Executive Assistant Public Affairs

Job Announcement

Executive Assistant, Public Affairs

Based in Rockville, MD

 

The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) represents 14,000+ teachers and other professional educators in the Montgomery County Public Schools system in suburban Washington, D.C. MCEA is one of the 15 largest local educators’ unions in the nation and is an affiliate of the National Education Association. We are committed to educational excellence and social justice and believe that the well-being of our members is inextricably linked to the well-being of our students, their families, and our communities. For more information, go to www.mceanea.org.

 

PROGRAM AREA:        Public Affairs

POSITION TITLE:           Executive Assistant, Public Affairs

BARGAINING UNIT:     None

Reports to:                     Managing Director, Public Affairs

STARTING SALARY:     $82,693

 

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Have you supported executive-level leaders through meeting scheduling, expense reports, and other special projects? If you enjoy this work and would like to interact with internal and external leaders daily, this may be the role for you! You will be responsible for reporting, leading, coordinating and analyzing department operations, project management for ongoing department initiatives, such as planning and staffing our legislative reception and other department events.

The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) is searching for a talented, motivated, and cause-driven individual to serve in an Executive Assistant (EA) role, directly reporting to and supporting the Managing Director of Public Affairs to help advance critical organizational initiatives that support the growth and development of our members.

This EA position provides a highly challenging and intellectually engaging environment, offers diversity in topics across a range of areas, provides the opportunity to meet and interact with member leaders, offers a continuous opportunity to learn, and provides a unique combination of organizational stability and being part of a talented team working to advance a worthy cause. This role will support a Public Affairs department that supports MCEA’s political, communications, and community engagement work. The hired candidate will provide administrative support to the Public Affairs department with differentiated work portfolios for communications, politics, and community engagement, coordinate and manage executive scheduling, prepare, and organize important strategic materials and plans, manage and process departmental expense reports, and support internal and external-facing meetings and the preparation of materials.

 

Core Responsibilities
·       Implement strategic action plans using project management skills for on-time delivery of identified organizational objectives

·       Perform data entry into MCEA’s database (currently UnionWare) as well as other tools/forms of data collection (Excel, VAN, etc.); conduct data analysis as needed; run reports from data collection sources

·       Collaborate with the Public Affairs team on complex and critical projects, initiatives, events

·       Proofread internal and external communications prior to distribution

·       Write copy for department deliverables drafts, including but not limited to speeches, newsletter and email content, social media posts, etc.

·       Schedule and coordinate meetings for external and internal partners successfully, including both in-person meetings and conference calls. This includes bringing together proper invitees in a timely fashion, despite complex logistics, a dynamic environment, and limited availability

·       Manage purchase requests for department team members using organizational procedures/forms/etc. to ensure timely submissions and account payments

·       Manage Public Affairs content calendar

·       Respond to incoming meetings requests

·       Complete Political Action Committee reimbursement reports in compliance with all state and federal laws and filing requirements; work with our contact at Maryland State Education Association to ensure proper tracking and processing of related political action committee dollars

·       Coordinate political and fundraising events

·       Act as a key resource for the team, i.e., independently seek out answers to questions, take initiative, leverage network of resources to solve problems, and proactively cascade knowledge to peer network

·       Coordinate periodic mailings and distribution of promotional materials to external partners

·       Arrange all travel and logistics directly with travel vendors. Handle any re-booking and scheduling changes that arise

·       Human Resources Support: Assist with recruiting, preparing, and posting job vacancies; scheduling interviews; and onboarding. Collect, track, maintain, and file human resource documents such as employee expectations and evaluations to meet operational compliance. Prepare and distribute routine training and other human resource announcements

This list is not all inclusive; other tasks may vary based on organizational need

Skills and experience that will lead to success
·       Ability to critically review source data and detect, and correct errors

·       Interpersonal and problem-solving skills, including providing leadership and technical assistance to others

·       Ability to make non-routine decisions using sound professional judgement

·       Ability to prioritize among competing demands in a dynamic professional environment is a requirement

·       Advanced computer operating skills – familiarity with Microsoft Office suite – SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint – and Zoom are necessary; Experience with UnionWare, VAN, and other digital platforms preferred

·       Ability to work in a highly matrixed environment

·       Self–motivated with an ability to proactively recognize opportunities for continuous improvement

·       Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization

·       Ability to demonstrate discretion and sound judgment when interacting with internal and external parties

·       Ability to organize and coordinate major projects through completion

·       Proven ability to keep human resources, financial, legal, and other information confidential

·       Advanced English, spelling, punctuation, grammatical, vocabulary, and proofreading skills

·       Strong problem-solving skills

·       Organized with strong attention to detail

·       Previous exposure to public affairs is highly desirable

 

REQUIREMENTS

·       Salaried position; requires nonstandard work hours and/or weekend and holiday work.

·       This role is in-person/on-site.

·       MCEA requires employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination. If you are requesting a medical or religious exemption, communicate to your hiring manager through their designee that you wish to request a medical or religious exemption.

·       Education – bachelor’s degree or a minimum of four (4) years’ experience in an Executive Assistant role.

Compensation

MCEA offers a comprehensive package of benefits for employees including, but not limited to, a 401(k) savings plan with employer contributions; medical, dental, and vision insurance; several types of paid leave, paid time off, and paid sick leave as provided under state and local paid sick leave laws. The salary range for this position begins at $82,693. The actual salary will vary based on the applicant’s education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity.

 

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL EFFORT

·       Work is performed in various settings – a typical office work environment, conference/event settings, outdoors for collective actions

·       Must be able to occasionally remain in a stationary position up to 50% of the time.

·       The person in this position needs to regularly move about inside the office and other locations.

·       Constantly operates a computer, cell phone, and office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and computer printer.

·       Frequently moves equipment & supplies weighing up to 25 pounds for various meeting and event needs.

 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
MCEA is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS
Qualified applicants should send cover letter and résumé to Executive Assistant of Field Operations, Sonya Addison-Dove at: sadove@mceanea.org please include subject: Executive Assistant, Public Affairs

We provide individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment in accordance with applicable law.

 

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.