Executive Assistant and Board Liaison

Description:

Executive Assistant and Board Liaison

Minneapolis, MN

Department: President’s Office

Reports To: President and CEO
Classification: Exempt
Status: Regular, full-time
Direct Reports: None

Salary Range: $90,000 to $95,000 annually

Position Summary

The Executive Assistant and Board Liaison provides high-level administrative, strategic, and governance support to the President and CEO and serves as the primary coordinator of the Board of Directors and its committees. This role functions as a trusted partner to the President and CEO in managing executive priorities, communications, schedules, and information flow, while also ensuring that all board-related activities—including meetings, documentation, governance processes, and member communications—are executed with accuracy, professionalism, and discretion.

The position regularly handles sensitive and confidential information and interacts with executive leadership, staff, Board members, donors, and community leaders. It requires exemplary judgment, attention to detail, relationship management skills, and the ability to anticipate needs in a dynamic environment.

About the Minnesota Orchestra

The Minnesota Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning orchestra known for acclaimed performances in Minnesota and around the world, a storied history of recordings and radio broadcasts, innovative educational engagement programs and a commitment to new orchestral music. Founded by Emil Oberhoffer in 1903 as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the organization was the eighth major orchestra established in the United States. In 1911, it began a series of children's concerts under the sponsorship of the Young People's Symphony Concert Association (YPSCA), which continues to this day. Early in the 1920s, the orchestra was one of the first to be heard on recordings and on the radio, playing a nationally broadcast concert with guest conductor Bruno Walter in 1923. In 1968, the orchestra changed its name to the Minnesota Orchestra (or Minnesota Orchestral Association).

Today the Orchestra performs a wide variety of music including nearly 175 concerts in a typical year, primarily at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis, the organization’s home since 1974. The Orchestra is led by Music Director Thomas Søndergård and has historically toured regularly throughout Minnesota, nationally and abroad. The Minnesota Orchestra has an annual budget of $42.6M and ended FY2024 with net assets of $185.5M. The organization employs over 150 FT employees and over 100 PT staff and is supported and governed by an 80+ member Board of Directors. In 2024-25, 237,875 guests attended in-person concerts; with audio streaming, digital concerts, TV and radio broadcasts included that number reached more than 2.5 million people.

Minnesota Orchestra Values

We believe every employee is essential to the success of the organization and critical to accomplishing our mission to enrich, inspire and serve our community.
Our working relationships are based on respect for each other as individuals, confidence in one another, and a genuine desire to actively listen and collaborate with each other.
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization that honors and reflects the community we serve, welcomes, and instills diversity across our organization, and nurtures an equitable and inclusive culture.

Essential Functions and Day-to-Day Work

Executive Support (President & CEO)

• Manage CEO’s time, including prioritizing and coordinating calendars, messages, correspondence, and meeting logistics.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the President and CEO, exercising judgment, discretion, and clear communication on sensitive matters.
• Attend meetings as requested; take notes, minutes, track action items, and follow up with responsible parties.
• Anticipate scheduling dependencies, upcoming priorities, and strategic deadlines.
• Prepare and draft correspondence, reports, memos, presentations, and other written and electronic materials.
• Assist with email management as directed by President and CEO.
• Proactively coordinate and draft meeting agendas and materials, ensuring adequate preparation time.
• Arrange and manage all aspects of executive travel.
• Maintain accessible and confidential electronic and physical files.
• Process, track, and reconcile monthly expense reports.
• Manage and track time-off requests for the President and CEO’s direct reports.
• Understand organizational strategy and support executive progress toward strategic objectives.

Board Liaison Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all Board members; coordinate the flow of information between the Board, the President and CEO, executive leadership, staff, and musician committee members.
• Schedule full Board meetings and all committee meetings; manage invitations, attendance, and logistics.
• Prepare and distribute agendas, minutes, briefing materials, presentations, and other meeting documentation; ensure consistency in formatting and brand standards.
• Attend all Board, Board committee meetings, and other Board-related meetings (in-person, hybrid, or virtual), take minutes, and manage logistical execution.
• Strategically plan and communicate Board information, ensuring timely circulation of materials and cross-functional alignment.
• Maintain and update Board governance documents, charters, and procedural guidelines.
• Maintain a master calendar of Board meetings, events, and committee schedules.
• Produce and maintain the annual Board Directory and roster, including historical records.
• Coordinate annual Board evaluations and demographic surveys; report results as needed.
• Plan and execute Board-related events, including meeting space preparation, refreshments, A/V support, and hospitality.
• Oversee new Board member orientation and onboarding processes.
• Store all Board materials electronically using appropriate record retention, confidentiality, and governance standards.
• Serve as liaison to the Development team regarding Board giving and other coordinated needs.
• Assist Board and staff with the development of PowerPoint presentations and ensure presentation consistency.
• Serve as point of contact for ancillary Board requests including ticketing, tour information, and related needs.

Work Environment and Physical and Mental Demands

The Minnesota Orchestra is primarily a place-based organization, offering hybrid schedules that require in-person, on-site work. Permission is required for applicants and current employees seeking to reside outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area or more than 60 miles from Orchestra Hall. While working on site at Orchestra Hall or the administrative offices, work is performed in an open office environment with moderate noise levels in a cubical desk configuration and in a performing art building on stage, in a lobby or other location within the facility, and occasionally in an outdoor environment for outdoor concerts, or other activities. While performing the duties of this position, incumbents may be required to do all or some of the following, with or without accommodation:

• Sit or stand at a desk, counter, or other work surface
• Talk and/or hear spoken words, music, or other sounds
• Use hands or fingers to handle or touch objects around them
• Review documents, monitors, or displays with potentially small print
• Operate a computer, phone and other common office tools or controls
• Mentally focus on tasks and apply sound reasoning and judgement
• Work in or attend meetings or other events in any of the Orchestra locations or other sites as necessary
• Lift/move objects (such as files, packages, props, or office equipment) or ensure objects are lifted/moved that may weigh up to 15 lbs.

The typical workdays and hours for the organization are Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm with the possibility of extended evening, weekend or holiday hours. In this exempt position, work is expected to be delivered within established deadlines and quality standards without regard to the typical working days or hours as noted above with some autonomy to determine attendance at a performance or other events.

Perks & Benefits

Our benefit programs are more than just insurance plans. To us, they demonstrate a commitment to our employees and their families that we care about who they are and their health and wellbeing.

Health Benefits

Medical Plans; PPO and HSA

Dental and Vision Plans

Health Savings Account (HSA) funding each pay period

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Employee Assistance Program

Life and AD&D

Short- and Long-Term Disability

Time Off Benefits

Generous PTO accrual

Generous sick leave accrual

Volunteering Time Off

13 organizational holidays

Financial Benefits

401(k) Plan with two ways to earn organizational contributions

Perks

MetroPass

Parking Garage Discounts

Complimentary and Discounted Tickets

Requirements:

Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• 10+ years of executive administrative support experience, including support for senior-level leaders.
• Experience working with a non-profit Board of Directors and understanding of board governance structures.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing high-level meetings and events.
• Ability to manage multiple executives, competing priorities, and complex deadlines.
• High degree of discretion, integrity, and judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to interact professionally across diverse constituencies including Board, staff, musicians, donors, and community leaders.
• Strong ability to anticipate needs, solve problems, and make proactive recommendations.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work diplomatically with high-level professionals and adapt to unique executive and board dynamics.
• Strong conflict resolution and stakeholder management abilities.
• Enthusiasm for advancing the mission of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Technology/Equipment

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Outlook, Word, PowerPoint.
• Advanced proficiency in SharePoint and Concur.
• Advanced knowledge of web-based conferencing platforms (e.g., Teams, Zoom).

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Minnesota Orchestral Association is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable discrimination laws. We recruit, hire, train and promote all persons without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, creed, status with regard to public assistance or any other non-job related characteristic.