Careers

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $65,000 - 70,000

Position Summary

The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University???s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) seeks a Special Assistant to provide a wide range of duties in support of the Center Director. Reporting to the Senior Special Assistant-Policy, the Special Assistant will work independently and with guidance to support the Director in the following areas: preparation and coordination of background briefing materials; meeting preparation and follow-up; high-level correspondence with senior level stakeholders the Center, SIPA, across the University and with the external community; and other duties as required.

The Special Assistant position requires excellent interpersonal, organizational, and writing skills as well as the exercise of discretion, independent judgment, political acumen, and trusted handling of confidential information. Interest in the mission of the Center and Columbia/SIPA is key.

A particular focus for CGEP is the impact of issues of racism, environmental justice, gender equality, and inclusion in our energy system. The Center supports a culturally diverse, inclusive and equitable work environment, reflected across our staffing, leadership, scholarship and operations. 

Responsibilities

This position requires the use of independent judgment and initiative across a suite of responsibilities:

• Synthesizing background research and drafting briefing memos for internal and external meetings of the Director such as the advisory board meetings, private and public roundtables, and interviews;
• Providing administrative coordination and task management for highly confidential and complex items, including stakeholder meetings, report production and coordination of logistics for special events such as high-level engagements and conferences.
• Engaging, liaising with and advising middle and senior level members of internal (such as CGEP???s leadership team, scholars, and other University affiliates) and external stakeholders from industry, corporate, non-profit NGO, government and community officials without frequent oversight and as needed to gather and integrate feedback, content, etc.    
• Collaborating with the Senior Administrative Manager and Executive Assistant on managing an extensive calendar, including detailed travel arrangements, for the Director when needed.
• Maintaining and updating a database of priority action items to ensure prompt and professional execution.
• Conducting basic background research for articles and interviews.
• Working with CGEP???s communications team, to ensure consistent branding and messaging.
• Managing special projects and cross-functional tasks proactively and with independence (such as preparation and follow-up major conferences and convenings, publication project planning, director-initiated seminars, office hours), including those projects and complex tasks that are generated from the Director???s meetings and engagements; develop project plans and task trackers; engage across CGEP to ensure follow-up, managing up and across as needed; brief supervisor and the Chief of Staff accordingly; manage confidential and sensitive information with discretion, including information about the organization, personnel and prospective hires, and finances
• Drafting written correspondence on behalf of and representing the Director with key partners across the Center including prospective donors, board members, etc.; ghostwrite high-importance correspondence for the Director???s review (e.g., invitations to executive leaders, summaries emails after important meetings).
• Support the development of SOPs for the Director???s Office and annual planning; proactively identify process challenges related to the Director???s office functions; propose solutions, etc.
• Manage and organize the Director???s office shared drive; propose improvements as needed.
• Advise the Senior Special Assistant, Chief of Staff, and Director on addressing risks, challenges, and barriers to progress relative to assigned priorities.
• Support the Senior Special Assistant with staffing the Director in meetings as needed; serve as a back-up to the Senior Special Assistants as they support the director across a range of functional areas, including the Director???s daily briefing book/electronic briefing file; travel with the Director as directed (though minimal travel will be required).
• Maintain and deepen their working understanding of global energy policy and players in support of the Director
• Supervise student employees, including Student Officers.
• Responsible for all additional assignments deemed appropriate by the Center Director and Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the Director.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Minimum of two years of directly related professional experience, ideally for an organization focused on energy, climate change and/or geopolitics;
• Accuracy, strong organizational skills and attention to detail;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and writing skills;
• Ability to exercise discretion and handle confidential information;
• Ability to work under pressure on competing responsibilities with resilience, discretion, and diplomacy;
• Ability to comfortably and discreetly work with senior level people from government, industry, and NGO sector;
• Capable of working on projects independently as well as working well as part of a team;
• Travel will be required with this position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Additional years of directly related professional experience, ideally for an organization focused on energy, climate change and/or geopolitics.
• Interest in energy, climate change, geopolitics and public policy.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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