Special Assistant, Board and Legal Operations

The Ford Foundation seeks an Special Assistant to serve as the primary point of contact for scheduling, travel, and logistical support for the Foundation's Board of Trustees, while also providing calendar and administrative support to the Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (CLO). Reporting to the Director, Board & Legal Operations, this role sits at the intersection of board operations and executive support.

The Special Assistant will also work closely with staff on the Legal Services and Grants Compliance teams. The Special Assistant will handle trustee-facing logistics — heavy meeting scheduling, travel coordination, and expense processing, as well as managing the CLO's calendar, travel, and daily planning. This is a high-visibility, board-facing role. The ideal candidate brings strong administrative and organizational skills, along with the judgement, discretion and executive presence needed to represent the Office of the CLO and the Foundation in direct interactions with Trustees and senior leadership.

• Owns heavy scheduling for Board of Trustees, Committee, and other Trustee-related meetings, liaising with Trustees' assistants and other Ford EAs to ensure maximum participation.
• Coordinates Trustee travel to New York and off-site Board meetings, working with Ford's designated travel support.
• Serves as a day-to-day point of contact for Trustees and their assistants on scheduling and travel logistics.
• Performs other administrative duties related to trustee meetings, including collecting materials and posting them to the board portal and coordinating with Ford's AV and events teams to ensure all logistics are managed for meetings.
• Reviews Trustee expense reports and related vendor invoices for accuracy and policy compliance.
• Handles confidential, sensitive material related to the Board of Trustees, exercising a high degree of discretion.

• Provides core support to the CLO, facilitating the daily planning and processes for the office.
• Takes on special projects and other tasks as needed.
• Proactively manages and accurately maintains Google calendars and scheduling commitments for internal, external, and virtual meetings.
• Plans and coordinates logistics for on-site and off-site meetings, provides support during meetings as necessary, and provides appropriate meeting follow-up.
• Prepares and manages domestic and international travel itineraries; manages related logistics and coordinates all appropriate follow-up.
• Initiates, submits, and tracks expense documentation for the CLO.
• Prepares materials for internal and external meetings and conferences as needed.
• Manages and responds to inquiries on behalf of the CLO, maintaining appropriate records with particular attention to accuracy and time-sensitive matters.
• Liaises with facilities, IT/AV, catering, mail room, and other departments to facilitate related inquiries and requests.

• Develops and maintains a deep understanding of the Foundation's operations to function as a senior member of the administrative team.
• Maintains appropriate operational records in print and digital formats, with particular attention to key and confidential documents and record retention policies.
• Coordinates within the administrative/EA cohort to share knowledge and strengthen workflow across the VP team; supports onboarding for newly hired administrative staff.
• May help monitor or coordinate absence coverage and workflow across the division's administrative team.

• 4+ years of experience supporting senior executives, ideally including exposure to board or governance operations.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience.
• A high level of attention to detail, particularly with board materials, legal documents, and trustee-facing communications, where accuracy is essential.
• Exceptional judgment and comfort and confidence interacting directly with Trustees and senior leadership on the Foundation's behalf.
• Demonstrated discretion in handling highly confidential legal and governance material.
• Ability to manage complex, competing calendars and priorities across multiple principals (the CLO and the Board) with accuracy.
• Experience managing administrative and logistical processes in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Extensive experience developing and managing domestic and international travel…