Application Guide
How to Apply for Executive Assistant - *Remote*
at Compassion and Choices
🏢 About Compassion and Choices
Compassion & Choices is the nation's largest nonprofit dedicated to improving care and expanding options for the end of life, working to ensure everyone has access to compassionate, patient-directed care. It is a mission-driven organization that combines advocacy, education, and healthcare innovation, offering employees the chance to make a tangible impact on a deeply personal and societal issue. Working here means joining a passionate team committed to dignity, autonomy, and systemic change in end-of-life care.
About This Role
As the Executive Assistant to the President/CEO, you will be the trusted right hand to the top leader of a national advocacy organization, managing a complex calendar, executive communications, and strategic coordination. You will ensure the CEO's time is optimized, decisions are tracked, and cross-functional teams stay aligned, directly enabling the organization to advance its mission. This is a high-visibility role that requires discretion, initiative, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, remote executive environment.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with reviewing the CEO's calendar, flagging conflicts, and preparing briefing materials for upcoming meetings. You could coordinate with senior leaders on agenda items, draft correspondence, book travel, and ensure follow-up actions are tracked. Throughout, you'll be the CEO's go-to problem-solver, handling last-minute requests and keeping communication flowing smoothly across the remote team.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Compassion and Choices Is Looking For
- Proven experience supporting C-suite executives, ideally in a nonprofit, advocacy, or mission-driven organization, with a strong track record of managing complex calendars and travel across time zones.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft, edit, and proofread executive correspondence, reports, and presentations with minimal supervision.
- Highly organized and proactive, with the ability to anticipate needs, prioritize competing demands, and maintain confidentiality while working remotely.
- Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to build effective relationships with senior leaders, board members, and external partners, and to serve as a central coordination point.
📝 Tips for Applying to Compassion and Choices
Highlight any experience supporting a CEO or senior executive in a remote or distributed team, and explicitly mention tools you've used to manage calendars, travel, and communications across time zones.
Demonstrate your alignment with Compassion & Choices' mission by referencing specific aspects of their work (e.g., end-of-life care advocacy, patient rights) in your cover letter or resume summary.
Provide concrete examples of how you've protected executive time, such as implementing scheduling systems, preparing briefing materials, or coordinating cross-functional meetings that led to actionable outcomes.
Show your ability to handle confidential information with discretion, perhaps by describing situations where you managed sensitive communications or board-level materials.
Tailor your resume to include keywords from the job description, such as 'complex scheduling,' 'executive communications,' 'briefing materials,' and 'strategic support,' to pass ATS screenings.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
In your cover letter, emphasize: (1) your experience as a strategic partner to a CEO or senior leader, including specific examples of how you optimized their time and improved workflow; (2) your ability to manage confidential and high-stakes communications with professionalism; (3) your passion for the mission of Compassion & Choices and how your values align with their work; and (4) your proficiency in remote collaboration tools and your ability to work independently while keeping executives informed and prepared.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore the Compassion & Choices website, especially their mission, history, and current campaigns, to understand the CEO's priorities and the organization's strategic goals.
- → Research the President/CEO's background, public statements, and recent interviews to tailor your support approach and understand their leadership style.
- → Learn about the end-of-life care landscape, including key issues like medical aid in dying, advance care planning, and healthcare equity, to speak knowledgeably about the organization's work.
- → Check recent news and press releases about Compassion & Choices to stay current on their advocacy wins, challenges, and upcoming initiatives.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Avoid generic applications that don't mention the nonprofit or mission-driven context; Compassion & Choices wants to see genuine interest in their cause, not just any executive assistant role.
- Don't downplay remote work experience—if you haven't worked remotely before, address how you'll stay organized and proactive in a distributed environment.
- Avoid focusing only on administrative tasks; emphasize strategic partnership, anticipation of needs, and your ability to protect executive capacity, as the role requires initiative and judgment.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Compassion and Choices!