Executive Assistant to the Executive Director and Principal

Socket.dev; Elgin (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

EMSA in Illinois seeks an Executive Assistant to provide high-level administrative and communications support to both the Executive Director and the Principal. The role manages calendars, correspondence, meetings, and records, and serves as a key contact for staff, families, and the Board of Directors.

Responsibilities include coordinating board materials, maintaining confidential records, and supporting communications with authorized entities and community partners.

Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• Minimum three years of experience in an executive assistant, administrative assistant, or office management role.
• Experience in school, nonprofit, or public education setting preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with strong attention to detail.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills; able to manage priorities for two senior leaders.
• Discretion and sound judgment handling confidential information.
• Proficiency with standard office software and comfort learning school information systems.
• Ability to collaborate with staff, families, Board members, and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Executive Director's calendar, travel, and priorities.
• Prepare, proofread, and organize correspondence, reports, presentations, and Board materials.
• Schedule, prepare agendas for, and attend Board and committee meetings; take minutes.
• Coordinate staff professional development sessions and evaluation scheduling.
• Draft, edit, and translate newsletters and announcements for families and staff.
• Serve as a main office contact for students, families, and staff.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Discretion

Office software

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

PowerSchool

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Summary

The Executive Assistant provides high-level administrative, organizational, and communications support to both the Executive Director and the Principal, ensuring the smooth daily operation of school leadership. This position manages calendars, correspondence, meetings, and records for both leaders; serves as a key point of contact for staff, families, and the Board of Directors; and helps coordinate priorities across the Executive Director's and Principal's offices. The Executive Assistant exercises discretion and independent judgment in handling confidential and sensitive information and is often the first point of contact representing EMSA's leadership to the school community.

Primary Responsibilities

Executive & Administrative Support to the Executive Director

• Manage the Executive Director's calendar, appointments, and travel; prioritize and coordinate competing demands on the ED's time.
• Prepare, proofread, and organize correspondence, reports, presentations, and Board materials on behalf of the ED.
• Schedule, prepare agendas for, and attend Board and committee meetings; take and distribute minutes; maintain official Board records and filings.
• Track deadlines related to authorizer reporting, compliance filings, and other regulatory requirements, and flag upcoming due dates to the ED.
• Screen and route calls, emails, and visitors for the ED's office, exercising discretion in handling confidential and sensitive matters.
• Coordinate logistics for school events, community meetings, and stakeholder engagements led by the ED.
• Maintain organized filing systems (physical and digital) for contracts, policies, and official school records.
• Assist with coordinating staff professional development sessions, in-service days, and evaluation scheduling.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Administrative Support to the Principal

• Manage the Principal's calendar and daily schedule, including parent conferences, staff meetings, and school events.
• Support student registration, enrollment, and withdrawal processes, and maintain accurate student records in the student information system.
• Assist with coordinating staff professional development sessions, in-service days, and evaluation scheduling.
• Help prepare communications to families regarding school programs, policies, and events on the Principal's behalf.
• Support the coordination of school safety and emergency procedures documentation under the Principal's direction.
• Assist with scheduling and logistics for student activities, including field trips, clubs, and after-school enrichment programs.
• Serve as a point of contact in the main office for students, families, and staff needing to reach the Principal.
• Schedules IEP and 504 meetings.
• Completes Embrace Student information pages.
• Completes the notification of conferences and sends invites to parents for IEPs and 504s.
• Starts IEP and 504 paperwork for Special Education staff to complete.
• Pull data from PowerSchool for student warnings and detention rosters, including disaggregating data for further analysis and trends.
• Communicate detention and suspension notices with families.

Communications & Stakeholder Relations

• Draft, edit, and translate newsletters, announcements, and other communications to parents, staff, and the community on behalf of the ED and Principal.
• Serve as a courteous and professional first point of contact for parents, community members, and visitors, in person, by phone, and by email.
• Help coordinate communications and scheduling with authorizers, government agencies, and community partners as directed by the ED.
• Support planning and logistics for parent groups, community meetings, and school events.
• Maintain the school's shared calendars and distribution lists to keep communications timely and consistent.
• Manage confidential communications, sensitive organizational information, and personnel matters with the highest standards of discretion and integrity.

Office & School Operations

• Maintain confidential personnel, student, and organizational files in compliance with school policy and applicable law.
• Assist with preparing materials for audits, authorizer site visits, and regulatory reporting.
• Support onboarding logistics for new staff (paperwork, building access, orientation scheduling).
• Perform other administrative duties as assigned by the Executive Director or Principal.
• Apply project management discipline to track Executive Director and Principal priorities across multiple workstreams.
• Develop and maintain efficient records management, information retrieval systems, and operational workflows that support compliance, transparency, and institutional memory.
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready records and generate reports, data summaries, and governance documentation to support Executive Director and Board decision-making.

Candidate Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• Minimum three years of experience in an executive assistant, administrative assistant, or office management role, ideally supporting senior leadership.
• Experience in a school, nonprofit, or public education setting is strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills; ability to manage multiple priorities for two senior leaders simultaneously.
• Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential information.
• Proficiency with standard office software (word processing, spreadsheets, email, calendar systems) and comfort learning school information systems.
• Ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically with staff, families, Board members, and community partners from diverse backgrounds.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sustain extended hours on location and at the computer.
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds.
• Ability to move about EMSA's several campus buildings.
• Occasional evening or early-morning hours required to support Board meetings or school events.

Anti-Discrimination Policy and Commitment to Diversity

EMSA seeks individuals of all backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization and want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. EMSA provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and prohibits discrimination with respect to the hiring or promotion of individuals, conditions of employment, disciplinary and discharge practices, or any other aspect of employment on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, disability, or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.