Executive Assistant

Background

Virgil Abloh fundamentally reshaped how we see creativity and the world around us. As the ultimate multi-hyphenate, he transformed industries, built category-creating brands, and advanced equity, collaboration, and inclusivity across disciplines. He was an artist, architect, engineer, designer, musician, DJ, philanthropist, creative director, artistic director, and advocate. Virgil was a prolific collaborator and a popular fashion theorist whose expansive and innovative approach to design inspired culture and the creative world as we knew it. Virgil transformed not just what consumers wanted to wear, bridging Hypebeast culture and the luxury world, but what brands wanted in a designer — and the meaning of "fashion" itself. For Virgil, clothes were not garments but fungible totems of identity that sat at the nexus of art, music, politics and philosophy.

As the crown prince of collaboration, Virgil always believed that the greatest impact could be made when people collaborated and came together, and he

believed deeply in the power of art to inspire future generations. His commitment to open doors and keep them open for good has served as a model for many who remain inspired by his motto "Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself."

The Virgil Abloh Foundation serves as the 501c3 nonprofit philanthropic arm of Virgil Abloh Securities, the creative company that upholds the far-reaching practice, teachings and ethos of the late creative visionary, Virgil Abloh. Virgil and his wife Shannon believed deeply in the power of creativity to inspire future generations and in the adaptability of the creative industry to foster change.

To continue this work, the Virgil Abloh Foundation was created with a mission to open doors, break barriers, and build a more equitable and inclusive industry for diverse youth and cultural leaders in pursuit of a limitless creative future.

About This Role

The Virgil Abloh Foundation is seeking a highly motivated Executive Assistant to join its team's growing organization. As one of the first points of contact that external and internal parties will have with the Virgil Abloh Foundation, the Executive Assistant is responsible for representing our values while providing exceptional customer service and administrative support to the Executive Director.

This role will report into the Executive Director, serving as the main point of contact for the Executive Director. As an Executive Assistant, your role will be pivotal in supporting the daily operations of our team, ensuring efficient calendar management, excellent customer service, effective internal and external communication, seamless travel coordination, meticulous event planning, and robust administrative support. Additionally, you will have responsibilities in project management and assist in organizational and programming administration tasks.

Core Responsibilities

Calendar Optimization & Executive Prep:

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Executive Director to create an optimized and balanced schedule.
• Manage the Executive Director's calendar, ensuring that they spend the majority of their time on their highest priorities and approve materials in a timely manner.
• Ensure that the Executive Director is fully prepared for all meetings, events, speaking engagements and trips with agendas, bios, talking points, and background reading
• Prepare memos, talking points, powerpoints/presentations, and other documents as necessary to brief the Executive Director and support the Executive Director in briefing key internal and internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate and manage the calendars for the Executive Director with a particular focus on organizing meetings and events including those with funders/prospects, board members, partners/stakeholders, program participants, Virgil Abloh Securities and Virgil Abloh Foundation staff and contractors.
• Schedule appointments, prioritize tasks based on urgency, and ensure no overlaps or conflicts.
• Provide timely reminders and updates for any changes in the scheduled meetings.
  
  

Stakeholder Relations & Customer Service

• Handle email communication with stakeholders, including sending follow-ups post-meetings.
• Prepare and edit correspondence, communications, presentations, and other documents for Executive Director interactions.
• Take detailed notes during meetings to capture key discussions and follow-up action items.
• Travel Coordination:
• Take the lead on travel plans, including researching and booking accommodations and transportation for the Executive Director.
• Prepare comprehensive travel itineraries, aligning all arrangements with individual preferences.
  
  

Event & Program Support

• Support in planning and executing organization programs and events, as needed
• Coordinate logistics such as printing services, translations, and venue arrangements.
• Ensure all event details are meticulously planned and executed.
• Staff and support the Executive Director as needed for key events and programs
  
  

Organization Administrative Support

• Provide administrative support including data entry, filing, and maintaining general office organization.
• Act as a first point of contact for inquiries, directing them to appropriate team members, as appropriate.
• Assist in various HR tasks such as maintaining and updating team records, aiding in recruitment and onboarding processes, and distributing organization-wide communications.
  
  

Project Management

• Create and maintain Foundation objectives, key results, and goals.
• Support specific projects, ensuring clear communication and coordination across teams, managing timelines, resources, and deliverables.
• Monitor project progress and provide updates to the Executive Director
  
  

30-Day Deliverables

Within your first thirty days, you will:

• Own administrative tasks and projects for the Executive Director, including calendar management, travel coordination, and event planning.
• Develop strong relationships within the team and with partners to establish trust as a key representative of the Virgil Abloh Foundation and Executive Director.
• Understand all internal and external communications standards and begin supporting the executive director with managing key deliverables and relationships.
• Anticipate needs of the Executive Director and proactively communicate and take necessary steps to take tasks off of their plate.
• Establish knowledge of daily Foundation operations, key stakeholder relationships, and programs and provide regular status updates.
  
  

Qualifications

The successful candidate for this role thrives in a high-impact, fast-paced collaborative environment and is eager to continue learning and growing alongside our startup.

• Mission-aligned and eager to have an impact.
• Proven experience as an executive assistant or similar role
• Track record of managing high-stakes and complex projects, VIP partners, and working within remote, global teams
• Exceptional organizational, prioritization, and time-management skills
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, especially with high-profile external facing clients with keen attention to detail
• Internal standard of excellence for the highest quality of work
• Growth mindset oriented and comfortable giving and receiving feedback
• Proficiency in using remote work tools like Slack, GSuite, etc.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.
  
  

More Details

• Reports to the Executive Director
• Full-time, Hybrid—remote 75% with 3-4 times per month in Chicago office required
• Salary range $67,000 - $75,000 per year
• Estimated 25% travel required
• Must be authorized for employment in the United States
  
  

Benefits

The Virgil Abloh Foundation offers a generous and competitive benefits package, which includes:

• Flexible time off: Enjoy a generous schedule of paid holidays and vacation.
• Summer Fridays: We take select Fridays off in the summer to prioritize work/life balance.
• 401K and Employer Match: We offer every full-time employee a 401k plan and employer match.
• Professional development: Whether it's a conference, training, or online course, we give yearly stipends so that every team member can continue to develop their craft.
• Paid Parental leave: We support all parents (and their future world-changers) with 16 weeks paid parental leave, plus a transition period upon return.
• Health Benefits: We provide top-notch health benefits including:
• medical/dental/vision
• flexible spending accounts
• employer-paid life insurance
• short- and long-term disability
• Flexible Work from Home Policy
• As a hybrid workplace, our team receives a regular budget to create a comfortable, productive, and ergonomic home office space.
  
  

Values

The Foundation's Values

Collaborative — Collaboration is Community-Building

We believe that collaboration is foundational in everything we do.

Strategic — Strategy is Open-Minded

We design strategies and programs that are modern, open-minded and solutions-driven.

Inclusive — Inclusivity is Essential

We disrupt systems and industries to demand greater inclusivity.

Creative — Creativity is In All We Do

We embrace and harness the creativity within all of us.

Visionary — Vision is Limitless

We envision a limitless future for generations to come.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Virgil Abloh Foundation is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. We do not discriminate, and all decisions we make are made on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business needs. The Virgil Abloh Foundation will not tolerate discrimination in employment, employment-related decisions, or business dealings on the basis of race, color, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status. Learn more at thevirgilablohfoundation.com.