Program Operations and Administrative Assistant, Southern Lowcountry

Thank you for your interest in joining the Coastal Community Foundation team. Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is an Equal Opportunity Employer with offices in North Charleston and Beaufort, as well as four affiliate foundations. We serve all nine counties on South Carolina’s coast: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper counties.

Established in 1974, Coastal Community Foundation works to create vibrant communities by identifying the challenges facing the region and bringing together resources to address them. Coastal Community Foundation is the largest community foundation in South Carolina, managing more than 700 charitable funds established by individuals, families and organizations and awarding tens of millions of dollars in grants and scholarships each year.

Financial resources are among the many tools we employ in our effort to create vibrant communities. Throughout our history we have served as conveners to bring residents and leaders together to facilitate solutions to community-wide challenges such as housing affordability, economic mobility, quality education and physical and mental well-being. We also have a long history of helping nonprofits build their capacity, and incubating grassroots causes to provide them with structural support, so they grow into fully operational organizations.

Why work for us?

When you join Coastal Community Foundation, you join a dedicated staff and Board of Directors who have earned the trust of donors and grantees alike, helping them advance positive outcomes in the communities they seek to serve and adapting to their evolving needs so that our region thrives together.

We take that same approach and dedication to supporting our staff members to ensure their success at work and outside of the work environment. We offer a competitive salary and a full benefits package, including Paid Time Off, Holidays, Insurance (health, dental, vision, life, disability), 401(k), and professional training and development opportunities.

Our Commitment to Inclusion with Equity

Inclusion with equity is one of our four core values at Coastal Community Foundation, so we not only work to recruit diverse candidates, we work to ensure our team members have all the tools they need to be successful. Our purpose is most effectively fulfilled through proactively supporting the values of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Diversity may be measured by, but is not limited to, differences in age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic circumstance, class, religion, disability, geography, and profession. We acknowledge and respect the many differences that comprise thriving communities and seek diversity in our staff to ensure that a range of perspectives, opinions and experiences are recognized and acted upon in achieving our purpose.

It is our intention to promote a fully equitable philanthropic sector that justly represents and serves all our constituencies. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from candidates of color, of LGBTQ+ identity and of other historically marginalized communities.

About the Position

The Program Operations & Community Impact Coordinator/Assistant, Southern Lowcountry, provides administrative, systems, and coordination support for the Foundation’s grantmaking and community leadership work across Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties. The role manages the operational details that allow grant cycles, community meetings, convenings, and emerging initiatives to move accurately, consistently, and on schedule.

The position has three primary functions: 1) Provides administrative coordination and scheduling support to the Senior Director, Southern Lowcountry for high-priority regional initiatives, stakeholder meetings, convenings, site visits, and strategic partnerships, including preparation of briefing materials, tracking action items, and coordinating follow-up 2) Maintain the administrative infrastructure for the Southern Lowcountry office and operating system. 2) Coordinate grantmaking and community engagement, regional convenings, and related program logistics. 3) .

The Foundation’s Southern Lowcountry approach is evolving from traditional grantmaking toward a broader community investment model that connects grants, learning, nonprofit capacity, leadership development, community engagement, and additional forms of capital. The successful candidate will combine strong attention to detail with responsive service, sound judgment, and an interest in helping the Southern Lowcountry team build trusted relationships across the region.

Essential Functions

Administrative Responsibilities

• Provides administrative support and assistance to the Senior Director and other assigned staff.
• Performs clerical and administrative tasks, including drafting and expediting letters, memos, reports, coding invoices for payment, and other documents.
• Manages the Senior Director’s calendar, schedule appointments, arranges travel and accommodation as needed, and prep materials.
• Implement a meeting intake/triage process and protect recurring strategy blocks.
• Gatekeep and redirect requests to the Program Officer or the Program Associate when appropriate.
• • Prepare agendas, capture action items, and ensure follow-through on your commitments.

Office operations and front-of-house

• Serve as the on-site anchor of the Beaufort suite: greet visitors, manage the corridor and conference room schedule, coordinate signage/wayfinding.
• Coordinate with HR and MarCom to manage vendors, supplies, and basic IT/AV needs in meeting rooms.
• Plan and execute convenings, workshops, and receptions (logistics, RSVPs, materials, catering).
• Schedules and attends meetings, sending reminders, taking notes and recording minutes (when required), including Team Meetings, Review Committee meetings, GCL Committee and Southern Lowcountry Board member meetings.
• Receives incoming communication or memos on behalf of senior staff, reviews content, determines importance, and summarizes or distributes content to appropriate staff.
• Performs office tasks, including maintaining records and ordering items and supplies.

Southern Lowcountry Competitive Grant Operations and Cycle Administration

• Maintain fluency in the Foundation’s grants management systems, including Foundant Grant Lifecycle Manager or successor systems, and use them to support accurate and efficient program administration.
• Build, update, test, and manage assigned online application, review, award, decline, agreement, and reporting processes in coordination with Southern Lowcountry program leads and centralized grants staff.
• Manage the administrative calendar and workflow for assigned Southern Lowcountry grant cycles from planning and launch through decision, payment handoff, reporting, and closeout.
• Prepare application materials, reviewer guidance, committee rosters, agendas, packets, status reports, award and decline communications, grant agreements, and other standard cycle documents.
• Monitor submissions for completeness; coordinate routine follow-up for missing information; and elevate substantive program, eligibility, or compliance questions to the appropriate lead.
• Run reports for staff and volunteers, maintain accurate cycle records, and confirm that each assigned cycle is closed and documented in accordance with Foundation practices.
• Maintain organized electronic files for funded and non-funded applicants and review records for completeness, accuracy, consistency, and duplication.
• Provide first-line technical assistance to applicants, grantees, and reviewers using online portals and triage matters requiring programmatic, compliance, finance, or systems expertise.
• Coordinate with Finance and grants staff to ensure approved awards and required documentation are ready for payment processing.
• Support Southern Lowcountry grant committees, nonprofit leader engagement, and site visits through scheduling, materials preparation, attendance tracking, note-taking, logistics, and timely follow-up.

Grant Compliance and Payment Support

• Complete training and maintain documented readiness to serve as backup to the staff member responsible for grants compliance.
• Identify missing, inconsistent, or unusual information and promptly elevate matters that require legal interpretation, policy judgment, risk acceptance, or leadership approval.
• Participate in periodic cross-training, procedure reviews, and backup-coverage exercises with centralized grant compliance, Finance, and program staff.
• Protect confidential applicant, grantee, donor, student, financial, and organizational information.

Southern Lowcountry Community Engagement and Convening Support

• Coordinate logistics for county-based community meetings, listening sessions, nonprofit convenings, grantee workshops, Coffee & Community sessions, philanthropy salons, and other regional gatherings.
• Manage invitations, registrations, participant communications, venues, catering, accessibility needs, presenters, supplies, travel, event materials, onsite execution, and post-event follow-up.
• Maintain accurate contact, attendance, county representation, repeat participation, referral, and follow-up records for community partners and convening participants.
• Support the Senior Director and program staff with stakeholder outreach, partner scheduling, briefing materials, meeting preparation, and follow-through on community commitments.
• Capture recurring questions, community feedback, emerging needs, potential partners, and collaboration opportunities and organize them for review by Southern Lowcountry leadership.
• Support nonprofit capacity-building activities, peer-learning opportunities, and selected leadership development initiatives, including the Emerging Leaders Program and future youth engagement activities.
• Assist with communications and materials that report back to participants on what was heard, what actions will follow, and which matters require additional partners or resources.
• Provide courteous, timely, and community-centered service to nonprofits, residents, volunteers, fundholders, public partners, and other stakeholders.

Process Improvement, Data, and Team Support

• Document recurring Southern Lowcountry grant, compliance-backup, convening, and program processes and maintain clear templates, checklists, calendars, and standard operating procedures.
• Maintain program trackers and prepare routine dashboards or summaries related to grant-cycle status, applicant support, community engagement, participation, follow-up actions, and program milestones.
• Identify opportunities to simplify administrative steps, reduce duplication, improve applicant and participant experiences, and strengthen handoffs among Southern Lowcountry, Grantmaking & Community Leadership, Finance, Philanthropy, Marketing and Communications, and Talent & Operations.
• Use approved Microsoft 365 and AI-enabled tools responsible for drafting, summarizing, organizing, tracking, and other appropriate administrative tasks, with human review for accuracy, confidentiality, tone, and completeness.
• Prepare presentations, briefing materials, meeting notes, invoices, contracts, stipend records, expense documentation, and other materials for assigned initiatives.
• Manage multiple priorities, communicate risks or delays early, and follow through on commitments.
• Assume responsibility for special projects and evolving Southern Lowcountry support needs as assigned.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Excellent attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple deadlines, recurring cycles, meetings, and events.
• Strong project coordination skills and comfort maintaining calendars, trackers, checklists, records, databases, committee materials, and event logistics.
• Clear, professional written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to provide patient, respectful, and responsive service to applicants, grantees, volunteers, residents, community partners, and colleagues.
• Ability to learn and use grant, constituent, document-management, registration, and payment-support systems; experience with Foundant GLM, C-Suite, Raiser’s Edge, or comparable platforms is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint, and willingness to learn approved AI-enabled tools.
• Ability to distinguish routine administrative matters from questions requiring programmatic, compliance, finance, legal, or leadership review.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive information.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with partners representing different counties, sectors, and community perspectives.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, equity, inclusion, confidentiality, and community-centered service.

Education and Experience

• Associate degree or at least two years of relevant administrative, program, grants, compliance-support, nonprofit, education, community engagement, or office experience required.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Experience supporting deadline-driven programs, application processes, committees, grants, payments, compliance documentation, events, or community-based organizations is preferred.
• Experience coordinating meetings or events and communicating with external participants is preferred.

Travel and Work Schedule

• Regular local and regional travel is required across Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties for site visits, meetings, and convenings.
• Occasional early morning or evening work may be required for community meetings, committee meetings, or events, with scheduling handled in accordance with Foundation policy and applicable law.
• Occasional travel to the Charleston office for staff retreats, meetings and other meetings as deemed necessary by Senior Director, Southern Lowcountry.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to sit and work at a computer for extended periods.
• Must be able to communicate accurately with colleagues and the public in person, by phone, and through digital platforms.
• Occasionally moves within the office and event settings to access files, equipment, supplies, and meeting spaces and lifts small items weighing less than 20 pounds, with reasonable accommodation where applicable.