Specialist, Board Operations and Relations

Position Summary:

The Specialist, Board Operations and Relations, based in the Office of the President and CEO, manages defined governance operations, board communications, and board engagement workstreams for the Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors and affiliated organizations, including the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement Board of Directors.

Working closely with the Senior Director, Board Operations and Relations, this role is responsible for managing recurring board governance processes, developing and refining board-facing materials and communications, evaluating process needs, recommending solutions, and supporting the effective execution of board and committee work across the Board, Executive Management Team, staff committee liaisons, and cross-functional partners.

The role requires sound judgment, discretion, project management, and strong written communication skills to ensure governance processes, board-facing materials, and board communications are accurate, timely, polished, and appropriately framed for a governing board audience. The Specialist exercises independent judgment in managing assigned workstreams, identifying and resolving routine governance and board operations issues, and escalating novel, sensitive, or higher-risk matters as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in nonprofit management, business administration, communications, public administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4–6 years of experience in board operations, governance operations, executive office operations, nonprofit administration, project management, executive communications, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience developing, drafting, editing, or refining materials and communications for senior executives, board members, volunteer leaders, or other high-level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment, manage sensitive and confidential information, identify issues, recommend solutions, and escalate appropriately.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines, stakeholders, deliverables, and follow-up items simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and with appropriate discretion to internal and external audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, consistency, and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, anticipate needs, evaluate options, recommend approaches, and manage work with limited day-to-day direction.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build effective working relationships with senior leaders, board members, volunteer leaders, staff committee liaisons, cross-functional teams, and external partners.
• Demonstrated professionalism and discretion appropriate for work within the Office of the President and CEO.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and ability to learn and manage technology platforms used in board operations and governance processes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting a nonprofit Board of Directors, board committee structure, executive leadership team, or senior volunteer leadership group.
• Understanding of nonprofit governance, board operations, volunteer leadership, or governance-related processes.
• Experience with board portals, such as Boardvantage.
• Experience developing, editing, or managing board, executive, governance, or committee materials.
• Experience with survey software, such as Alchemer or SurveyMonkey.
• Experience with expense management software, such as Workday.
• Experience with or willingness to become proficient in Association-approved artificial intelligence tools, such as Claude, to support board operations, workflow management, and materials development.
• Strong team orientation, curiosity, customer-service mindset, and ability to identify needs proactively.

Physical and Practical Requirements:

• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Occasional evening, early morning, or weekend availability.
• Ability to travel at least three times per year for Board of Directors meetings and related board events.
• Position location: Alzheimer’s Association Home Office, Chicago, IL.

Position: Specialist, Board Operations and Relations

Department: Office of the President and CEO

Full Time: 37.5 hours

Position Grade and Compensation: Grade 507 Exempt; The Alzheimer’s Association’s good faith expectation for the salary range for this role is between $71,000.00 - $84,000.00

Reports to: Senior Director, Board Operations and Relations

Who We Are:

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia– by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.

The Alzheimer’s Association announced a landmark $100 million investment in research for 2023. This unparalleled commitment is illustrative of the momentum we are building in dementia research — our investments today will lead to breakthroughs tomorrow.

At the Alzheimer’s Association, our employees are at the core of all we do. Our network of more than 1,900 employees across the United States makes a difference each and every day for those impacted by Alzheimer’s and those at risk for the disease.

We warmly invite qualified applicants to consider this opportunity to make a life-changing impact on the millions living with Alzheimer’s, their caregivers and those that may develop the disease in the future. Read on to learn more about the role, then visit our website www.alz.org/jobs to explore who we are and why we've been recognized as a Best Place to Work for the last twelve years in a row.

At the Alzheimer's Association®, we believe that diverse perspectives are critical to achieving health equity — meaning that all communities have a fair and just opportunity for early diagnosis and access to risk reduction and quality care. The Association is committed to engaging underrepresented and underserved communities and responding with resources and education to address the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

 The Alzheimer’s Association commitment remains steadfast in engaging all communities in our full mission. The Association provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment to the fullest extent required by law, including, but not limited to, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees working 24 hours/week or more are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, flex accounts, short and long-term disability, life insurance, long term care insurance, tuition reimbursement, generous Paid Time Off, 12 annual holidays and Paid Family Leave, as well as an annual Cultural & Heritage Day and Volunteer Day of their choosing. They are also eligible for our gold standard 401(k) retirement plan. Please click HERE for more information.

Full time employees (37.5 hours/week), will enjoy all of the above plus an annual School Visitation Day and an Elder Care Facility Day of their choosing.

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