Administrative Assistant/Office Manager - Cornerstone Planning Group

Job Description

Job Description

BLANKSLATE Partners is thrilled to be supporting our client Cornerstone Planning Group, located on Granville Island, as they search for an Administrative Assistant/Office Manager, to add to their small, dynamic team. If you are passionate about organization, supporting a wonderful team, and want to love what you do, we would love to hear from you.

About Cornerstone Planning Group:

Cornerstone is a boutique consultancy located on Granville Island (dog friendly office) in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Specializing in strategic planning for public sector organizations -- typically related to organizational design and infrastructure requirements -- our work emphasizes long-term planning and rigorous research into relevant trends and service demand patterns. Our work spans a wide variety of sectors, and facilities can include: hospitals, libraries, community centers, transitional housing, art and culture venues, theaters, schools and universities, clinics, offices, industrial workshops and yards, and more.

About the role:

We are seeking a highly organized and proactive Administrative Assistant/Office Manager to join our team. This role plays a critical part in ensuring the smooth operation of our office, providing essential administrative and office management support, while also contributing to project-related tasks from the outset. As the administrative workload alone does not constitute a full-time position, this role intentionally combines administrative responsibilities with hands-on project support, offering exposure to planning-related processes and workflows.

We are particularly interested in candidates who value administrative excellence, enjoy contributing to project teams, and are motivated to build skills over time. For the right individual, this role provides a strong foundation and professional exposure that may support longer-term career development within the firm.

What You’ll Do:

Administrative & Office management (Core Responsibilities)

• Manage calendars, schedule meetings, and coordinate appointments for team members.
• Ensure timely communication and follow-up related to meetings and schedules.
• Order office supplies, equipment, and materials; monitor inventory and replenish as needed.
• Handle basic IT setup, troubleshooting and licensing; liaise with external IT support for complex issues.
• Coordinate office logistics, including food, beverages, celebrations, and team events.
• Assist with planning and coordinating company events, workshops, and seminars, including venue booking, catering, and attendee coordination.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and welcoming office environment, including light facilities tasks such as watering plants.
• Coordinate travel bookings, accommodations, and itineraries for team members.
• Collect, organize, and reconcile receipts, invoices, and expense reports.
• Reconcile credit card transactions and follow up on missing documentation.
• Oversee accounts receivable, follow up on outstanding invoices, and manage staff reimbursements.
• Track employee vacation days and maintain the vacation schedule.
• Check and distribute mail.
• Coordinate team coverage during business hours.
• Assist team members with personal administrative requests as needed (e.g. appointment booking or service coordination).
• Pull and compile monthly project hours from Harvest to support invoicing.
• Track sub-consultant invoices and project-related expenses.

Project & Planning Support (Additional activities)

• Assist with preparation of project plans, reports, presentations, and other project documentation.
• Provide administrative and coordination support for active projects, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, and taking meeting notes.
• Support background research, data gathering, and organization of reference materials under the guidance of planning staff.
• Assist with graphic layout and development of proposals, reports, and presentation materials.
• Provide support during proposal development, including assembling submission materials and coordinating inputs from team members.
• Assist with general project coordination tasks as needed to support planners and project managers.
• Keep team resumes and qualifications updated with relevant project experience.
• Maintain internal databases of staff credentials, project experience, and achievements.

Requirements

• Previous experience in office administration, coordination, or a similar support role.
• Background in business administration, planning, or a related field; a post‑secondary degree is preferred or equivalent experience.
• This role is well suited to recent graduates interested in building a strong administrative foundation while being exposed to project-based work within the field of Planning.
• Impeccable attention to detail in execution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized, proactive, and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Collaborative team player who is self-motivated to work autonomously.
• Tech‑savvy and familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite. Able to learn quickly and help others.
• Proactive and problem solver who can react quickly to changing needs in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Salary target: 50,000-60,000 annual salary

Comprehensive benefits

On-site in beautiful Granville Island office

3 weeks vacation

5 paid sick days