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Strategic Associate, Founder's Office – Indianapolis, IN

As a Strategic Associate, you'll work directly alongside the Company Founder as a trusted business partner, gaining firsthand exposure to executive leadership, strategic decision-making, and business operations. You'll contribute to high-impact initiatives, attend key meetings, coordinate cross-functional projects, and help keep the organization's highest priorities moving forward. As trust and business knowledge grow, you'll take on increasing responsibility and become a valued extension of the Founder in both internal and external interactions.

Why Thompson Thrift?

Thompson Thrift is an integrated, full-service real estate company engaged in the development, construction, leasing, and management of high-quality multifamily communities nationwide. We're committed to building exceptional places — and developing the people who make them possible.

At Thompson Thrift, you'll find:

• Values-Driven Culture — Excellence, Service, and Leadership guide everything we do
• Career Growth — Training, mentorship, and long-term development opportunities
• Work-Life Support — Competitive benefits, flexibility, and wellness programs
• Real Impact — Hands-on involvement in industry-leading multifamily projects

Your Role as a Strategic Operations Associate

As a Strategic Operations Associate, you will work closely with the Company Founder to support executive communication, calendar and priority management, meeting preparation, follow-up tracking, and special projects. This role requires professionalism, sound judgment, confidentiality, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

You will help organize information, draft communications, coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, and support systems that improve efficiency and focus. Over time, you will develop a deeper understanding of the Founder's priorities, communication style, and decision-making approach, allowing you to act with increasing independence and strategic value.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner closely with the Founder on strategic initiatives, special projects, and business priorities that support the company's long-term objectives.
• Attend internal and external meetings with the Founder, capturing key takeaways, preparing follow-up, and helping drive execution on important initiatives.
• Conduct research, gather data, perform basic analysis, and prepare concise executive summaries to support decision-making.
• Coordinate cross-functional projects by organizing timelines, tracking deliverables, and ensuring commitments move forward across the organization.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders while representing the Founder with professionalism and discretion.
• Help the Founder stay focused on the highest-value priorities by organizing information, identifying critical issues, and reducing unnecessary distractions.
• Support executive communication by drafting emails, meeting summaries, presentations, and other written materials for review.
• Manage and prioritize the Founder's inbox, including message triage, response drafting, and follow-up tracking.
• Coordinate scheduling, meeting agendas, background materials, and logistics to maximize the Founder's effectiveness.
• Organize task lists, project trackers, and action items to improve accountability and execution.
• Flag urgent or high-priority matters and ensure timely follow-through on key commitments.
• Identify opportunities to improve communication, organization, and internal processes that enhance executive effectiveness.

Our Ideal Candidate for this Role

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, or a related field

Experience

• 1+ year of professional experience in an administrative, operations, communications, internship, leadership support, or project coordination role
• Recent graduates with strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills will be considered

Skills & Attributes

• Strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion
• Proactive, dependable, and willing to take initiative
• Strong follow-through and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Sound judgment and the ability to operate with professionalism in a fast-paced environment
• Comfortable asking thoughtful questions, learning quickly, and adapting to changing priorities
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust across all levels of the organization
• Interest in business operations, executive support, leadership, communication management, and strategic project work

Why This Role Matters

The Strategic Operations Associate plays an important role in helping the Company Founder stay focused on the highest-value priorities while ensuring important communication, relationships, and initiatives are handled with care and follow-through.

This position offers meaningful exposure to executive leadership, business operations, strategic decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration within a values-driven real estate company. For a motivated early-career professional, this role provides a strong foundation for long-term growth in operations, leadership support, communications, or strategic project management.