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Department Associate

Detroit, Michigan, USA
Full-time
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How to Apply

If you are interested, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] no later than Friday, June 26, 2026. No phone calls, please.

 

The Foundation is seeking a Department Associate to support department-level operations with responsibility for coordinating workflows, maintaining tracking systems, and supporting project execution. Responsibilities are structured to align with our departmental processes, tools, and team-based workflows, with administrative and logistical activities integrated across teams and the organization.

Areas of Responsibility: 

Project Management & Department Coordination

  • Proactively track project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and action items, maintaining visibility across workstreams. Follow up with stakeholders to maintain momentum and meet internal and external deadlines.
  • Develop and maintain project plans, “Before & After Action” reviews, and status trackers to support the team's strategic and operational goals.
  • Coordinate agendas, materials, notes, and follow-up for team, committee, and partner meetings; document and circulate action items to ensure accountability.
  • Serve as cross-functional liaison within a department and across Foundation teams.
  • Execute team events, site visits, partner convenings, and other gatherings—managing all logistics and coordination from planning through execution and close-out.
  • Support onboarding of new team members, temporary staff, and consultants, including scheduling, orientation, and access setup in coordination with Human Resources and Technology teams.

Contract Coordination

  • Serve as the team's primary coordinator for departmental contracts, including:
  1. Processing contracts and amendments in coordination with the contract lead and Operations Department.
  2. Tracking deliverables, payment schedules, and expiration dates; confirming deliverables are met prior to invoice submission.
  3. Reviewing and routing invoices to Finance for timely payment; maintaining accurate contract records in team network folders.
  4. Maintaining organized, up-to-date records of contracts, grant documents, and related project files within shared systems.

Relationship Management

  • Build and maintain responsive relationships with grant partners and external stakeholders through effective communications, supporting positive experiences.
  • Serve as the first point of contact for incoming grant inquiries by screening, triaging, and routing requests; draft initial responses to information requests and out-of-scope proposals.
  • Support the administration of grants throughout the grant lifecycle, including application review, due diligence, approvals, reporting, and closeout processes.
  • Maintain accurate organizational information in the grants management system (i.e. Fluxx) for assigned areas, ensuring accuracy in applications, reporting deadlines, and documentation.
  • Monitor reporting deadlines and follow up with partners to ensure timely submission of required documentation.
  • Coordinate with grant partners to collect documentation, resolve reporting issues, and communicate processing status; keep team staff informed of key developments.
  • Support preparation of grant recommendations, amendments, close-out memos, and grant correspondence; assist with review and summary of grant partner reports.
  • Assist with board and committee meeting materials, coordinating timelines and deliverable dates across contributors.

Department Logistics Support

  • Anticipate the needs of team leaders and members; identify and address gaps, conflicts, or bottlenecks before they become problems.
  • Screen and manage calls, emails, and correspondence on behalf of team leader; ensure timely, professional follow-through.
  • Coordinate travel arrangements, conference registrations, and expense reports for assigned team member(s).
  • Conduct targeted research as assigned and compile data to support planning and decision-making; present findings in summaries, reports, or visual formats.
  • Support preparation, formatting, and quality review of presentations, briefings, and board materials to ensure consistency and accuracy.
  • Drive operational excellence through iterative process analysis and use of systems and tools to streamline workflows and reduce manual effort, implementing scalable process improvement efforts that elevate the department’s efficiency and productivity.
  • Provide backup logistical coverage for other Department Associates and collaborate with Front Desk Concierge to prevent meeting scheduling conflicts and coordinate in shared meeting workflows.
  • Manage calendars for assigned team leaders, prioritizing requests, resolving conflicts, and protecting time for focused work.
  • Provide logistics support for virtual, in-person, and hybrid meetings; maintain team files and document repositories (Microsoft 365 Teams, SharePoint, etc).

Additional Responsibilities

  • Possesses working knowledge and offers support to colleagues in building the department's AI muscle.
  • Participate in staff meetings, retreats, professional development, cross-functional working groups, and Foundation-wide initiatives.
  • Perform other projects and duties as assigned.
Educational Background: 
Associate or Bachelor's degree preferred but not required
Minimum 5 years of related experience, including support of multiple team members
Prior experience in foundation, nonprofit or philanthropic setting strongly preferred
Experience with project management, grants administration, and/or contract processing preferred; working knowledge of project management platforms (e.g., Monday.com), grants management systems (e.g., Fluxx), and financial platforms (e.g., Concur, Sage Int
Skills/Experience: 
  • Commitment to the Foundation's core qualities: stewardship, integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, equal opportunity, service delivery, effectiveness, and respect.
  • Demonstrated project management skills and ability to track multiple workstreams, manage competing deadlines, and drive work to completion with minimal supervision.
  • Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; comfort with virtual meeting platforms and document management systems.
  • Strong relationship-building skills; ability to engage professionally with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including drafting clear correspondence and summarizing complex information.
  • Proactive, self-directed work style; able to anticipate next steps and take initiative in fast-paced or ambiguous situations.
  • Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to understand broader strategic context and big-picture goals.
  • Adaptable and flexible; positive attitude, sound judgment, and unwavering integrity consistent with the Foundation's mission and values.
  • Research and analysis skills necessary to prepare materials/documents; ability to incorporate feedback effectively from team members.  
Compensation/Benefits: 

This is a full-time, onsite, salaried position. The Skillman Foundation offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits, including medical with a health savings account, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts (medical/dependent), a 401(k) (with a match), life insurance, and disability coverage. The salary range for this position is $66,500-$71,000.

How to Apply: 

If you are interested, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] no later than Friday, June 26, 2026. No phone calls, please.

 

Additional Information: 

The Skillman Foundation is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Organization Info

The Skillman Foundation

Overview
Headquarters: 
Detroit, MI, USA
Founded: 
1960
About Us
Areas of Focus: 
Mission: 

We partner with people to transform the education system, nurturing the brilliance and power of Detroit youth.

Programs: 

The Skillman Foundation is a Detroit-based philanthropic organization. Through grantmaking and partnerships, the Foundation supports People Powered Education—the power of students, parents, and educators to modernize the education system in lockstep with policymakers and influencers across Michigan.

Founded in 1960, The Skillman Foundation has granted out more than $775 million and has served as a vocal advocate to strengthen K-12 education, afterschool programming, child-centered neighborhoods, youth and community leadership, and racial equity and justice.

Connect With Us

Listing Stats

Post Date: 
Jun 8 2026
Active Until: 
Jul 8 2026
Hiring Organization: 
The Skillman Foundation
industry: 
Nonprofit