Executive Liaison (Private Secretary II)

Position Overview

We invite qualified candidates to apply for the Executive Liaison position at the Illinois Arts Council. This position is responsible for a variety of functions supporting the activities of the Executive Director and the Illinois Arts Council Board. The ideal candidate should have a background in the arts, experience providing administrative support to senior management, and excellent communication and organizational skills. 

Essential Functions

1. As assistant to the Executive Director, conducts research and gathers information for special reports, speeches, and other important documents; coordinates work assignments by monitoring deadlines, appointments, and planned meetings; prepares and signs highly confidential correspondence as authorized by the Executive Director; establishes and maintains confidential executive files of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other vital documents; schedules and coordinates appointments, events, and meetings; confers with state and federal officials and their representatives to assist with the development and implementation of agency programs and initiatives.
2. Acts as executive liaison between the Executive Director, Council Board Chair, Vice Chair, and appointed Council Board Members; performs special assignments as delegated by the Executive Director and Council Board Chair; develops and maintains professional channels of communication with Council Board Members; serves as liaison to the Governor’s office in all matters related to the selection of newly appointed or reappointed Council Board Members; schedules and coordinates all Committee and full Council Board meetings and events; develops, generates, and distributes materials and records related to these proceedings; gathers required yearly documentation and testing from Council Board Members.
3. Monitors staff travel requests and expenditures; requests permission for agency's out-of-state travel by preparing, submitting, and monitoring E-Travel requests; prepares and monitors all travel arrangements for the Executive Director, Council Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Council Board Members when they travel on behalf of the agency; resolves all related discrepancies for those travelers; oversees travel-related needs for agency's review panel meetings.
4. Serves as liaison between agency staff and the Executive Director; advises Senior Staff of procedural revisions and assists with implementation of changes based on the Executive Director’s instructions; observes internal flow of agency’s day-to-day operations and researches and presents recommendations for improvement to the Executive Director; compiles and reviews Council, staff, and constituent suggestions; investigates and evaluates situations and procedures; reports findings and recommendations to the Executive Director.
5. Oversees preparation for regularly scheduled staff meetings; at the Executive Director’s request, schedules and announces special staff meetings and distributes information pertinent to matters for discussion; collects and compiles staff suggestions and recommendations for the Executive Director’s review; provides the Executive Director’s analyses and suggestions to the Senior Staff and assists with implementing desired changes.
6. Coordinates and assists with the legislative process for the Executive Director, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Council Board Chair, and Chief of Operations; monitors and evaluates relevant legislative activities and issues; helps interpret new legislation; provides Council Board Members with overview of important issues pertaining to legislative sessions; provides updates to the Executive Director and Council Board Chair on a regular basis.
7. Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to the completion of two years of secretarial or business college and four years of secretarial experience; or the completion of high school and six years of secretarial experience.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Prefers 2 years of experience working in a public or private organization assisting in interpreting and implementing programs, rules, and regulations.
2. Prefers 2 years of professional experience using strong verbal communication skills and applying human relations skills to interactions with management, officials of government and private industry, and the public.
3. Prefers 2 years of writing and editing experience with thorough knowledge of composition, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
4. Prefers 1 year of experience in bookkeeping and familiarity with budgetary principles and practices.
5. Prefers 2 years of experience conducting special projects and researching organizational operations to develop recommendations for workflow efficiencies and effectiveness in the office.
6. Prefers 2 years of experience and proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) and video conferencing applications such as Webex or similar.
7. Prefers completion of college courses in public or business administration.

Conditions of Employment

Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate. The condition of employment listed here is incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency

The Illinois Arts Council serves the people of Illinois through a variety of grants and services, primarily geared to:

• Support Illinois' Arts Sector: operating and technical support provided to organizations and programs statewide to help keep Illinois’ arts sector vital, vibrant, and accessible to all
• Advance Arts Education: the arts can be a part of the education of every single child in this state through the programs, services, partnerships, and collaborations of the Illinois Arts Council
• Foster Creativity and Working Artists: Resources, opportunities, and direct support for the work of individual artists—the foundation of Illinois' creative environment

Work for Illinois

The State of Illinois offers a robust benefit package that includes:

• Competitive health, life, dental, and vision insurance
• A pension program 
• Deferred compensation and other pre-tax benefits programs 
• 13-14 paid holidays annually, 3 paid personal business days annually, 12 paid sick days annually, and paid vacation days
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Flexible work schedules 

For more information about our benefits, please visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/Pages/default.aspx.