Administrative Assistant to Head of School

This job is being posted on behalf of our client, Near North Montessori.

Founded in 1963, Near North Montessori School (NNM) serves more than 560 students from toddlers through 8th grade and is supported by a team of 145 dedicated employees. An independent school, NNM, is one of the largest Montessori schools in the nation and is located in Chicago, IL, in the Wicker Park neighborhood. Highly regarded for its Montessori pedagogy and innovative
approach to education, NNM features an innovation studio, a swimming pool, a playground, a rooftop urban farm, and a student-managed Sandwich Shoppe.

NNM seeks an Administrative Assistant to the Head of School to join our community.

The Administrative Assistant to the Head of School provides a full range of administrative, operational, and strategic support to maintain an effective, well-organized office and to support the well-being of the school and the broader community. 

The ideal candidate will be the first line of communication between the Head of School and the wider community-faculty, staff, students, families, and community members. The Administrative Assistant will manage the daily, frontline operations of the Head of School’s Office and is expected to perform a range of administrative tasks with great attention to detail, organization, professionalism, and confidentiality.

Key Responsibilities:

Board of Director Coordination
●    Serve as a liaison for the Board of Directors by creating the board calendar, scheduling board and committee meetings, handling and preparing sensitive materials for the board and its meetings and securing meeting spaces and food for board retreats.
●    Serves as a representative of the Head of School in a professional, hospitable, and responsive manner.
Email and Calendar Support
●    Maintains the Head of School’s and Associate Head of School’s calendars to include scheduling and maintaining their appointments and meetings.
●    Manages the Head’s communication (phones, email, and mail), applying necessary judgment to determine priorities and importance.
●    Coordinates the Head of School’s travel and arrangements away from the office.
●    Draft email correspondence and respond to emails on behalf of the Head of School.
●    Process event-planning forms and coordinate the calendar to ensure no major events conflict.

Administrative Functions
●    Ensures that the Head of School is well-informed, maintaining necessary confidentiality, professionalism, and sensitivity.
●    Order office supplies, books, materials, etc.
●    Provide clerical support – mailing, posting, copying, and filing – for the Head of School and Associate Head of School.
●    Coordinate all-school employee events, including ordering flowers and gifts for the board of directors, employees, and other constituents as needed.
●    Create, organize, and maintain manual and electronic file systems of highly confidential data.
●    Acquire professional training in the educational field by attending educational conferences, training workshops, and other related activities.
●    Take comprehensive meeting minutes and use appropriate tools to schedule and coordinate meetings.
●    Ensure the office space is well organized and monitor office equipment usage and maintenance.
●    Process and submit credit card transactions and reimbursements.
●    Organize travel arrangements and professional development registration for the Head of School, senior administrators, faculty, and staff. Track professional development

Miscellaneous
●    Manage and oversee a 5-year review by the Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE) and support the Head of School and Associate Head in 5-year and 7-year plans.
accreditation cycles by the Independent Association for the Central States (ISACS).
●    Collaborate frequently with staff across departments to establish or improve operations and support interdepartmental and NNM-wide projects, initiatives, and services.
●    Track grant funding opportunities and coordinate with the Chicago Public School Liaison. Learn and adhere to state and local laws relevant to the school, as well as NNM policies and procedures. 
●    Perform other duties and responsibilities as required, assigned, or requested by the Head of School.

Qualifications:

●    High school diploma required. An Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree is highly preferred
●    3+ years of prior experience in education or as an administrative assistant to a high-level school administrator or corporate executive
●    Ability to maintain high levels of confidentiality
●    Demonstrated ability to work independently with great attention to detail and the ability to execute multiple tasks with changing priorities
●    Solutions-oriented with the ability to quickly identify problems and propose solutions
●    Ability to proofread and type accurately
●    Outstanding interpersonal skills
●    Exceptionally capable in both written and oral communication
●    Excellent organizational skills while still exhibiting a high degree of flexibility
●    Proven success at working collaboratively and efficiently on a creative and goal-oriented team
●    Warm and personable with a good sense of humor and considerable patience
●    High - energy and enthusiastic about working in an academic atmosphere
●    Technologically savvy with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and other related systems, with the desire to learn more and teach others

Job Details
●    This is a 12-month full-time position working Monday-Friday 8-4 pm. There are occasional evenings where you will work until 5 pm and one Saturday morning.
●    This is an in-person role and the successful candidate must be within a reasonable commutable distance to the school.
●    The successful candidate must be willing and able to pass a background check.
●    Benefits include paid school holidays off in addition to 2 personal days, 8 sick days, 5 vacation days, and 5 Illinois Paid Leave Days.

To Apply:

The following application materials are listed below that are required for all successful candidates:

●    Resume
●    Cover letter
●    Names of three professional references.    

Near North Montessori believes that each individual is entitled to equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, ancestry, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws. The School’s equal employment opportunity practices extend to recruitment, hiring, selection, compensation, benefits, transfer, conditions, and privileges of employment.