Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant

About The Land Institute

The Land Institute co-leads the global movement for perennial, diverse, regenerative grain agriculture at a scale that matches the enormity of the intertwined climate, water, and food security crises. An independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit founded in 1976, the organization seeks to reconcile the human economy with nature's economy, starting with food. The transdisciplinary team of scientists, together with global partners, is developing new perennial grain crops, such as Kernza, and diverse cropping systems that function within nature's limits, and researching the social transformation required for a just, perennial human future.

How you’d fit in + stand out
As Executive Assistant at The Land Institute, you will provide administrative support to the Executive Team, consisting of the President, Chief Communications Officer, and Chief Scientist. You will engage and collaborate with the executives, their leadership team, and key staff across the organization. You will anticipate needs and help keep projects moving by resolving operational and administrative issues before they arise. You will adapt quickly to a changing environment and stay up to date on each department's latest news to support projects strategically. In addition to being organized and analytical, you will show ownership, communicate effectively, and work comfortably behind the scenes. As a self-driven administrative professional, your ability to adapt quickly to changing needs, situations, and demands while ensuring accuracy will be imperative. You will manage detailed calendars, travel itineraries, meeting logistics, expenses, reporting, records, and special events coordination. This role is high-profile, with exposure to critical internal and external collaborators and stakeholders, and impacts significant matters, requiring professionalism, hospitality, transparency, curiosity, sound judgment, and a high level of discretion.

Primary responsibilities + expectations

• Perform various administrative tasks, including managing calendars, booking travel, and handling expense reports.
• Perform comprehensive email management, including prioritization, drafting, follow-up, and review of timelines and deadlines.
• Plan executive team members' meetings and events.
• Keep each executive organized by filing important documents and regularly responding to document requests.
• Triage and respond to communications based on the executives’ needs and preferences.
• Ensure executives balance team interaction, strategy, meetings, and personal time.
• Schedule and handle business travel arrangements, including flight, hotel, and car service bookings and detailed itineraries; where appropriate, help prepare for speaking engagements and conferences.
• Manage all expense reporting and approve travel and business expenses in accordance with internal policies.
• Build efficiency and responsiveness into existing processes.
• Manage board of directors' organization and communication – including finalizing all board meeting details, logistics, travel, dinners, hotels, subcommittee meetings, creating minutes, compiling meeting materials and other board documents, and updating board software platforms.
• Keep the executive and leadership team organized by circulating meeting agendas, facilitating meetings, and sending and following up on post-meeting action items.
• Help define new operational strategies to improve the executive team's efficiency.
• Coordinate and assist with team meetings, including staff meetings, on-site and off-site team gatherings, and virtual meetings; assist with event planning; and process related expenses.
• Manage other special projects and workflows as needed.
• Edit documents for accuracy, copy edits, and formatting.
• Learn and stay informed about new tools and technologies to enhance executives’ productivity; identify and communicate proper functionality; and assist with troubleshooting and continuous improvement.

Special event production

• End-to-End Project Management: Manage the full lifecycle for diverse organizational projects and events, including annual board convenings, funder-facing engagements, and special one-off projects.
• Logistics & Execution: Oversee operational aspects, including developing project timelines, managing pre-event outreach, and handling vendor communications and contract support.
• Executive Support: Provide strategic administrative support for events involving the President and The Land Institute leadership.

Board liaising & management

• Coordination: Oversee scheduling and logistics for board and committee meetings.
• Documentation & Hygiene: Manage the creation, distribution, and archival of meeting materials, ensuring accurate records and rigorous data hygiene.

Fundraising & stakeholder relations

• Fundraising Best Practices: Familiarity with fundraising and development processes, including an understanding of donor pipeline management.
• Sensitivity: Demonstrated capacity for discretion and high-level professionalism when engaging with external stakeholders and donors.

Professional competencies

• Autonomous & Proactive: Ability to drive projects forward independently and confidently, anticipating needs while also remaining flexible to react to emergent tasks.
• Solutions-Oriented: Aptitude for thinking on your feet and maintaining composure while navigating competing priorities and evolving organizational demands.

Preferred experience

• Management and coordination of a nonprofit Board of Directors
• Knowledge of development and fundraising best practices and/or experience in individual giving
• Special event production

Organizational competencies

• Mission Driven: You are passionate about the mission of The Land Institute and interested in aligning your skills and personal genius to benefit this work.
• Courageous: You do not retreat or shy away from hard things. You face challenges and conflict with professionalism, grace, and resolve.
• A Boundary Spanner: You bring an interdisciplinary skill set, and you model self-awareness in your own preferences. You are motivated to always be learning, and you adapt to span boundaries with people across a range of different perspectives.
• Inspiring and Inspired: You are inspired by the people around you, harnessing the genius in your colleagues to meet organizational objectives, and you inspire others through example, and your own genius applied.
• Growth Mindset: You have the vulnerability to know what you don’t know, admit your flaws, and learn from others to grow and develop yourself and the organization.
• A Creative Collaborator: You believe in the power of a diverse collective to generate ideas and solutions. You excel at strategic thinking, openness to new perspectives, and innovation management. You bring a playful, positive approach to the work and enjoy meeting new people and deepening connections with those you already know.
• Excited by change: You embrace nascent and evolving situations and enjoy engaging new people, ideas, and possibilities. You think about change holistically: internal, external, organizational, and cultural. You like iterating systems, building efficiency, and operationalizing design. You are willing to jump in and contribute to new projects as needed.

Who you are

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 3+ years of previous experience supporting executive-level leaders in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to keep track of many tasks and connect dots across workstreams without letting anything fall through the cracks
• Flexibility and strength in working with and coordinating with others
• Outstanding verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills with solid recall and attention to detail
• Strong writing skills with an aptitude to appropriately create, tailor, and respond to communications on behalf of the president
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritize
• Ability to give, receive, and implement feedback
• Develop, maintain, and honor relationships with diverse groups and people.
• Build relationships with diverse partners to support further collaboration.
• Proactive and comfortable taking initiative
• Pride in your work and ownership over projects that you lead
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite, Google Suite, DocuSign, Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Adobe Acrobat Pro, as well as the ability to stay informed about new tools and technologies
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge and Board Effect a plus
• Enthusiasm for a fast-paced work environment
• Maintain a high level of professionalism, discretion, and judgment at all times.
• Proactively build professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Keep stakeholders informed at all times.

Hours

Generally available to work forty hours per week, via in-person and digital meetings, primarily during 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Time on weekdays when most of our staff and collaborators are working. Some evening and weekend work may be required. We are flexible for caregivers who might need to provide rides or support, attend appointments, or be available for caregiving.

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Location + travel

This role has a flexible base location and may require infrequent travel.

Environmental + working conditions

• Office environment: Primarily working in a standard office setting with a desk, computer, and phone.
• Extended computer use: Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer, involving data entry, correspondence, and scheduling.
• Meeting participation: Regular attendance at meetings, whether in-person or virtual, requires effective communication.
• High-Pressure Situations: Managing tasks under tight deadlines and handling multiple priorities, which can create periods of high stress.
• Collaboration: Frequent interaction with senior executives, staff, and external stakeholders, requiring strong interpersonal skills.

Compensation + benefits

The Land Institute offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience.

The salary range for this position is $65,000 - $81,000 annually.

• Remote-friendly work environment
• Paid parental leave
• Competitive, equitable compensation
• 403(b) Retirement
• 403(b) Employer contributions
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Employer-Provided Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Accidental Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid holidays
• Generous paid time off
• Complete laptop workstation and set up for remote work

To Apply: Please submit a CV/Resume and a letter of interest. We will begin reviewing applications on August 3, 2026.

The Land Institute is an equal opportunity employer and embraces the opportunity to provide employment to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.