ABOUT US
Reading Partners launched in 2001 with the mission to expand opportunities for children in underserved communities by fostering a lifelong love of reading, developing strong literacy skills, and building the confidence and self-esteem critical to empowerment and community development. Reading Partners provides children with robust one-on-one reading support through a structured, research-based curriculum that engages students and provides basic building blocks to supplement their academic growth. On average, Reading Partners students gain 1.6 months of reading skills for every month in the program.
Working in partnership with teachers, schools, and community volunteers, Reading Partners has grown from serving 100 students in 2003 in northern California with a budget of $180,000 to serving over 2,900 students in California, Washington, D.C., New York, Texas, and Maryland with a budget of almost $8M. A recipient of significant Social Innovation Fund funding through the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Reading Partners has plans for continued rapid growth into other regions. For more information about Reading Partners, please visit www.readingpartners.org.
WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT
Reading Partners is dedicated to transforming struggling young readers into confident readers who are excited about learning.
How we do it:
· Focus on children from low-income communities.
· Give one-on-one instruction at the student's reading level.
· Recruit and train community volunteers to work with children.
· Partner with high-need elementary schools to offer an effective program on campus.
· Provide a way for volunteers to give a small amount of their time to make a huge difference in a child's life.
POSITION SUMMARY
Reading Partners seeks a dynamic, organized, and detailed oriented full time Executive Assistant to provide critical executive and administrative support. Work will range from general office support such as calendaring, expense reconciliation, travel and event planning, preparation of board meeting minutes and follow-up on action items. Work requires interaction with program staff, managers of other regional and national units within the organization, representatives of other state agencies/schools, philanthropic organizations, service recipients, elected/appointed representatives, and the public. The Executive Assistant will report directly to the Regional Executive Director – Dallas, TX.
This is an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial and mission-driven professional who is passionate about transforming underserved communities while learning and contributing to a nationally scaled organization with plans for continued growth in the Dallas, TX region.
The ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic combined with superior organizational and multi-tasking skills. Effective performance requires paying very close attention to detail while demonstrating initiative and effectively applying her/his knowledge with minimal direction. Diplomacy, tact, calendar fluency, travel arranging, and time management are essential to the role. For a candidate who is eager to learn about the non-profit, educational reform sector, this is a multi-faceted position with an opportunity to build networks in the field and establish a pathway within Reading Partners to branch into other regional or national departments.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Office Management
- Creating, implementing, and managing office systems in Dallas;
- Providing responsive customer service to members and the public by: greeting visitors, answering phones, and managing general inquiry e-mail account;
- Coordinating all office purchasing and office supplies;
- Managing all technology systems at the local level, including: copier, phone system, and Salesforce database; working with off-site, internal technology staff to coordinate equipment and troubleshooting; acting as liaison between internal and external technology staff if and when necessary;
- Liaising with the Talent Team and other relevant Business Operations teams in order to conduct orientations for all new staff on office policies and procedures; managing office layout and resources; and
- Acting as a liaison between the Dallas office and the Business Operations teams regarding financial and operational procedures.
Development and Outreach Coordination
- Coordinating with Texas and national staff to research local foundation prospects, draft grant proposals, and provide timely follow-up on action items;
- Supporting the Dallas Executive Director on administrative needs and special projects, such as maintaining the Dallas fundraising plan, volunteer outreach projects, and other relationship management plans;
- Maintaining comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date files and records for all foundation, individual gifts, prospects, and volunteers within the Salesforce database;
- Coordinating all aspects of donor relations and communications for Dallas's small-gift donors;
- Working with the Dallas Executive Director, Program Managers and the National staff to create case studies based on the work of Texas Reading Partners;
Executive and Administrative Support
- Preparing the Dallas Executive Director for meetings with various stakeholders, including, but not limited to: scheduling meetings, handling administrative follow up, preparing information packets
- Managing expense reporting for the Dallas Executive Director;
- Taking meeting minutes during staff meetings and other stakeholder meetings;
- Managing travel logistics, processing receipts and mileage reports and timesheets;
- Planning all logistics for any fundraising or volunteer events;
- Conducting research on special projects, as needed; and
- Other duties as assigned
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
- Minimum 2 years prior work experience in a professional setting
- Outstanding communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a wide range of constituents from volunteers, staff, district officials, and board members
- Interest and desire to implement and manage office operations and systems
- Ability to follow through on commitments to others and accept and incorporate direct feedback
- Ability to gracefully manage multiple tasks and projects under deadline
- Strong organizational skills and keen attention to detail
- Exceptional, proactive customer-service orientation; strong desire to contribute to overall success and results of office and national organization
- Ability to work independently or with limited supervision in a flexible and fast-paced work environment
- Excellent computer skills including experience with Microsoft Office, particularly: Excel, PowerPoint and Word;
- Strong commitment to and alignment with Reading Partners mission
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Previous experience in the nonprofit sector
- Strong technology skills, fluent with Google apps and internet search skills
- Project management experience; experience managing and working with groups of people to accomplish a larger goal
- Experience with Salesforce preferred
- Experience in working in nationally scaled office environment
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Occasional trips to site locations or local meetings may be required.
TYPICAL PHYSICAL & MENTAL DEMANDS
Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching; eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier, calculator and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare and communicate appropriate reports. Also requires moderate to intense concentration due to complexity and/or need to meet deadlines, and flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.
MORE / LESSHOW TO APPLY
If you feel you are a strong fit for this position, please submit your resume and a cover letter clearly stating why you would be successful in this position. Please include salary history for the past three roles. Due to the volume of applicants, we are unable to respond to every inquiry. We respectfully request no phone calls.
Reading Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer, with a strong commitment to diversity in the workplace.
