About the Barr Foundation 

The Barr Foundation’s mission is to invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. As stewards, Barr nurtures vital community assets. As catalysts, the Foundation advances breakthrough ideas to shape our collective future. Based in Boston, Barr focuses regionally and selectively engages nationally. We work in partnership with nonprofits, foundations, the public sector, and civic and business leaders to elevate the arts and creative expression, advance solutions for climate change, and connect all students to success in high school and beyond.

Founded in 1997, Barr has grown to become one of the largest private foundations in New England and has contributed over $1 billion to charitable causes. With assets close to $3 billion, Barr’s 2022 grantmaking budget is $140 million. We focus our grantmaking on arts and creativity, climate, and education – complemented by grants to strengthen New England’s social sector and for targeted special initiatives. A set of core values defined by our founding trustees express our beliefs about what constitutes effective philanthropy and guide how the Barr Foundation carries out its mission. Barr is committed to strive for impact, act with humility, invest in leaders, take the long view, center racial equity, embrace risk, and demonstrate curiosity.

These values also guide our hiring process and the workplace culture that we shape together. We aim to make Barr an inclusive workplace where all team members can bring their full and authentic selves and be supported to learn and grow. Barr embraces a hybrid workplace that seeks to balance time in the office and remote work. Located along the waterfront in Boston’s North End, Barr’s offices are in the historic Pilot House and adjacent Two Atlantic Avenue. Our walls and halls feature the work of living, contemporary artists, and the office space was redesigned to provide bright, open, flexible spaces for collaboration and independent work, and to host meetings and events. With expansive views of Boston Harbor, Barr is steps away from Boston’s “Freedom Trail” and near restaurants, shops, museums, parks, bike share and public transit.

For more information about Barr, visit barrfoundation.org and @BarrFdn on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  

About the Operations Team 

The Operations team at Barr is responsible for the administration of business practices to maximize collaboration, efficiency, and effectiveness within an organization. It leads planning, organizing, and overseeing the organization’s processes and facilities to enable greatest organizational impact. The Office Management Specialist will join the office management function within the operations team and work in collaboration with grants management, HR, IT/systems, and finance/accounting and with all teams and departments across the Foundation. The Office Management Specialist will help build the operations team’s capacity at an exciting time of growth and evolution for Barr as the Foundation explores new funding initiatives as it deepens its commitment to DEI and centering racial equity to address structural racism, inequality, and power imbalance.  

About the Position

The Office Management Specialist will report to the Operations Manager and be responsible for supporting a well-functioning office space and facilities management in support of the Foundation’s mission. 

Barr’s offices serve as both a workspace and as a meeting place for our partners—the Office Management Specialist will set a welcoming tone and work with staff, guests, and vendors to maintain and improve the office experience. This includes providing logistical, administrative, and general operational support including meeting the day-to-day needs of staff along with guests’ use of the Foundation’s meeting spaces. It is anticipated that this position will be primarily on-site while offering flexibility for some administrative and related work to be done remote/off-site. Ideally, this position will be on-site four days a week.

This role is envisioned for someone who is a natural executor and can get things done! You enjoy contributing to an organizations mission by supporting people in the spaces that they work.  You understand that successful organizations are made up of individuals and teams working in highly collaborative and productive ways and you contribute to this.  This role is for an individual who is motivated to join colleagues dedicated to using their talents as an integrated team to improve the world and who is comfortable with the onsite office facilities duties and administrative nature of this role.  

Primary Areas of Responsibility

Facilities Management (40 percent)

Manage Barr’s day-to-day office space including kitchen management, maintain stock/supplies inventory, artwork installation, cleaning services, lockers, mailboxes, mail distribution, packaging logistics, etc.

• Serve as point person with vendors, office day porter, outside guests using Barr space, and manage Barr’s fire wardens and other safety protocols
• Work in partnership with Pilot House Properties coordinating facilities management projects across Pilot House and 2 Atlantic spaces

Office Experience for Barr Employees and Guests (30 percent)

• Serve as point person for Barr staff to support Barr’s hybrid work environment needs
• Keep internal documents and staff information up to date (e.g., phone directory, internal phone lists, etc.)
• Act as Barr office point person and coordinate with Pilot House Associates IT to manage phone systems/voicemail attendant system and maintain conference rooms and related AV/systems and conference rooms maintenance
• Support onboarding new hires in coordination with Barr HR and hiring manager/teams
• Order office and home office supplies and set up offices and workstations for new hires
• Implement green/sustainable ideas and projects to make Barr’s office environmentally friendly and aligned to Barr’s culture and hybrid workplace
• Support, and sometimes lead, planning for foundation-wide meetings, such as monthly team meetings, quarterly and annual learning sessions, annual team retreats, team building activities, etc. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, venue research, scheduling, contract negotiations, drafting and monitoring the budget, material preparation, and researching and planning offsite events.
• Manage the reservations process for grantees and partners interested in hosting events at the Foundation offices

Operations Team Support (30 percent)

As part of the Operations Team, the Office Management Specialist will support the Operations Manager’s oversight of office management projects and VP for Administration for ad hoc/general office operations responsibilities. 

This includes:

• Support the contract management, general budgeting process, and office management expense reporting
• Serve as a resource on tools the team uses to work such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Outlook, Calendly, Box, Asana and other MS Office tools
• Provide support on internal policies and the expense reimbursement process in coordination with Finance/Accounting team
• Manage Barr's corporate credit card program and be responsible for facilitating payments and making sure account is up to date.
• Manage foundation-wide calendar and events – working in coordination with Grants Management Team and Foundation leadership to set and manage the master calendar
• Provides oversight for the Foundation's Master Calendar and works in collaboration with senior leadership, program teams, and other departments coordinating Foundation-wide deadlines, events, and other important milestones.
• Manage Barr’s general subscriptions (e.g., philanthropic websites and related journals, multiple news sources/website)
• Project management and execution of foundation-wide operations planning including evolving Barr’s office space as a hybrid workplace and general office infrastructure planning

  Desired Qualities, Experiences, and Competencies

• Three or more years of full-time office/facilities management, hospitality, and/or administrative work experience with strong aptitude for administrative, operational, client-focused, and financial processes
• Demonstrated project management/organizational skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks, and the ability to meet deadlines
• Shows up with a proactive, positive, and “can do” attitude and naturally navigates toward working with people to enhance their Barr employee/guest experience
• Ability to coordinate across internal and external stakeholders to understand needs, negotiate priorities and develop alignment. Works with collegial spirit in sharing ideas and seeking and receiving feedback
• Demonstrated ability to work well individually, as part of a team, and within diverse communities
• Self-motivated, with strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and a commitment to continuous improvement
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Fluency in one or more languages in addition to English is a plus
• Skilled in event or meeting management, with the highest degree of attention to detail and able to work well under pressure
• Committed to inclusion and deeply value a workplace that is supportive of difference
• Devoted to growing own cultural competence and willing to actively participate in the Foundation’s efforts to integrate justice and equity in all facets of our work
• Consistent and dependable for full-time work and available for occasional work outside normal business hours when needed. Prefers in-person work environment
• Experience with MS Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, electronic filing/maintenance systems, Asana or other project management tools, and ability to learn other software/technology as needed, experience with digital organizing tools a plus

Compensation and Benefits

Barr is an equal opportunity employer, with a commitment to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates who would both contribute to and value working in such an environment. The salary range for this role starts at $62,000 and will be determined by factors including experience, readiness for the role, and organizational equity. The Barr Foundation offers an attractive benefits package including generous health, dental, vision, and life insurance; strong retirement savings program; 15 vacation days to start and generous parental leave and health leave policies. All current Barr employees are required to be vaccinated (including booster) for Covid-19, and we will require any new employees to be fully vaccinated by date of hire as well, absent a medical or religious accommodation as approved by the VP, HR Operations and Shared Services.  

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement All current Barr employees are required to be vaccinated (including booster) for Covid-19, and we will require any new employees to be fully vaccinated by date of hire as well, absent a medical or religious accommodation as approved by the VP, HR Operations and Shared Services.  

How to Apply Please visit ADP Career Center to apply for this position. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All inquiries may be directed in confidence to Pam Jensen, Human Resources, via email at pjensen@barrfoundation.org.