About the Obama Foundation

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone.

We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. 

That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. 

But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity.

As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. 

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.

Location

Chicago, In-Office

Purpose of the Role

The Obama Foundation’s Workplace Services team oversees our physical office locations and provides support to our remote staff members. Reporting to the Manager of Workplace Services and working closely with the Chicago Office Manager, this role will provide administrative support to the Workplace Services team and will be a key point of contact for in-office requests. This role will be responsible for maintaining an organized and professional office experience, ensuring office safety procedures are followed, equipping staff with what they need to execute projects successfully, and providing a welcoming and positive experience while in our Chicago office

Core Job Responsibilities

  • Administrative Support
    • Assist with the planning of our monthly team calls.
    • Draft and post weekly team highlights to Slack 
    • Coordinate meeting room requests and oversee conference room set-ups.
    • Support the team with office projects and events.
  • Office Support 
    • Oversee office and pantry supply procurement, tracking, and stocking. 
    • Assist Office Manager with vendor scheduling and management.
    • Ensure the office is well organized, fully stocked, and free of clutter. 
    • Organize and distribute Foundation mail and packages.
    • Create and supply office badges to staff and visitors
    • Work with building security to ensure that all guests are checked into our guest registration system and staff are promptly notified upon their arrival.
  • Staff Support 
    • Act as a primary point of contact for Chicago staff questions and concerns. 
    • Manage Freshdesk, the Foundation’s customer support ticketing system.
    • Ensure that all customer support tickets are properly routed and responded to within 24 hours. 
    • Draft and send staff communications regarding office updates.
  • Perform other duties as assigned

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

  • Complete all administrative support work/projects on time and with exceptional attention to detail.
  • Pantry items and office supplies are easily accessible, well stocked, and ordered in a timely manner. 
  • Conference rooms are set-up with necessary supplies and staff feel that they have an efficient and accommodating work environment. 
  • Office is well organized and clear of clutter. 
  • Foundation staff and visitors have a positive workplace experience. 
  • Office Coordinator is trained in Foundation security protocols and support is provided to the Chicago Office Manager in the event of an emergency. 
  • Support tickets are answered and/or routed in a timely manner.

Required Qualifications

  • 1 - 3 years of experience within reception, office management, hospitality, or customer service roles 
  • Physical ability to lift large packages and office materials  
  • Proactive, flexible, and resourceful work ethos; ability to anticipate needs, take initiative, and remain calm and effective under pressure
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Excellent organizational skills; demonstrated ability to prioritize, multi-task, and follow through on short- and long-term assignments 
  • Communicates proactively and collaborates effectively with others to achieve objectives and meet deadlines.
  • Strong prioritization skills to effectively juggle short-term and long-term tasks and responsibilities in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment.
  • Experience with Slack, GSuite, customer support ticketing systems, and travel management systems are a plus. 

The salary range for this role is between $51,965 and $64,980.

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The Obama Foundation is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

In the interest of employee health and safety during the pendency of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Obama Foundation is requiring that all prospective employees present proof that they are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, or seek a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons, prior to their first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at careers@obama.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

Apply for this Job

* Required
resume chosen  
Dropbox Google Drive
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel
cover_letter chosen  
Dropbox Google Drive
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel
Demographic Questions [OPTIONAL]

The Obama Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive staff. To better understand the diversity of our applicant pool, we offer those applying for positions at the Foundation the opportunity to share information about their background with us. Responding to these questions is strictly voluntary. If you choose to answer, your responses will not be shown to individuals reviewing applications, the hiring manager, or anyone else who could affect the status of your application. The aggregate information collected through this form will be used to assess the Foundation's overall recruitment efforts only. No hiring decisions are made based on this information. There will be no impact on your application if you choose not to answer these questions.

Ethnicity: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate your ethnicity (Optional) (Note: These options were adapted from the US Census.) (Select one)



Race: To the extent you feel comfortable, please select all the options that best describe your race. (Check all that apply) (Optional) (Note: These options were adapted from the US Census.)









Veteran Status: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate your veteran status. (Optional) (Select one)





Gender Identification: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate which of these gender identities best describes you. (Optional) (Select one)




Ability: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate whether you identify as a person with a disability or exceptionality, or are differently-abled. (Optional) (Select one)



Educational Background: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate the extent of your educational attainment. (Optional)






Sexual Orientation: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate if you identify as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or questioning community. (Optional) (Select one)



Age: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate your age range. (Optional) (Select one)







Country of Origin: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate whether the United States is the country where you were born. (Optional) (Select one)



Parental Status: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate the option that best describes your parental status. (Optional) (Select one)



Dependents: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate whether or not you are responsible for adult dependents. (Optional) (Select one)



Marital Status: To the extent you feel comfortable, please indicate which of these identities best describes your marital status. (Optional) (Select one)




Belief System: To the extent that you feel comfortable, please indicate your affiliation with a belief system. (Optional) (Select one)




Our system has flagged this application as potentially being associated with bot traffic. Please turn off any VPNs, clear your browser cache and cookies, or try submitting your application in a different browser. If this issue persists, please reach out to our support team via our help center.
Please complete the reCAPTCHA above.