Office Operations Assistant

About FCI

Forward Community Investments (FCI) is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) working solely in Wisconsin. Our mission is to ignite the future of mission-driven organizations, real-estate developers, and small businesses by providing the financial support they need to thrive. Since our inception, FCI has deployed more than $300 million in capital through loans, grants, tax credits, and equity investments to projects and individuals working to create a more equitable Wisconsin.

The Opportunity

You might love this role if you're the person who naturally sees how things could work better - and then makes it happen.

FCI is looking for an energetic, resourceful, and highly organized teammate who will play a central role in keeping our organization running smoothly and making FCI a great place to work. This is more than an administrative role: you will improve systems, introduce new ideas, coordinate important projects and events, support our leadership team, and help shape the day-to-day employee experience at a growing, mission-driven organization.

We're looking for someone who brings positive energy, takes initiative, enjoys solving problems, and isn't afraid to say, 'I think there's a better way to do this.'

What You Will Own

Executive & Leadership Support

• Keep senior leaders organized and effective through thoughtful scheduling, meeting coordination, travel management, expense reporting, and related administrative support for the CEO, COO, and director-level team.
• Anticipate needs, solve logistical problems, and help protect leadership time so the team can stay focused on high-impact work.

Office Experience & Team Culture

• Own the day-to-day employee and office experience across FCI's Madison and Milwaukee locations, anticipating needs and finding practical, creative ways to make our workplaces welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable.
• Coordinate supplies, mail, IT/vendor needs, workplace logistics, and other details that make a well-run office feel effortless.
• Bring creativity and energy to FCI's team culture through planning and serving as the key point of contact for staff gatherings, celebrations, retreats, and other opportunities to strengthen connection across the organization.
• Partner with FCI's COO and PEO on benefits administration and coordinate relationships with other organizational vendors.
• Systems, Data & Technology
• Help maintain accurate, useful Salesforce information, including contact updates and documentation of external partner interactions.
• Look for opportunities to simplify recurring work through stronger processes, better use of Salesforce, automation, AI, collaboration tools, and other practical technology.
• Create straightforward systems and documentation that help the organization work more consistently and efficiently.

Board & Committee Support

• Coordinate board and committee meetings, including scheduling, preparation, materials, and follow-up.
• Manage compliance-related communications with board members and archive documentation in support of audit requirements.
• Plan and execute board retreats, events, and related logistics.

Special Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Lead special projects and process improvements that make FCI more effective - spotting opportunities, developing solutions, and carrying projects from idea through implementation.
• Support organization-wide events, meetings, planning efforts, and follow-up as priorities evolve.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong project-management, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proactive problem-solving, sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt as priorities change.
• A self-starter mindset and the ability to develop useful processes and systems.
• Comfort working in a growing, entrepreneurial environment where some ambiguity comes with the territory.
• Interest in mission-based lending and community development; a basic understanding of banking or finance is helpful but not required.
• Ability to work in person three days per week at FCI's Madison office location.
• Ability to travel, maintain vehicle insurance, and hold a valid driver's license.
• Flexibility to occasionally work evening and weekend hours as necessary.
• A bachelor's degree is preferred but not required. We also welcome candidates whose relevant work and life experience has prepared them to succeed in the role.

You’ll Thrive Here If You…

• Bring positive energy and genuinely enjoy helping a team succeed.
• Are naturally curious and regularly find yourself thinking, "There has to be a better way to do this."
• Take ownership: you see something that needs doing and do not wait to be asked.
• Love creating order out of ambiguity and building simple, useful systems.
• Are comfortable experimenting with new technology and tools to make work easier.
• Can shift comfortably between details and the bigger picture.
• Enjoy working with different personalities and building strong relationships internally and externally.
• Get satisfaction from both highly visible projects and the unglamorous details that make an organization run exceptionally well.
• Are energized by FCI's mission and interested in learning about community development and finance.

Room to Grow

FCI is growing, and we expect this role to grow with us. The right person will have opportunities to take on increasingly complex projects, improve organization-wide systems, work closely with senior leadership, and shape the role around their strengths and interests.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $60,000 – 70,000. FCI provides a competitive compensation and benefits package.

• Medical and dental coverage.
• Employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan, including a 6% tax-deferred employer contribution.
• Generous PTO and holidays.
• Professional development opportunities.

Equal Opportunity

FCI is an equal opportunity employer. FCI does not discriminate in employment based on actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex, or gender. FCI will make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation imposes an undue hardship on the operation of our business.

To Apply

Please send your resume to careers@forwardci.org.

Instead of a traditional cover letter, please include a brief response (a few sentences is plenty) to the following question:

Tell us about something you noticed was not working well - at work, school, or elsewhere - and what you did to improve it.

FCI will hold rolling interviews and will fill the position once we identify the right candidate.