Special Assistant to the Principal and CEO - The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School

Join the team at The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and on 60 Minutes for its revolutionary teacher salaries and its outstanding results. TEP aims to achieve educational equity for students from historically underserved communities by utilizing world-class teachers. At TEP, we prioritize not only the growth of our students but also the professional development of our staff, creating a dynamic environment where operational excellence meets educational equity.   

About the Role

By directly supporting TEP’s school leaders, this individual will have an opportunity to play a critical role in a school that radically invests in education. This is an amazing opportunity for an individual who is seeking an intense, fun, on-the-ground learning experience that touches all aspects of urban education, including instruction, operations, education policy, finance, and personnel.

The Special Assistant to the Principal and CEO is focused on one overarching goal: to make the Principal and CEO more efficient and effective leaders by creating capacity for them to focus on TEP’s most important priorities. This individual manages the daily communications, calendar, and workflow of both the Principal and CEO. In so doing, the individual will need to represent these two leaders effectively with TEP staff, families, and external visitors, exercise outstanding judgment on sensitive matters and support the Principal and CEO in triaging and troubleshooting day-to-day challenges.

Responsibilities

• Administrative Support: Provide high-level administrative support to the Executive Team (Principal and CEO) via extensive calendar management, scheduling meetings, project management, completing administrative tasks, and ensuring that time is allocated to balance immediate needs with long-term priorities.
• Communication Management:  Process all incoming communications sent to the Principal and CEO by managing both email inboxes, assessing the importance and urgency of messages, and supporting timely and effective communication.
• Document/Memo Preparation: Assist in the preparation of reports, presentations, and correspondence for the Principal and CEO.  Produce daily memos for the Principal and CEO that delineate their immediate action-items and long-term projects, summarize all critical communications from the day, and provide an updated daily snapshot of key organizational data.
• Special Projects: Work on a variety of specialized projects relating to initiatives that extend from the work of the Principal and CEO; these projects grow in scope as the individual develops organizational knowledge.
• Idea Generation: Advise the Principal and CEO on ideas to support organizational goals and serve as a sounding board for the leaders regarding a range of topics.

Requirements

About You (Qualifications)

• Communication / Community Building: Excels at interpersonal relationships by demonstrating listening skills, building trust, communicating clearly, and interacting with others respectfully at all times. Excellent written and verbal communication skills to interact professionally with staff, parents, and external partners.  And... loves interacting with people!
• Organizational Skills: Demonstrates organizational excellence and detail orientation, with a keen awareness that getting the details right is critical to organizational success.  Ability to organize and prioritize tasks effectively in a fast-paced environment, and proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Systems Orientation: Thinks at a systems level, analyzes information thoughtfully and develops sustainable systems that promote efficiency and improve outcomes.  
• Passion for Equity and Inclusion: Exhibits a genuine passion for being part of diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams, aligning with TEP's commitment to fostering educational equity across all departments.  Possesses unwavering integrity and trustworthiness; exercises sound judgment with a deep sensitivity to maintaining confidential information
• Commitment to TEP's Vision: Deeply committed to TEP's organizational vision and revolutionary approach to attracting educational talent to underserved communities, aligning personal values with TEP's mission.  
• Growth Mindset: Receptive to feedback and eager to learn and grow in an active, mission-driven environment.  And . . . has a sense of humor!
• Educational requirements: TEP does not require candidates to have any specific level of formal education (ie Bachelor's Degree) outside of the above qualifications and skill sets. 

Benefits

Why TEP (Benefits)

At TEP, growth isn't just for our students—continued growth is also a central priority for our staff members. That's why we're redefining the employee experience, offering a rewarding career that includes benefits that match TEP’s high expectations.

• Compensation: Competitive annual salary in the range of $60,000 to $70,000, based on the individual’s experience level
• Unmatched Talent: Be surrounded by a collaborative community of experienced, passionate professionals who care about educational equity
• Time Off: 6 weeks of vacation plus 11 federal holidays and additional non-federal holidays according to each school calendar; 5 sick days and 3 personal days
• Guidance and Mentorship: The Special Assistant reports directly to TEP's Principal and CEO
• Employee Wellness: We value your well-being through our Staff Food Program, Staff Retreats, and Wellness Programming
• Healthcare: World-class medical, dental, vision, Short-Term Disability (STD), Long-Term Disability (LTD), and Life Insurance policies
• Family Focus: Parental leave and dependent care account so you can care for your loved ones
• 403b Retirement Plan: We care about your ability to save for your future
• Learning & Development: A culture that provides and encourages professional growth and development, including professional development and tuition/continuous learning reimbursements

NOTE: In adherence with Department of Health guidelines, all charter school staff are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. To request a medical accommodation from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, supporting documentation from a qualified medical professional must be provided and is subject to review and approval by the school.

Note that as this role requires a strong on-site presence, TEP's Special Assistant is a fully in-person position at one of TEP's campuses in Washington Heights/Inwood.

TEP is currently reviewing applications on a rolling basis. If you submit both a cover letter and resume, you will receive a response from us as to whether or not you will be invited to the next stage of the process for the Special Assistant role.