Executive Assistant

 

Our Organization

Through collaboration and community, shared stories and shared experiences, NCTE supports teachers and their students in classrooms, on college campuses, and in online learning environments.

For more than 100 years, NCTE has worked with its members to offer journals, publications, and resources; to further the voices and expertise of educators as advocates for their students at the local and federal levels; and to share lesson ideas, research, and teaching strategies through its Annual Convention and other professional learning events.

Our Mission

The National Council of Teachers of English is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. This mission statement was adopted in 1990: “The Council promotes the development of literacy, the use of language to construct personal and public worlds and to achieve full participation in society, through the learning and teaching of English and the related arts and sciences of language.”

The Opportunity

The Executive Assistant will plan, direct, and coordinate a broad range of administrative and operational activities in support of the office of the Executive Director (ED), providing confidential assistance to the ED across a wide range of duties. This position maintains an impeccable sense of discretion and continuous confidentiality, taking great care in the representation of the ED and ED Office. The Executive Assistant will be a member of the ED Office team, report to the Senior Liaison in the Executive Director’s Office and collaborate closely with the Executive Director and Senior Liaison.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Scheduling, Calendar, Correspondence, and Inbox Management

• Develop, coordinate, and protect the Executive Director’s schedule, planning several weeks ahead and ensuring adequate time for key priorities. Develop and ensure prep materials, including presentations, reports, analyses, etc., are available well in advance of meetings, engagements, and events on the Executive Director’s calendar.
• Make travel and accommodation arrangements for the Executive Director, and others upon request, and be available for support through the unexpected; submit accurate and timely expense reports, travel-related and otherwise.
• Organize and maintain a system for the Executive Director’s correspondence, predominantly email, with some telephone and mail. Screen and direct phone calls and distribute correspondence. Proactively draft correspondence, e.g., thank-you notes to participants, and track follow-up correspondence. Coordinate correspondence through print and electronic means as well as social media channels in tandem with NCTE’s plans and NCTE Communications team.
• Create and/or proofread materials for internal and external communication (e.g., memos, emails, presentations, reports).
• Manage the flow of information for the Executive Director (from staff as well as members and external partners) in a timely, organized, and accurate manner.

 

Meeting Support

• Travel to and support meetings and events upon request.
• Schedule, organize, and manage small meetings and events, 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. Often collect information for reports, analysis, etc.

 

Special Assignments/Projects

• Extend the Executive Director’s bandwidth by providing focused support with external partners, including the publishing community, donors, policymakers, and media. This includes organizing and executing projects and/or liaising with internal departments for smooth execution.
• Help plan and produce online events, drafting ideas and runs of show. Collaborate across the organization to develop cross-functional engagement and successful execution. Play a linchpin role in flawless delivery of events and staffing for the Executive Director and other essential partners.
• Accelerate NCTE’s efforts in building an individual donor base. This will include planning with a small team, executing steps on the NCTE website, identifying ways to thank donors, developing campaigns for specialized areas of focus (e.g., awards, etc.).

 

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 ordering supplies and managing a records database.
• Provide other general administrative support as needed.

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 and 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.

 

Apply by emailing resumes to careers@ncte.org.

 

NCTE is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We strongly encourage diversity in our environment.

We strongly encourage diversity in our environment.