Administrative Assistant

About Us

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive progress. We have committed a $3.5B endowment to that work and fit the form of our support to the function it serves: grants, investments, and in-house research programs. We accept meaningful risk in the research we back and expect some of it to fail because transformative ideas are rarely the ones already proven. Our projects, and the foundation itself, operate like high-velocity startups, with a high performance bar and competitive compensation to match. We are searching for leaders who are compelled by the challenge of driving high-impact change in the way science is funded, conducted, and communicated. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming atastera.org/vision.

Position Summary

Astera Institute is hiring an organized and proactive Administrative Assistant to support key Astera leaders as we grow. Initially, you will support our Head of AI Research and our Head of Strategic Investments. You'll split your time between both leaders, providing day-to-day administrative support while contributing to broader operations as a member of Astera's ops team reporting to our People Operations Manager.

This role sits at the intersection of frontier research and early-stage investing, so you'll work with scientists, founders, and external partners. As an AI-forward organization, we're looking for someone excited about the transformative potential of AI tools, who sees this role as a chance to build that fluency and uplevel their work from day one.

Responsibilities

Executive Support (80%)

• Manage complex, multi-timezone calendars, balancing competing priorities between leaders

• Coordinate domestic and international travel and conference registrations (flights, hotels, ground transport, itineraries)

• Act as first point of contact for inbound requests, triaging and routing as needed

• Own finance admin, including expense reports and reimbursements, procurement (vendor quotes, POs, and invoice tracking), and budget tracking for programs and projects

• Prepare meeting materials, including agendas, briefing docs, and follow-up notes

• Track action items and follow up on outstanding deliverables

• Maintain organized shared drives and filing systems

• Coordinate guest and visitor logistics, including meeting rooms, badging, and hospitality

• Support research team events, seminars, workshops, and offsites

• Coordinate onboarding logistics for new team members, including equipment, accounts, and first-week schedules

AI Research

• Schedule and coordinate meetings with researchers, academic collaborators, and external partners

• Owning recruiting coordination by scheduling interviews, managing candidate communications, and owning onsite coordination.

• Conduct light research (venues, vendors, background on collaborators) and support special projects

Investments

• Schedule founder pitches, diligence calls, and co-investor meetings, often on short notice

• Help maintain the deal pipeline and CRM, keeping notes and contact records current

• Coordinate board meeting logistics and materials

• Handle confidential deal, portfolio, and financial information with discretion

• Nice to have: Exposure to venture capital, investing, or research environments.

Operations & Cross-functional (20%)

• Support the Foundation ops team as back up front desk reception coverage

• Support the Foundation ops team on projects as they arise, such as vendor coordination, event logistics, or communications support

• Serve as connective tissue between supported leaders and Foundation operations

• Continuously improve processes and ways of working, with an eye toward what new tools and technology make possible

Qualifications

More important than a substantial amount of experience is cultural alignment. Key attributes for success include:

• Prioritization & organizational skills: You manage competing priorities across two leaders with ease and re-prioritize independently when things shift. You stay calm under pressure.

• Relationship orientation & communication skills: You assume best intent and build positive working relationships with scientists, founders, and partners alike. You use written and verbal communication as an effective and critical tool.

• Proactive: You anticipate needs rather than waiting to be asked.

• Start-up mentality: You don't hold strong boundaries around what "isn't your job," and recognize this role may evolve significantly over 6-12 months.

• Discretion: You use good judgment with sensitive information, including confidential investment and financial details.

• Growth mindset: You value giving and receiving respectful, direct feedback. You're excited to learn new tools and techniques that uplevel your abilities and efficiency.

• Creative, tenacious problem solving: You see options where others see constraints, and you're energized by delighting stakeholders with thoughtful solutions.

• Mission drive: You're motivated by enabling science and ventures that could reshape the future.

Location

This role will be on-site 5 days a week in Emeryville, California.

Compensation

This role's pay range is $80,000 - $100,000 per year, based on experience, skills, and location.