, vision, and strategic direction
• Previous working knowledge of BoardEffect is considered an asset

How to apply:

If you are interested in joining our team and are legally entitled to work in Canada, we would like to hear from you. Click on apply now or use the link to apply https://spca.bc.ca/about-us/careers/

We thank you for your interest in the BC SPCA, however; only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.

The BC SPCA is a Registered Charity BN 11881 9036 RR0001