POSITION TITLE
Director of Executive Support Job Code: 555
FLSA Status: Exempt Employment Status: Full-time
Reports To: President and CEO, Palmetto Goodwill Management Status: Y
Direct Reports: None
Location: North Charleston, SC
ROLE MISSION
Protect and amplify the strategic capacity of the CEO and Board of Directors by leading the systems, communications, and governance operations of the Office of the President, ensuring both are always positioned to lead, decide, and act at their highest level.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
CEO Preparation and Engagement
- Own the CEO's calendar as a strategic instrument, not a scheduling tool. Build in preparation, travel, transition, and recovery time for every engagement, and proactively protect the CEO's capacity for high-priority work.
- Prepare the CEO for every engagement with thorough research, concise briefings, and current materials, delivered a minimum of two weeks in advance for major events, GII meetings, and public appearances.
- Arrange all travel and logistics with a complete travel folder including agenda, contacts, context, and materials. Anticipate what the CEO will need before being asked.
- Track all CEO commitments, action items, and follow-throughs across stakeholder groups. Escalate items in jeopardy before they become problems.
- Create and maintain a community engagement calendar that maps which Palmetto Goodwill leader represents the organization at each event, with an explicit evaluation process for determining when CEO presence is required versus when it can and should be delegated.
- Serve as the operational lead for all Goodwill Industries International (GII) and Goodwill network relationships, visit management, and national meeting preparation.
Board Governance and Support
- Partner with the CEO and Board Chair to set meeting agendas, prepare board books, and disseminate materials, with a firm standard of 10+ days for CEO review and 7+ days for board distribution before every meeting.
- Coordinate, attend, and accurately record minutes for all Board of Directors, Board Committee, and C-level meetings.
- Manage the full board governance calendar, including prep-the-chair cycles, committee meetings, and annual governance review milestones.
- Own all board document storage, organized intuitively, clearly marked as draft or final, date-stamped, and maintained in a searchable platform. Documents must always be current and accessible.
- Formally document and socialize expectations and processes for staff board committee leads. Serve as the internal expert on board governance standards, conflict-of-interest protocols, and fiduciary compliance.
- Support board member onboarding, orientation, and engagement processes in coordination with the CEO and governance committee.
Executive Voice and Communications Support
- Produce high-quality first drafts of speeches, correspondence, talking points, video scripts, and presentations that reflect thorough research and a deep working knowledge of the CEO's communication style, values, and priorities.
- Understand that the CEO maintains final editorial authority over all outward-facing content and frequently refines drafts substantially. The goal of this function is to reduce the CEO's cognitive load by providing a strong, well-researched starting point so the CEO is editing rather than creating from scratch. Success is measured by the quality and usefulness of the draft, not by how closely it matches the CEO's final version.
- Build and maintain an Office of the President communications library: templates for speeches, presentations, and correspondence; current statistics and talking points for Palmetto Goodwill programs and impact; and current biographies for the CEO, Executive Team, and Leadership Team.
- Develop and execute a standard, time-bound process for all CEO communications with defined lead times, a decision tree for CEO-required versus delegate-appropriate content, and research standards appropriate to each engagement type.
Office of the President Systems and Operations
- Design and maintain the electronic document storage architecture for the Office of the President, organized intuitively, with appropriate security, constantly accessible to the CEO and key staff, and always current.
- Develop and operate a triage system and decision tree for managing incoming requests and information across the Office of the President. Determine what requires CEO attention, what can be delegated, and what must be declined.
- Manage the Executive Team and Leadership Team meeting series: annual calendar creation, agenda development, communications, and follow-up action tracking.
- Prepare regular status reports for the CEO on the health of all Office of the President action items, with clear visibility into what is on track and what requires intervention.
- Oversee project rigor for Office of the President initiatives, typically spanning one to two years in duration.
- This position may include supervisory responsibilities as organizational needs evolve
CORE COMPETENCIES
Anticipatory Intelligence
Consistently reads the environment ahead of the CEO, surfaces issues before they escalate, and proactively protects executive capacity. Moves from reactive task completion to proactive partnership.
Board Governance Literacy
Deep understanding of nonprofit board governance standards, including fiduciary duties, committee structures, conflict-of-interest protocols, and board-management distinctions. Comfortable serving as the internal authority on governance process.
Executive Voice Support
Produces high-quality first drafts across communication formats. Understands that CEO voice is particular and proprietary, approaches every draft with rigor, and treats the CEO's editorial process as the quality standard rather than a limitation.
Resilience in a High-Standards Environment
Works comfortably in a close partnership with a CEO who holds a high standard for everything that reflects Palmetto Goodwill and who actively refines work to meet that standard. The right person takes that iterative process in stride, stays energized by continuous improvement, and receives feedback as learning rather than judgment.
Stakeholder Navigation and Political Acumen
Skilled at reading organizational dynamics, managing competing demands with diplomacy, and exercising sound judgment about when to act independently versus when to escalate. Comfortable operating in environments with complex internal and external stakeholder relationships.
Systems and Information Management
Builds and maintains institutional systems that outlast any individual. Creates document architectures, communication libraries, triage frameworks, and process templates that increase organizational efficiency and reduce dependency on tribal knowledge.
Technology and AI Fluency
Proficient with productivity and collaboration platforms. Comfortable adopting and applying AI tools to enhance the efficiency of the Office of the President. Brings a continuous improvement mindset to the use of technology in executive operations.
Discretion and Executive Judgment
Maintains strict confidentiality across all organizational matters. Exercises excellent judgment about sensitivity, appropriate communication channels, and escalation. Trusted by the CEO, Board, and Executive Team with the most consequential information in the organization.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in business, nonprofit management, public administration, or related field.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in executive support roles, with a minimum of 3 years in direct CEO support.
- Demonstrated experience managing board governance processes, including board books, minutes, committee coordination, and compliance documentation.
- Proven ability to manage complex, high-volume executive calendars and competing priorities with minimal supervision.
- Exceptional written communication skills with demonstrated experience drafting executive-level content.
Preferred Qualifications
- Graduate degree in business, nonprofit management, or related field.
- Experience in a federated nonprofit network (Goodwill, United Way, Red Cross, or equivalent) with demonstrated understanding of national network governance and partner relationships.
- Familiarity with board management platforms (OnBoard, Boardable, BoardEffect, or equivalent).
- Experience supporting an organization with an active AI, technology, or social enterprise component.
- Experience partnering with marketing, communications, or development functions to support executive thought leadership and external representation.
Ace Culture and I-CARE Alignment
This position embodies and champions Palmetto Goodwill's ACE culture (Amazing Customer Experiences) and demonstrates our I CARE values in all interactions:
- Integrity — Do the right thing, even when no one is watching
- Collaboration — Work together across teams to achieve shared goals
- Accountability — Own outcomes and take responsibility for results
- Respect — Treat everyone with dignity and value diverse perspectives
- Excellence — Strive for quality in everything we do
WORK ENVIRONMENT & ADA STATEMENT
Office-based role with regular executive meetings, board engagement and regional travel. Requires sustained focus, use of technology, and interaction with diverse stakeholders. Reasonable accommodation will be provided in accordance with applicable law.
Requirements:
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in business, nonprofit management, public administration, or related field.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in executive support roles, with a minimum of 3 years in direct CEO support.
- Demonstrated experience managing board governance processes, including board books, minutes, committee coordination, and compliance documentation.
- Proven ability to manage complex, high-volume executive calendars and competing priorities with minimal supervision.
- Exceptional written communication skills with demonstrated experience drafting executive-level content.
Preferred Qualifications
- Graduate degree in business, nonprofit management, or related field.
- Experience in a federated nonprofit network (Goodwill, United Way, Red Cross, or equivalent) with demonstrated understanding of national network governance and partner relationships.
- Familiarity with board management platforms (OnBoard, Boardable, BoardEffect, or equivalent).
- Experience supporting an organization with an active AI, technology, or social enterprise component.
- Experience partnering with marketing, communications, or development functions to support executive thought leadership and external representation.
Ace Culture and I-CARE Alignment
This position embodies and champions Palmetto Goodwill's ACE culture (Amazing Customer Experiences) and demonstrates our I CARE values in all interactions:
- Integrity — Do the right thing, even when no one is watching
- Collaboration — Work together across teams to achieve shared goals
- Accountability — Own outcomes and take responsibility for results
- Respect — Treat everyone with dignity and value diverse perspectives
- Excellence — Strive for quality in everything we do
WORK ENVIRONMENT & ADA STATEMENT
Office-based role with regular executive meetings, board engagement and regional travel. Requires sustained focus, use of technology, and interaction with diverse stakeholders. Reasonable accommodation will be provided in accordance with applicable law.
