Office Coordinator

Position Summary Our Chicago office hosts many visitors from around our firm, as well as clients and candidates on a daily basis. Our goal is to present each with a warm, professional and discreet experience. The Receptionist is the first voice, face, and service experience for many within and outside of our Firm and must exude our brand promise. Given the pace and volume of our business, as well as the exposure to and interaction with senior executive and board level individuals, there is an expectation that we embrace and deliver seamless teamwork. The quality of service, communication and care must be at the pinnacle of hospitality and professionalism. The constant flow requires focus, precision and attention to detail, and the further expectations of an elite professional services firm require creating a comfortable, nuanced and high-touch experience for each visitor. The Receptionist will be responsible for answering, screening and managing all calls to the main switchboard, as well as managing all aspects of front desk operations and related tasks in a highly efficient manner, ensuring no detail is overlooked. This individual will also be responsible for providing administrative support to all members of the staff, as directed, to assist with workload balance within the office. The successful candidate will serve as the local office ambassador, internally and externally, and demonstrate interest and participation in the overall successful operation of the office by exhibiting a high level of involvement in a team environment. A summary of the core personal attributes and requirements shall include, but are not limited to, the following. This individual will: Exhibit a positive, professional and poised presence, both on the phone and in person; Demonstrate punctuality, reliability and dependability in attendance; Demonstrate flexibility with the hours which may be required to work; Possess a high degree of self-confidence in abilities, and exhibit a “can-do” attitude; Demonstrate proficient knowledge of all Microsoft Suite applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel); Demonstrate exceptional verbal and written communications skills, to include grammar, language and editing skills; Possess a high level of maturity, integrity, honesty and adherence to the principles of confidentiality in all aspects of the individual’s professional duties; Possess superior organizational skills and a demonstrated ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment; Demonstrate competence in coordinating and managing travel and scheduling; Be a motivated, self-starter who can work extremely well under pressure and who is capable of disciplined, independent thinking and exercising excellent judgment with little or no direction. Key Relationships Reports to: Administrative Manager Other Key Relationships: Executive Assistant Staff Associates/Analyst Staff Consultants Other Spencer Stuart Personnel Key Responsibilities Answer/handle all main switchboard calls in a timely and efficient manner; Greet/welcome all clients, candidates and visitors, offer a beverage, and escort individual to the appropriate location within the office; Serve as local point of contact for scheduling and maintenance of internal and external videoconferences, conference room space, as well as allocation of office space for visiting consultants, clients and candidates on the office calendar(s); Maintain external guest wireless account; Assist administrative manager as liaison with property management to facilitate repairs and other building-related matters affecting/pertaining to the overall general management of the office; Ensure cafés is tidy by emptying the dishwasher each morning and loading any remaining items and starting dishwasher each evening before leaving the office; Tidy all visitor rooms, conference rooms and videoconference rooms after each use; Pick up and distribute office mail, newspapers, FedEx, UPS and other packages and post mail each day; Responsible for maintaining/ordering all office supplies, production room materials, café grocery orders and other materials, as requested; Facilitate service calls on office equipment and maintain required meter readings for copiers, postage machine, binding equipment, AED machine and individual office printers; Assist EA staff with the coordination/preparation (set-up/breakdown) of client, candidate and other visitor meetings taking place within the office, to include catering requirements for office, client and/or search committee meetings; Provide administrative assistance to consultants, visiting consultants, administrative manager and EA staff with search-related production requirements and data entry, to include: Document creation (progress reports, candidate presentations, candidate reimbursements and other routine correspondence). Print/fax/copy/bind documents; Creating FedEx/UPS labels; Arranging courier service; Handle candidate education verifications, to include updating the candidate’s record in the Firm’s database to reflect status; Other collateral duties, as required, by the administrative manager. Serve as primary videoconference coordinator, which includes responding to and managing all email and calendar requests for videoconferences, conference rooms and other office space; ensuring all meetings are added to appropriate Outlook calendars; ensuring required forms are completed and/or received, and connecting/disconnecting videoconferences for all visitors and/or office staff, as appropriate. Send an internal office email each afternoon announcing all guests/events for the following day. Ideal Experience Ideally, experience as a receptionist and/or administrative assistant in a fast-paced, professional office environment that is production and administratively oriented. Prior experience in a professional services organization is preferred but not mandatory; Typing speed of 50 wpm is preferred; Excellent verbal and written communication skills, coupled with strong phone and front-desk skills; Ability to handle a variety of tasks simultaneously; adept at being able to prioritize/balance workload, and a strong focus on and attention to detail; Proficient in Microsoft applications (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel); Proficient in proofreading and editing documents; A minimum of three to five years’ administrative experience in a professional environment that is production-oriented is required. Critical Competencies for Success Project Management Manage all job responsibilities to ensure a smooth, high-quality outcome (as measured by year-end performance appraisal and ongoing feedback), while working on multiple priorities and potentially short timelines that involve team members with varying styles. The ideal candidate will do this by: Taking the lead in a timely and efficient manner, ensuring that all parties are kept informed and all details are confirmed and communicated. Proactively demonstrating flexibility in meeting frequently changing demands and requirements, and the ability to identify early warning signs of potential non-delivery by demonstrating troubleshooting skills that are solution oriented. Regularly and effectively communicating with colleagues/team members regarding managing expectations, meeting deadlines and providing project status updates in an efficient and timely manner. Maintaining a professional demeanor and positive attitude. Facing challenges/conflicts by identifying solutions and offering support to colleagues who are in need. Power-user of Technology Leverage technology systems to their fullest potential to increase and maintain efficiency in an environment where technology changes constantly and productivity demands remain high. The ideal candidate will do this by: Embracing and actively participating in training opportunities. Proactively seeking guidance/coaching from peers or corporate trainers to augment/improve any potential deficiencies in skills. Utilizing tools such as Outlook, the Microsoft suite of products, and a relational database to their fullest potential to produce/implement the most efficient end result, to include using the calendar features to schedule, track, and notify people of meetings and scheduling changes. Other Personal Characteristics Exhibit a professional presence and appearance at all times, as well as sensitivity regarding the confidential nature of executive search. Possess and exhibit a high degree of comfort working in a fast-paced and openly communicative, yet confidential, environment. Demonstrate a high level of respect for and adherence to the team approach and Firm values. Express self-confidence by maintaining a balanced perspective, showing maturity, exercising good judgment, and unemotionally addressing issues on merit. Extremely polite, caring and outgoing – someone who easily builds rapport and relationships. Calm under pressure. Proactive; quick study; self-starter; decisive; productive and well-organized. A flexible individual willing to learn and take on additional responsibility. A genuine and conscientious desire to serve the firm, both internally and externally. Spencer Stuart is a proud equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to non-discrimination without regard to actual or perceived race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, immigration status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any basis prohibited under applicable federal, state or local law. All Spencer Stuart employees in the US must be vaccinated against COVID-19. We will provide reasonable accommodations for medical, disability or religious reasons or other legally required exemptions.