Friends Seminary educates students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, adhering to the values of the Religious Society of Friends. We strive to build a diverse school where students exercise their curiosity and imagination as they develop as scholars, artists and athletes. In a community that cultivates the practices of keen observation, unhurried reflection, critical thinking, and coherent expression, we listen for the single voice as we seek unity. The disciplines of silence, study, and service provide the matrix for growth: silence opens us to change; study helps us to know the world; service challenges us to put our values into practice. At Friends Seminary, education is rooted in the Quaker belief in the Inner Light – that of God in every person. Guided by the testimonies of integrity, peace, equality, and simplicity, we prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be.

Founded in 1786, Friends Seminary, the oldest continually operating coeducational, independent Quaker school in New York City, seeks a dynamic, organized, detail-oriented, flexible multi-tasker to manage our bustling Lower School Office. The ideal candidate will be a clear communicator who is comfortable supporting our School community, including students (primarily ages 5-10), faculty, staff, and parents. The ability to work nimbly and independently, employ common sense, write effectively, streamline processes, and troubleshoot are important skills. The ideal candidate will also practice confidentiality, respect, and appropriate relationships with our various constituencies, most notably students, colleagues, and parents. This candidate will bring a good sense of humor, joy, and warmth to the Lower School Office.

Responsibilities

This position requires collaboration with different constituencies as well as a good deal of individual task management. The ideal candidate will be able to navigate both with ease. In particular, responsibilities include:

• Maintaining calendar for Head of Lower School and assisting in scheduling and coordinating appointments, projects, and daily tasks.
• Acting as front reception for the Lower School Office which includes greeting visitors, receiving phone calls, and responding to logistical emails.
• Executing scheduling for various non-academic divisional events (parent/teacher conferences, Picture Day, Book Fair, etc.).
• Communicating effectively, in writing and orally, with various stakeholders across the School community.
• Managing the daily operations of the Lower School Office, including student support and coordination between teachers, parents, and other offices in the School.
• Maintaining records, including daily attendance, school wide calendars and resource boards, reports (academic and attendance), and transcripts.
• Managing finances for Division Head, divisional purchase reports, and faculty reimbursements.
• Proofreading Division Head memos/letters/mailings and overseeing the steps required for distribution.
• Sending correspondence to the School community in conjunction with the Communications Department.
• Coordinating meetings and special events, including but not limited to Lower School Back to School Night, parent/teacher conferences, field trips, divisional meetings, professional development days, after school events and performances, and community building events.
• Helping to coordinate and enroll all divisional faculty members in approved professional development opportunities.
• Recording minutes for divisional meetings.
• Ordering office and all divisional classroom school supplies.
• Acting as Yellow Bus Coordinator and providing daily support for students onto and off of the buses. 
• Supporting annual hiring needs which can include organization of materials, management of hiring calendars for the Division Head, and coordination of interviews for on campus visits in the Lower School.
• Collaborating with Human Resources to process and onboard Lower School new hires.
• Learning new technology and software quickly and troubleshooting when necessary.
• Maintaining student files, both paper and electronic.
• Handling special projects as requested.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Proficiency with Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Sheets, and Google Drive.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in both administrative assistant administration and office management.
• Proficiency with Blackbaud or similar platforms is a plus.

Compensation

Annual salary range for 2025-2026 based on years of experience: $64,000 - $74,000.

Benefits

Friends Seminary offers excellent benefits including paid time off, health, dental, vision, 403(b) with a School-paid match; wide-ranging opportunities for professional development, including tuition support and summer grants; and a talented and dedicated team of teaching colleagues and supportive administrators. Successful candidates will join a dynamic and forward-thinking teaching community of over 150 educators.

To apply, please submit the following:

1. Completed Friends Seminary employment application
2. Cover letter
3. Resume
4. Contact information for three personal references

When submitting your materials, kindly be sure to reference your first and last name, the position for which you are applying, and where you heard about the position in the subject line. i.e. [last name], [first name] - Administrative Assistant - Lower School Office - Friends Seminary website. You will receive a confirmation email when you submit your application. No phone calls, please.

Submit all materials to: lowerschooljobs@friendsseminary.org

Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of color and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. We urge all applicants to identify and express their individuality and the ways in which they might enrich and diversify the School community.

Moreover, all successful applicants, whether for a faculty or administrative staff post, must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in their professional lives. Applicants for a faculty position should highlight ways their curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom culture may advance these goals. Applicants for an administrative staff position should highlight ways they seek to promote these goals in their office work, programming, or operational endeavors.

About Friends Seminary

Friends Seminary educates students from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade, adhering to the values of the Religious Society of Friends. We strive to build a diverse school where students exercise their curiosity and imagination as they develop as scholars, artists and athletes. In a community that cultivates the practices of keen observation, unhurried reflection, critical thinking, and coherent expression, we listen for the single voice as we seek unity. The disciplines of silence, study, and service provide the matrix for growth: silence opens us to change; study helps us to know the world; service challenges us to put our values into practice. At Friends Seminary, education is rooted in the Quaker belief in the Inner Light – that of God in every person. Guided by the testimonies of integrity, peace, equality, and simplicity, we prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be.

Connections working at Friends Seminary