Description

The Opportunity

The Executive Assistant will plan, direct, and coordinate the Executive Director’s schedule, travel arrangements, and correspondence as well as a defined range of administrative and operational activities. This is a vital role for the organization, bringing efficiency and steadiness to a demanding role. The position requires an impeccable sense of discretion, continuous confidentiality, as well as great care in the representation of the Executive Director. The Executive Assistant will be a member of the Executive Director Office team, bringing reliable support to the Executive Director and reporting to the Senior Liaison in the Executive Director’s Office.  

Specific Responsibilities Include:

• Manage the Executive Director’s demanding schedule, ensuring reliable scheduling of all appointments and clear correspondence with all parties. Develop and maintain a plan to use the ED’s time for the greatest efficiency and effectiveness for the organization, including discretion in the amount of time given to appointments, the preparation necessary, and creating a plan to ensure that thinking and creative development time are part of each week. Prepare meeting materials (briefing points, reports, presentations, etc.) in advance of related appointments.
• Make travel and accommodation arrangements for the Executive Director (ED) with knowledge of meeting/event locations, demands, and the changing nature of schedules impacting travel. Submit accurate and timely ED travel and other expense reports.
• Organize and maintain a system for the Executive Director’s correspondence. System will ensure desired responsiveness for strong relationships, ensuring opportunities are seized, and use ED’s time for maximum value. Screen and direct phone calls and distribute correspondence. Proactively draft correspondence (e.g., thank-you notes to participants) and track follow-up correspondence. Coordinate ED’s engagement through print and electronic means as well as thought leadership through blog posts, social media channels, and other sources in tandem with NCTE’s plans and the NCTE Communications team.
• Create materials for internal and external communication (e.g., memos, emails, presentations, reports).
• Manage the ED’s information flow (from staff as well as members and external partners) in a strategic, timely, organized, and accurate manner.

External Relations:

• Organize the ED’s role with external partners (e.g., publishers, funders, peer organizations, policymakers, contractors) that includes fulfilling follow-up, executing detailed arrangement letters and contracts, and liaising with internal departments for smooth and successful operations involving external parties.

Meeting Support:

• Travel to and support meetings and events upon request.
• Support the ED Office in scheduling, organizing, and managing of small meetings and events as needed, both internal and external to the organization, including working with vendors in the coordination of meeting space, arranging catering, and coordinating attendee travel plans.
• Take minutes and/or notes during meetings when needed.
• Act as a point of contact and positive representative of ED and ED Office among the management team, board, staff, members, vendors, and other external partners. Coordinate affairs as necessary for smooth and effective engagements and relationships.

NCTE Committee Administration:

• Administer 16 NCTE regular and standing committees in consultation with the ED Office/Senior Liaison:
• Guide committee chairs to ensure scheduled activities are adhered to and procedures reflect current and efficient practices.
• Lead approximately five scheduled communications to committee leaders each year, managing processes related to committee nominations and policies around adding members, among other procedural reminders. 
• Collect documents from committee leaders each year, including annual reports, funding, and nomination forms.
• Conduct ongoing analysis and editing of NCTE’s annual schedule of committee tracking, including member outreach, database and website updates, reports, and template communications.
• Update committee chair (resource) handbooks annually, sharing and clarifying processes as pertinent to volunteer group activities and needs.

Special Assignments/Projects:

• Help the Senior Liaison plan and produce online events, drafting ideas and runs of show, collaborating across the organization to develop cross-functional engagement and successful execution as needed. Play a support role in flawless delivery of events and staffing for the ED and other essential partners.

General Administrative Support:

• Provide administrative support for Human Resources in the recruitment and search for new staff members, including the onboarding process. This will include screening candidate applications, maintaining an applicant tracking system, and scheduling interviews to include HR and hiring managers as needed.
• Document, improve upon, and ultimately manage processes to improve efficiency (e.g., using a project tracking tool such as Smartsheet).
• Perform office duties that include expense reimbursement for member-leaders, ordering supplies, and managing a records database.
• Provide other general administrative support as needed.

Requirements

The Executive Assistant will encompass the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree; 5 years progressive experience in a similar executive assistant role, preferably in a remote workforce setting.
• Passion for the work of NCTE.
• Prior experience handling confidential and sensitive information and issues with a high level of professionalism.
• Strong organizational and planning skills; great attention to detail. Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work outside of regular business hours including weekends and evenings as required.
• Strong problem-solving skills with an ability to find working solutions to unique and unforeseen challenges.
• A willingness to take ownership and responsibility of multiple tasks without sacrificing accuracy.
• Excellent time management skills, adherence to deadlines, and follow-through.
• Extensive knowledge of MS Office and familiarity with databases; ability to learn new software programs.
• Experience in envisioning and defining new systems of executive support.
• Willingness to travel; travel could be as often as five times per year but could vary on an annual basis.