Dezeen Jobs

Charcoalblue is hiring studio administrators to join its team in New York or Chicago, USA.

We are seeking two highly organized and approachable studio administrators to join our US team – one based in New York, and one in Chicago. As a studio-based administrator you will be responsible for supporting the administrative needs of all staff affiliated to your studio. This will include undertaking a wide range of administrative duties to support this team, and you will work day to day in close collaboration with the local leadership and management across all of our Business Units (US Theatre Consultancy, Acoustics and CBX).

You will be responsible for the smooth day to day running of your local studio and although the studio administrator roles in New York and Chicago are currently ‘standalone’ in terms of being the sole point of contact providing administrative support in each physical location, you will benefit from joining our global team of studio administrators, collaborating on global administrative projects and initiatives, and working collectively to enrich our global company culture. The administrative remit in either or both studios may widen in the future in line with company growth and business needs ; we may bring in additional administrative support where required. The role requires a high attention to detail, an excellent communication style and an ability to multi-task and prioritise accordingly.

You will report to a senior manager (this will be confirmed at final interview stage) and you will have the chance to meet regularly with your line manager to ensure you are fully supported in your role. We will provide role-specific inductions, ongoing training and professional development to help you succeed.

Primary responsibilities:

• key point of contact for all local studio administrative and compliance matters including insurances, premises contracts, maintenance and utilities and all other external stakeholder contracts, seeking support and sign-off as required
• key point of contact for all local studio (and some project) health and safety, fire safety and business continuity compliance tasks, seeking support and sign-off as required
• coordinate essential facilities services, such as security, cleaning and waste disposal for the studio
• first point of contact for all team members local or visiting for studio support, or general administrative inquiries
• first point of contact for visitors to the studio
• first point of contact for phone calls, directing accordingly and dealing with all verbal and written inquiries
• support all team members affiliated to your local studio, on their day-to-day requirements including travel logistics (travel management systems, accommodation booking requirements, etc. in line with company policy)
• support on studio reconfigurations and relocations
• arrange internal and external (client) meetings, including coordination of calendars across our time zones
• assist with regional and business unit specialist function administrative requirements as required (IT/finance/HR/training and development/marketing/business development)
• support with basic local studio finance tasks as required
• attend and minute key meetings, aid in report compilation/research and attend presentations and training sessions (anti-harassment training, first aid, etc.) as required
• responsibility for updating local studio administrator’s Handbook in collaboration with other administrators as required
• coordinate with other global administrative staff to ensure smooth operations and common approach on local and global culture and initiatives
• work with local and global senior management as required to support on local and global tasks and initiatives as required, including company events such as the AGM (annual general meeting)
• organize local team events like annual holiday party, team-building activities, study tours, etc.
• work according to our partnership handbooks; contributing to these and updating as required
• support with preparing for audits
• other ad hoc general administrative as required
• work in line with our existing partnership handbook policies
• uphold the quality standards of Charcoalblue, working according to our quality assurance guidelines
• undertake continual improvement within work practices as detailed through internal audits]
• provide studio orientations for new team members, work with training and development coordinator on induction planning for new starters

Qualifications and key skills required

We are open to receiving applications from candidates with a varied range of experience and education.

If you meet most of the qualifications below, we encourage you to apply:

• minimum two to three years’ experience in an administrative or similar role requiring a highly organized and attentive approach
• excellent communication skills and ability to work as part of a team
• experience working as part of an international team would be beneficial but is not essential
• must possess a high attention to detail, ability to meet often demanding deadlines, multi-task and manage a varying workload
• experience with Microsoft Office is essential. Google Suite experience would also be advantageous
• experience with Adobe Acrobat and / or Bluebeam is also essential – we operate a paperless office and use the PDF format for all documents
• experience with InDesign, or similar design packages (e.g. Photoshop) is highly preferable
• our written work is an integral part of Charcoalblue’s profile, so a high degree of literacy and accuracy is also important
• a creative interest or experience in live performance, digital media, architecture, design, visual arts or similarly related fields is encouraged and welcomed

Employment details

This role will be based in either our New York or Chicago studio full-time. (subject to state and federal COVID-19 guidance). Please state your preferred location within your covering letter.

The studio administrator role is pivotal in ensuring our studio spaces are welcoming and available to employees and clients as collaborative, social spaces, with quiet working areas if required.  In response to the pandemic, many Charcoalblue team members are operating under a remote (distributed) working model with team members working primarily from their own homes but affiliated with a geographical team and to a physical studio space.

This is a full-time, salaried, non-exempt position and employment at Charcoalblue is at will.

We are offering this role on either a 32 hour or 40 hour working week basis to encourage applications from as wide a range of candidates as possible. Please state your preference within your covering letter.

Benefits

We currently operate an ‘unlimited vacation’ policy* – meaning that you are entitled to a minimum of 15 days’ vacation per year to support your personal wellbeing. This is in addition to federal and some local Public Holidays. *Should you wish to take additional days’ vacation, you may request these through your line manager and approval will be given subject to the demands of your projects and the company’s needs at the time.
We traditionally close our studios between Christmas and New Year, resulting in an additional average four to five days’ paid holiday per annum.
Following 60 days’ employment, you will be eligible to join our 401K scheme (employee contributions only). Charcoalblue will provide 5% annual employer contribution following two years of employment.
Following 60 days’ employment, you will be eligible to join our company health insurance policy subject to the terms and conditions of the policy which are subject to alteration from time to time.

Charcoalblue operates a bonus scheme which is subject to the Partnership’s performance year on year. This is not guaranteed and is paid pro-rata as applicable.

Following 90 days’ employment, two free theatre/ live performance tickets per month to enable you to immerse yourself in the industry as far as possible, in line with our policy limits.

Following 90 days’ employment, we will add on monthly contributions to your home internet service and home utilities to enable you to work from home effectively in line with our distributed working model.

www.charcoalblue.com

• Applications have closed.