MASS MoCA is seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Senior Manager of Executive Administration to provide comprehensive support to the Director of MASS MoCA and additional strategic and administrative support to the Senior Advisor and Secretary to the Board. The ideal candidate will be an experienced administrator who is a self-motivated, intuitive, and mature professional capable of working independently with minimal supervision to achieve project goals. This role requires excellent communication skills, the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and a proactive, solutions-oriented approach.
In this senior-level role, the Senior Manager of Executive Administration serves as a strategic partner to the Director, providing end-to-end support for Director-led special events, priority initiatives, and cross-functional work that advances the museum’s long-term vision. This includes managing complex initiatives originating in the Director’s Office, supporting the launch and stewardship of advisory bodies and special projects, and ensuring effective coordination between the Director, internal teams, and external consultants.
As often the “public face” of the Director’s Office, the Senior Manager of Executive Administration must be highly skilled in communication in all forms, internally and externally, and experienced in managing confidential information and requests. The role regularly interfaces with trustees, donors, government officials, community members, and leaders of peer organizations.
The Senior Manager of Executive Administration reports to the Director and performs critical duties in support of the Director’s Office, including but not limited to scheduling, travel arrangements, meeting preparation, correspondence, research, creating presentations, and analyzing internal and external data and reports. The role anticipates the needs and priorities of the Director and exercises sound judgment in allocating the Director’s time among staff, trustees, donors, peers in the field, and community constituencies.
In addition, the Senior Manager of Executive Administration supports the Senior Advisor and Secretary to the Board, including board and committee meeting preparation and planning, trustee communications, scheduling, recordkeeping, and stewardship activities.
This role manages and supervises an Administrative Assistant, who provides overall administrative support to the Senior Manager of Executive Administration and supports operations within the administrative offices.
This is a full-time position that generally follows regular business hours, Monday through Friday. Occasional extended hours, weekend and/or holiday work may be required in connection with trustee meetings, special events, festivals, or other scheduled activities. Travel with and/or in support of the Director and Board of Trustees may also be required.
This job description is intended to describe the general nature of the role and the work being performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. The Senior Manager of Executive Administration may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as needed.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Executive Administrative Support for the Director
- Proactively manage the Director’s complex calendar, including scheduling ongoing and special meetings, responding to scheduling inquiries, and exercising judgment to prioritize and adjust meetings as needed.
- Track deadlines and provide proactive support to ensure timely completion of priorities and deliverables.
- Organize and manage select projects originating in the Director’s Office, advancing cross-departmental and institutional priorities; conduct research, prepare analyses, and recommend actions on a range of issues.
- Arrange domestic and international travel for the Director and her visitors, including developing detailed itineraries.
- Manages and directs the day-to-day work and performance of the Admin Assistant, exercising independent judgment and authority in personnel and operational matters. This position is responsible for effectively making decisions regarding hiring, promotion, discipline, discharge, performance evaluation, scheduling, workload assignments, mentoring, and corrective action. The role ensures consistent implementation and enforcement of institutional policies, procedures, and operational standards, and acts in the interest of the employer when addressing personnel, compliance, and performance issues
- Anticipate meeting needs and manage all related organizational details. Develop agendas, briefings, minutes, and follow-up materials. Ensure the Director is fully prepared for meetings by organizing materials and providing background notes and talking points.
- Staff select meetings, including serving as a delegate for the Director when appropriate.
- Work closely with the Director, Deputy Director, and Content & Communications staff to manage correspondence to museum staff, partners, and stakeholders on behalf of the Director.
- Learn and maintain the Director’s voice and writing style to support communications needs. Proactively edit materials for the Director’s review and contribute to writing for grants, publications, presentations, reports, confidential labor relations matters, and internal and external communications.
- Collaborate with Advancement to support the Director’s donor engagement and fundraising work, coordinating Director-specific scheduling, logistics, and preparation for donor and prospect meetings, travel, tours, and visits, while Advancement leads donor strategy and stewardship and ensures follow-up and activity tracking.
- Plan, manage, and execute special events and convenings of the Director’s Office, including trustee-facing events, donor and partner gatherings, artist and advisor convenings, and other high-profile internal and external engagements. This includes end-to-end coordination of logistics, materials, run-of-show, staffing, and follow-up.
- Prepare agendas for Director’s Cabinet meetings; attend and participate in meetings as requested.
- Maintain awareness of museum activities and the work of other teams in order to brief and prepare the Director for meetings and events.
- Maintain strict confidentiality in all matters.
- Take notes at meetings and prepare and disseminate summaries and records as appropriate.
- Provide confidential, high-level administrative support, including maintaining files and correspondence, managing calls, and reconciling credit card accounts and expenses.
- Support the Director in onboarding and managing external consultants and advisors, including coordinating contracts, schedules, meetings, materials, and communications.
- Serve as a liaison between consultants and internal teams to ensure alignment, clarity of scope, and effective information flow.
- Prepare background materials, briefing documents, and meeting agendas to support productive collaboration between consultants and staff, including confidential materials
- Track deliverables, timelines, and next steps for consultant-led work in partnership with internal stakeholders.
- Perform other duties in support of the Director’s Office and institutional priorities.
Director’s Special Initiatives & Strategic Projects
- Serve as the primary administrative and operational lead for Director-led special initiatives, including advisory councils, task forces, and cross-departmental projects (e.g., the Artist Advisory Council and similar bodies).
- Support the formation, coordination, and ongoing stewardship of advisory groups by managing schedules, materials, communications, meeting logistics, and follow-up.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment between Director-led initiatives and institutional priorities, timelines, and resources.
- Track initiative milestones, decisions, and next steps; prepare briefings and summaries for the Director and senior leadership as needed.
Support for the Board of Trustees
- Provide administrative and logistical support to the Board of Trustees and its standing committees and task forces, including on-site, off-site, and virtual meetings, working directly with the Senior Advisor and Secretary to the Board of Trustees.
- Manage board meeting schedules, agendas, materials, and minutes using Boardable, the museum’s board management platform.
- Coordinate with board members to ensure timely access to meeting materials.
- Analyze and report on board engagement and participation metrics.
- Create and distribute board meeting packets via Boardable.
- Maintain and update active and emeritus trustee contact information, terms and reappointment schedules, bios, and committee assignments.
- In consultation with the Secretary to the Board, committee chairs, and staff liaisons, prepare and distribute agendas and materials for board and committee meetings.
- Take minutes at board meetings and prepare and disseminate records as needed.
Boardable Platform Management
- Ensure the Boardable platform (board of trustees management tool) is current, functional, and optimized for effective board communication.
- Regularly update user access and permissions for trustees and staff.
- Configure and customize Boardable settings to meet organizational needs.
- Monitor and troubleshoot platform issues, liaising with Boardable support as needed.
