Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Assistant Executive Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Assistant Executive Director (AED) partners with the Executive Director/CEO to lead organizational strategy, drive operational excellence, manage finances, and ensure strong relationships with the board, donors, government partners, and staff. The AED acts as a strategic operator—leading cross-functional teams, coordinating program delivery, and stepping into the Executive Director role as needed. This position suits high-impact leaders with demonstrable experience in strategic planning, budget and grant management, staff development, and stakeholder engagement across nonprofit, public or private sectors.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Director of Programs or Programs Director with multi-site responsibility
Director of Operations, Chief of Staff or Senior Operations Manager
Senior Development Director or Director of Finance & Administration

Advancement To:

Executive Director / Chief Executive Officer
Chief Operating Officer (COO) / Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Senior Vice President (Programs, Operations or Development)

Lateral Moves:

VP of Programs, VP of Operations, VP of Development
Chief of Staff or Director of Strategic Initiatives

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide direct operational leadership across programs, finance, HR, IT, and facilities to ensure alignment with the organization's strategic plan, objectives, and performance targets.
Act as the primary point of operational accountability in the absence of the Executive Director, including representing the organization at board meetings, donor briefings, and public events.
Lead development and execution of annual and multi-year strategic plans; translate strategic goals into measurable operational plans, timelines, and KPIs for cross-functional teams.
Oversee budget development, financial forecasting, cash flow management, and monthly financial reporting; work with Finance to ensure accuracy, timely audit preparation, and compliance with funder requirements.
Manage and optimize program delivery operations, ensuring programs meet quality standards, contractual obligations, and measurable outcomes tied to impact and ROI.
Direct fundraising and development operations in partnership with the Development team, including major gift solicitations, capital campaigns, grant strategy, and donor stewardship to achieve revenue goals.
Build and sustain productive relationships with the board of directors, prepare board materials and presentations, and serve as a strategic advisor to board committees.
Lead human capital strategy—recruitment, onboarding, performance management, compensation design, workforce planning, and professional development to build high-performing teams.
Establish and maintain strong policies, governance practices, compliance systems, and internal controls to reduce risk and ensure legal, regulatory, and funder compliance.
Design and implement organization-wide metrics, dashboards and reporting systems to monitor program outcomes, operational efficiency, and financial health.
Drive continuous process improvements across procurement, contract management, and vendor relationships to ensure cost-effectiveness and service quality.
Oversee grant proposal development, grant management and reporting processes; ensure timely submission of deliverables and compliance with grant terms.
Lead enterprise-level change initiatives—technology transformation, mergers/acquisitions, restructuring, or expansion planning—managing timelines, budgets, stakeholders, and communications.
Serve as primary liaison with government agencies, municipal partners, and corporate sponsors; negotiate contracts, MOUs, and service level agreements.
Manage risk and crisis response planning—develop and update emergency plans, communications protocols, and operational continuity strategies.
Coordinate cross-functional annual planning cycles, facilitate executive and leadership team meetings, and ensure disciplined follow-through on action items and deliverables.
Implement and monitor DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives and policies across staffing, programming, procurement and community engagement.
Supervise senior direct reports; mentor leaders, set performance objectives, conduct performance reviews, and support succession planning.
Lead facilities management and capital projects—overseeing leasing, maintenance, security, and capital improvement projects from planning to delivery.
Oversee technology and data governance strategy in collaboration with IT: ensure data integrity, privacy, CRM effectiveness (e.g., Salesforce), and analytics capability for decision-making.
Prepare high-quality briefing materials, strategic memos and presentations for funders, policymakers and executive leadership that synthesize financial, operational and programmatic data.
Negotiate high-value contracts and vendor agreements; manage RFPs and contract renewals to align procurement with strategic priorities.
Monitor and refine organizational policies and procedures; ensure up-to-date employee handbook, procurement policies, and conflict of interest processes.
Champion organizational culture, employee engagement and retention strategies, including recognition programs, employee surveys, and leadership development.
Drive stakeholder engagement campaigns—mobilize partners, volunteers, community leaders and donors to increase support and visibility for the organization.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to inform executive decision-making.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap and ensure operational metrics are captured consistently.
Collaborate with business units to translate data and operational needs into actionable projects.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies for cross-functional projects and digital transformations.
Provide occasional direct program oversight or backup supervision for frontline teams during peak periods.
Assist with communications and public relations as needed—draft press releases, edit executive speeches, and prepare talking points.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic planning and execution: development of multi-year strategic plans and operationalizing strategy into measurable objectives.
Financial management and budgeting: P&L oversight, forecasting, audit readiness, grants accounting and fiscal controls.
Fundraising and development: major gift cultivation, grant proposals, capital campaigns, donor stewardship and CRM (e.g., Salesforce).
Program management and evaluation: logic models, outcomes measurement, program fidelity, and performance dashboards.
Human resources and labor relations: workforce planning, compensation strategy, performance management, and HR compliance.
Contract negotiation and vendor management: RFP management, contract drafting and vendor performance monitoring.
Data-driven decision making: KPI design, management dashboards, and basic analytics (Excel, Tableau, Power BI).
Compliance and risk management: regulatory compliance, internal controls, insurance, and legal oversight.
Technology and systems literacy: CRM administration, ERP exposure, cloud collaboration tools (Office 365 / Google Workspace) and basic IT governance.
Grant management systems and funder reporting: familiarity with grant lifecycle, e-giving platforms, and funder portals.
Project management methodologies: Agile, Scrum awareness, and traditional project scheduling tools (MS Project, Asana, Jira).
Facilities and capital project oversight: lease management, vendor contracting, and capital project budgeting.

Soft Skills

Executive leadership and decision-making under ambiguity and pressure.
Exceptional written and verbal communication—briefing executives, boards, and external stakeholders.
Stakeholder engagement and relationship building with donors, government, community leaders and boards.
Strategic thinking with strong attention to operational detail and executional rigor.
Coaching, mentoring and talent development for senior leaders and managers.
Problem solving and analytical reasoning—synthesizing complex data into actionable recommendations.
Emotional intelligence and diplomacy—managing conflicts and sensitive stakeholder situations.
Change management and influence—driving buy-in across diverse internal and external stakeholders.
Time management and prioritization across competing projects and deadlines.
High integrity and ethical judgment with a commitment to transparency and accountability.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Finance, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MBA, MPA, MA in Nonprofit Management, or related advanced degree) or equivalent executive education.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Public Administration / Public Policy
Nonprofit Management
Finance / Accounting
Organizational Leadership
Communications / Marketing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

7–12+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience; typically 3–5 years in a senior management or director-level role with cross-functional oversight.

Preferred:

Demonstrated success managing budgets of $2M–$50M+ (depending on organization size).
Proven track record in fundraising (major gifts, grants, annual fund), program scale-up, and board relations.
Prior experience in nonprofit, public sector, or mission-driven organizations preferred; corporate or healthcare system leadership experience also applicable.
Experience leading multi-site operations, capital projects, or complex change initiatives.
Familiarity with compliance requirements specific to funders, federal/state grants, and nonprofit governance.