Description

About the Role

The Executive Assistant to the President/CEO is one of the most consequential positions at Bishop McNamara High School. This person is the operational nerve center of the President’s office: managing the calendar, stewarding relationships, supporting governance, and ensuring that the President can focus on leading the school’s mission with clarity and purpose.

This is a high-trust, high-visibility role that demands exceptional discretion, professional maturity, and a proactive spirit. The ideal candidate does not wait to be directed — they anticipate, they act, and they execute with excellence. They are a calm, warm, and unflappable presence who represents the President’s office with grace to Board members, donors, government officials, legal counsel, families, and the wider school community.

Rooted in the Holy Cross tradition, Bishop McNamara calls all of its employees to be living witnesses of the school’s mission: to educate hearts and minds, build family, show respect, and bring hope. The Executive Assistant is a key steward of that culture, someone whose daily work, relationships, and professional conduct embody what it means to be part of this community.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

Executive & Calendar Support

The Executive Assistant manages the President’s calendar with precision and foresight, proactively identifying and resolving scheduling conflicts across a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including Board members, donors, community leaders, foundation partners, government officials, and peer institutions. This includes scheduling and confirming meetings, sending timely calendar invites and follow-up reminders, providing real-time support during the day (alerting the President to delays, managing back-to-back transitions, relaying time-sensitive messages), drafting correspondence on behalf of the President, and arranging travel when needed.

Board of Directors Support

The Executive Assistant serves as the primary logistical coordinator for all Board of Directors meetings (typically five to six per year), as well as committee meetings throughout the year. Responsibilities include compiling and distributing meeting agendas, committee reports, and supporting materials in advance of each meeting; coordinating with Board committee chairs to collect reports; working directly with the Board Chair to set the annual meeting calendar; tracking Board member attendance and managing Zoom and in-person logistics; and supporting the onboarding of incoming Board members with introductory meeting coordination and orientation communications.

Administrative Operations

The Executive Assistant owns and manages the school’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meeting series — distributing reminders, preparing shared agendas and planning documents, and serving as a central coordination hub for operational information flowing across the school’s leadership teams. The Executive Assistant also maintains the master school calendar, soliciting event dates from all departments each year and ensuring accuracy across the community.

Legal & Compliance Support

The Executive Assistant serves as the primary point of contact for legal matters directed to the President’s office, including subpoenas and FERPA-related student records requests. This includes coordinating with the school’s outside legal counsel and relevant internal departments to compile and deliver accurate, timely responses; routing correspondence appropriately; and tracking open legal matters through to resolution with proactive follow-up.

Event Planning & Logistics

The Executive Assistant plans and executes leadership and staff events, including end-of-year gatherings, leadership retreats, new-year kick-off events, graduation events, and team-building activities. This includes sourcing and managing vendors for catering, venues, and transportation; coordinating logistics for school-wide and community-facing events; arranging transportation for school trips; and managing vendor contracts, including navigating tax-exempt status.

External Relationship Management

As the first point of contact for all external stakeholders seeking to connect with the President, the Executive Assistant creates a consistently professional, warm, and welcoming experience. This includes coordinating with peer executive assistants at partner organizations, managing intake of outside meeting requests and community inquiries, and supporting the coordination of property-related matters, including appraisals and external site visits.

Communications & Correspondence

The Executive Assistant drafts, reviews, and sends correspondence on behalf of the President, including letters, confirmations, and introductory communications. The ideal candidate has the voice, judgment, and writing ability to represent the President professionally across all forms of communication and can proactively triage and escalate time-sensitive matters.

Special Projects

The Executive Assistant provides administrative leadership for periodic special projects, including the school’s institutional accreditation survey processes, managing timelines, distributing reminders, and coordinating with vendors on extensions or modifications. Additional special projects may be assigned by the President as the school’s needs evolve.

Qualifications

We are looking for a highly capable professional who brings the following to this role:

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in a senior administrative or executive support role; experience in an educational, nonprofit, or mission-driven organization is strongly preferred
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent the President’s voice with professionalism and warmth across all forms of correspondence
• Demonstrated ability to manage a complex, dynamic calendar across multiple priorities and stakeholder groups
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail, particularly in document management and deadline tracking
• High degree of discretion and confidentiality, especially regarding legal, personnel, and governance matters
• Proficiency with Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive) and Zoom
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and take initiative without waiting to be directed
• Experience supporting a Board of Directors or similar governance body strongly preferred
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience
• A genuine commitment to the Catholic, Holy Cross mission of Bishop McNamara High School and the belief that education is a transformative act of hope

Who You Are

Beyond experience and credentials, we are looking for someone who brings the right spirit to this role. The ideal candidate is:

• Proactive and resourceful; you anticipate the President’s needs before being asked and find solutions before problems escalate
• Warm and professional; you are the face of the President’s office to the outside world, and every interaction reflects that
• Unflappable under pressure; you thrive in a fast-moving environment with competing priorities and tight deadlines
• Deeply detail-oriented; nothing falls through the cracks on your watch, and you take real pride in doing things right
• Committed to mission; you understand that this is not just an administrative job; it is a vocation to support an institution that is changing lives

Compensation & Benefits

Bishop McNamara High School offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, with an anticipated salary range of $65,000–$85,000. This range reflects the school’s commitment to attracting experienced talent while honoring the realities of mission-driven compensation in the independent school sector. Benefits include health insurance, paid time off, and access to a faith-filled, collegial professional community dedicated to the growth and formation of young people.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Duties are normally performed in a school/classroom environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Location/Travel

While Bishop McNamara High School is located in Forestville, MD, you may live anywhere in the surrounding region, but be willing to make any commute to the school.

Disability Specifications

Bishop McNamara High School will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Salary : $65,000 - $85,000