Executive Assistant (PT)

PENCIL’S VISION AND CORE COMMITMENTS

PENCIL links community resources to Nashville Public Schools to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life.

PENCIL exists to create a world where Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) students and teachers have equitable access to resources and opportunities, empowering students to succeed now and in the future. We will do this by creating a community that respects the unique perspectives and experiences of all stakeholders through proactive listening, continuous learning, and tireless advocacy for every student.

Our work is guided by the needs of MNPS, is student centric, and is achieved through intentional partnerships and tangible engagements.

As the PENCIL team, we will

• Be collaborative and inclusive —By encouraging conversations that amplify and uplift the voices of all students and communities, especially those marginalized by inequitable systems.
• Act with transparency and integrity — By striving to continually educate ourselves, intentionally recruit and retain diverse staff and stakeholders, and encourage everyone to share their authentic perspectives and experiences to our work.
• Demonstrate kindness and gratitude — By valuing the unique experiences that each student, staff, and community member bring to our work.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Assistant’s responsibilities are very detail oriented as well as requiring a high level of customer service. The ability to quickly take directions and execute tasks independently is critical to success in this role. This role requires managing diverse responsibilities simultaneously while ensuring timely resolution. Success relies on proactive communication, strict adherence to deadlines, and strong initiative to drive results.

This position is integral to the high functioning of PENCIL’s executive office, which includes its board of directors. The goal is that this team member makes the executive office more efficient by managing the CEO’s emails & calendar, and supporting board committee leadership, as well as documenting relevant communications in our CRM, Salesforce. The Executive Assistant also serves as the liaison with the board members, facilitating meaningful engagement with PENCIL, and serves as the general administrative support staff for PENCIL’s Management Team.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The key areas of focus for the Executive Manager are executive office support, organization of the board of directors, and administrative support for PENCIL. To be fully successful in these areas, the Executive Manager must develop a strong knowledge of PENCIL programs, organizational policies, and key stakeholders to fully understand key priorities.

Support of the Executive Office (CEO) (50%)

Overall objective – maximize the time the CEO can spend on higher level activities by managing their calendar and email

• Calendar management for the CEO - scheduling meetings; sending calendar invitations and email reminders; confirming meetings in advance
• Monitor, prepare and send emails on behalf of the CEO, when requested, via Outlook and Salesforce
• Handle all administrative details to support programs or processes under the direction of the CEO; including requests for information, sending out routine letters and inquiries, answering questions, following up on problems or needed changes
• Prepare and submit expense and mileage reports for the CEO (and other members of the management team, when requested)
• Enable the CEO to make quick and timely decisions by researching & providing context details to be considered in decision-making
• Document CEO and Board activities in the designated customer relationship management tool (Salesforce) in a timely, accurate, and complete manner to ensure a full picture of all relationships, ensuring that data is always kept current

• Board Member Support (30%)
• Overall objective – work with the CEO to assure board members (Governing Board and Alumni Board) have a high quality and rich experience with PENCIL

• Provide on-going support for the implementation of PENCIL’s board cultivation and engagement plan with internal & external stakeholders.
• Work closely with PENCIL’s management team to develop and set the annual meeting calendar (board and all board committees), manage all board calendar invitations, assure timely preparation of all meeting agendas and materials, handle follow-up tasks after board and committee meetings
• Organize the internal preparation for board and committee meetings, including supporting management teams’ prep for meetings, documentation in Salesforce, on-site logistics, and managing external presenters, when applicable
• Attend to all technical, preparatory, and clean up needs for board executive committee and full board meetings, including managing virtual attendees, refreshments, agendas, taking meeting minutes if needed, and more.
• Onboard, manage and regularly ensure the accuracy and confidentiality of all board members’ information (contact info, job affiliation, committee assignments, board history, communication notes) in Salesforce and other documentation as appropriate
• Support the Individual Giving Manager as they coordinate board stewardship of donors manage communication and invoicing for all board financial investments (donations, pledges), with more focus during May-August

General Support (20%)

• Sort and deliver office mail and initiate the check receipt process when money arrives
• Monitor Info inbox and calendar daily, forwarding phone messages and emails to the appropriate staff, when needed
• Maintain schedule and use of conference rooms
• Support staff events and other PENCIL projects that need extra attention due to specific deadlines
• Assist other staff in projects and cross-coverage if needed
• Be available to welcome and assist visitors during normal business hours
• Be flexible in supporting any office projects that need extra attention due to specific deadlines
• Perform other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION-

• Bachelor's degree is preferred; Associate degree, at a minimum

CRITICAL BEHAVIORS-

• Measurable attention to detail
• Ability to communicate (write, speak) in the voice of the CEO and other PENCIL leadership
• Regularly make decisions that keep PENCIL’s brand image strong
• Think beyond the task at hand to the impact the result of the task will have
• Draw conclusions and make suggestions for action
• Ability to work independently and proactively without daily instruction
• Unquestionable discretion and integrity
• Adept at anticipating the needs of the CEO
• Strong planning and execution skills; ability to change direction quickly if situations change
• Demonstrates a growth mindset by actively seeking and acting upon constructive guidance
• Proactively ask questions when a task/project is unclear

SKILLS -

• Success with mastering technology and using it to gain efficiencies (i.e. implementing an on-line calendar scheduling tool rather than using emails to schedule meetings)
• Excellent customer service and relationship management skills
• Ability to work efficiently, prioritize multiple tasks, and hit deadlines
• Demonstrable teamwork and conflict resolution skills
• Organized and able to keep accurate and detailed documentation
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

EXPERIENCE-

• 3 + years of experience in a similar role providing high-level assistance to an executive

CONFIDENTIALITY-

• Demonstrates the ability to manage sensitive information in a professional and confidential manner as outlined in PENCIL’s Confidentiality Policy

WORK SCHEDULE AND HOURS

This position is based in person at the PENCIL office . The role is regularly scheduled to work 25 hours per week , typically Monday–Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. , with occasional evening and weekend hours required to support special events and organizational activities.

DIVERSITY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

PENCIL is committed towards developing a diverse staff that reflects the community we serve. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented communities often do not submit a resume if they do not feel highly qualified in all areas, therefore we extend an invitation to all candidates to apply, especially those from historically underrepresented communities, including but not limited to, those identifying as Black/African American, Indigenous/Native, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African and other people of color; LGBTQ+ candidates; and candidates with disabilities.

PENCIL is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

This job profile is not intended to be all inclusive of tasks required, it is to provide a general description of essential job responsibilities.