Chief Administrative Officer at People's Action Institute

Chicago, Illinois, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

21 May, 26

Salary

197916.0

Posted On

20 Feb, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Governance, Risk Management, Executive Operations, Organizational Effectiveness, Financial Infrastructure, Cross-departmental Alignment, Board Governance, Performance Management, Financial Accountability, Legal Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Risk Assessment, Executive Workflow Management, Process Improvement, Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Collaboration

Industry

Civic and Social Organizations

Description

About People’s Action Institute People’s Action Institute (501c3) is a national people-powered organization that conducts public education toward winning an inclusive democracy and economy. People’s Action Institute builds the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through policy education and campaigns, leadership development, narrative and communications strategies, and more. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, and with remote staff across the country, we support and advance state-based and national efforts for common-sense policies on the environment, decarceration, health care, economic security, housing, education, and more. For more information on People’s Action Institute, please visit https://peoplesaction.org/about-us/peoples-action-institute/ The Opportunity Do you enjoy overseeing core internal systems, including governance, risk management, and executive operations? Then this position is just for you. You will work closely with the Executive Director and other senior leaders to strengthen People’s Action Institute's organizational effectiveness, sustainability, and impact. Overview of the Position As the Chief Administrative Officer, you will report to the Executive Director. The primary function of this position is to provide senior-level leadership over the organization’s administrative, operational, and financial infrastructure, ensuring that organizational priorities are translated into coordinated execution across departments. As Chief Administrative Officer, your typical day will include (but isn’t limited to): Executive & Institutional Administration: Will lead the People’s Action Institute’s (PAI) executive and institutional administration, ensuring that strategic and board-level decisions translate into coordinated execution, accountability, and organizational health. Responsible for tracking executive decisions, ensuring cross-departmental alignment, and identifying institutional risks, while partnering closely with the Executive Director, Chief of Institutional Advancement, and Chief of Staff on governance, resourcing, and capacity building. Stewards effective board governance, ensuring boards and committees are well-supported, engaged, and equipped to govern with clarity and accountability. Supervision & Cross-Functional Leadership: Provides executive leadership and supervision across core internal functions, directly overseeing the Directors of Operations and Finance by guiding the department staff through clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability. Ensures strong coordination between Operations and Finance while maintaining appropriate functional boundaries, and provides executive oversight of the organization’s financial health, internal controls, and audit readiness. Fosters financial accountability and shared understanding among senior leaders to align resources with strategic priorities. Board Management, Compliance, and Risk Management: Collaborates with the Executive Director on board governance, leads organizational compliance and risk management, and ensures that internal systems support the strategic vision of the Executive Director and Boards across all entities (C3, C4, PAC). Partners closely with executive leadership to steward effective board engagement, committee work, and decision-making, while overseeing legal and regulatory compliance, political reporting, and lobbying disclosures. Identifies and escalates organizational risks and constraints, providing clear executive visibility into institutional health. Executive Office Oversight: Oversees the executive team operating system, ensuring that executive workflows, decision-making, and follow-through are disciplined, aligned, and effective. Collaborates with the Executive Director to set the executive agenda and holds accountability standards, ensuring that decisions and commitments are clearly documented, assigned, and followed through. In close partnership with executive support staff, the CAO continuously improves executive team systems to strengthen clarity, alignment, and organizational execution. Other duties may be assigned as needed to support organizational priorities The ideal Chief Administrative Officer should have the following experience and qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, public administration, organizational development, or related field or equivalent experience. 10 or more years of progressive experience in executive or senior leadership roles, ideally within nonprofit, advocacy, political, or grassroots organizing environments. Proven track record of overseeing complex, cross-functional teams and leading organizational systems and culture change. Demonstrated success in building high-performing teams with a focus on staff development, performance management, and cultivating an inclusive, collaborative culture. Exceptional writing skills, with demonstrated ability to produce clear, high-quality memos, reports, and presentation materials that synthesize complex information for senior leadership, boards, and staff. Advanced knowledge of nonprofit governance, political compliance, and risk management across 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and PAC entities. Excellent organizational development and operational skills, including expertise in strategic planning, systems design, and process improvement. Highly organized and detail-oriented with the ability to manage complex information, maintain oversight of multiple workstreams, and ensure quality and consistency across organizational systems. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to coach, collaborate across teams, and work with diverse stakeholders. Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills with the ability to synthesize information, identify strategic opportunities, and execute decisions. Strong commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice and their intersections with a demonstrated ability to apply these principles in the workplace and through professional interactions. Compensation and Benefits: Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt, benefits-eligible Union Position (Yes/No): No Salary Range: Level H - 137,957 - 197,916 Location: Chicago, IL, with a flexible hybrid schedule Reports to: Executive Director Supervises: Operations Director and Finance Director Travel Requirements (Yes/No): Yes - 6-10 times a year Benefits include: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Medical, on the first day of employment, and Dependent Care Flex Spending Account after 90 days, 401(k) plan after 30 days, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, 4 floating holidays (Presidents Day, May Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, 10 paid holidays plus the last two weeks of the year that include Christmas Eve/Christmas Day as well as, New Year’s Eve, and you accrue two weeks of vacation your first year of employment. Our Commitment to Equitable Compensation: We believe in fair compensation for your work - no matter where you live. Our salary scale is comparable to salaries you would find in Chicago, IL, where our headquarters is based. It is based on your months/years of work experience. While we do not determine education as a factor in whether we hire someone to work for People’s Action Institute, we do factor in any relevant higher education experience that you have. To further counter pay inequities and inequality on the team, we have a non-negotiable compensation practice and provide opportunities for advancement for full-time employees based on performance evaluation. Your starting pay reflects where you sit within our salary scale and is based on the information that you provide us on your resume. PAI continues to monitor wages through triennial compensation analysis to ensure that we continue to offer our prospective and current employees fair wages. Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: People’s Action/Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer; womxn, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply. Union People’s Action Institute recognizes our staff bargaining unit affiliated with Chicago Midwest Regional Join Board, Workers United (CMRJB). Any position that is indicated as included in People’s Action Institute’s bargaining unit will be covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. Close date: March 8th at 5:00 pm CST No phone calls, please. Location Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid) Department Senior Leadership Team Employment Type Full-Time Minimum Experience Executive Compensation 137,957 - 197,916

Responsibilities

The Chief Administrative Officer provides senior-level leadership over the organization’s administrative, operational, and financial infrastructure, ensuring organizational priorities are translated into coordinated execution across departments. This role involves leading executive and institutional administration, overseeing governance, risk management, compliance across C3/C4/PAC entities, and supervising the Directors of Operations and Finance.