Posted: 17-Mar-26
Location: LAKE FOREST, Illinois
Type: Full Time
Salary: $40,000 - $55,000
Categories:
Preferred Education:
Job Description:
LFCDS, founded in 1888 and located on a 30-acre campus about 30 miles north of Chicago, Illinois, is a co-educational, independent day school serving 420 students from age 2 through eighth grade. The School has a long tradition of producing thoughtful, confident, and successful students. Children are known, loved, and challenged at LFCDS, and a state-of-the-art facility provides a remarkable setting for inspired teaching, personal growth, and nurturing a love of learning.
The Advancement & Athletics Operations Associate provides essential administrative, logistical, and coordination support across the LFCDS Advancement team and Athletic department. For Advancement, this role ensures that processes, people, and programs are well-organized and well-supported, allowing all members of the Advancement staff and volunteers to focus on relationship-building, strategy, and impact. This position serves as a key connector and operational support partner across the team’s enrollment, engagement, and fundraising initiatives.
For Athletics, this role is responsible for on-site gameday operations, coordinating with officials, parent volunteers, and school staff. The Assistant owns all elements of the Athletics calendar: schedules, practices, games, and transportation. The Assistant hires and trains all coaches and manages the department budget. The Assistant serves as a partner with school leadership when managing student/parent needs and concerns.
Key Responsibilities
Advancement Operational Support
- Assist in the planning and execution of Advancement projects across the school’s enrollment, engagement, and philanthropy initiatives.
- Support Advancement deliverables, calendars, timelines, and workflows.
- Manage event logistics: registration, materials, check-in support, and follow-up.
Enrollment
- Be an ambassador to prospective families; support campus visits, greet applicant/parents during tours, observational visits, and shadow days, and provide feedback.
- Support planning and execution of school Open Houses and the coordination of Parent Ambassadors.
- Assist in the development of materials and content that support the school’s enrollment program.
Engagement
- Support new family onboarding efforts; coordinating ‘welcome to LFCDS’ outreach, back-to-school playdates and parties, serving as a way finder to the community.
- Serve as a daily partner with Room Coordinators and the Parent Association.
- Support volunteers to plan and execute events on the school’s family engagement calendar.
Athletics
- Provide on-site support for gameday operations, serving as a school representative to coaches, athletes, officials, and spectators.
- Owns Athletics budget, hiring of coaches, calendar, and scheduling/logistics for:
- Practices and games, including transportation
- Gameday staff: clock operators, scorekeepers
- Securing officials and umpires
- Serve as primary information liaison, communicating with families on behalf of the dept.
- Partner with the Upper School Heads to support parent/student concerns.
- Represent LFCDS to affiliated leagues and peer schools.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
- 1-3 years of administrative, operations, or program support experience; experience in an independent school or nonprofit environment a plus.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Clear communicator who works well with colleagues, volunteers, and families.
- A relationship builder who will embody the mission and core beliefs of LFCDS.
- High degree of professionalism, discretion, and reliability.
To Apply: Please submit a letter of interest, resume, and references via PDF to Alex Sheridan, Associate Head of School for Advancement, at alex.sheridan@lfcds.org. The deadline for materials is April 10, 2026.
Salary Range: $40,000-$55,000 commensurate with experience with a comprehensive benefits package including tuition remission for dependents of the employee. This is a full-time, 12-month position, requiring some evening and weekend work.
Mission Statement: Through inspired teaching and partnership with families, Lake Forest Country Day School nurtures a love of learning and builds a foundation of strong character, preparing students to navigate their path with purpose.
Core Beliefs
Childhood is championed: We center all we do on what is best for our students, protecting and building upon the magic of these precious years.
Community is our core: Honest and respectful relationships, formed through conversation and collaboration, build trust and a sense of belonging – honoring the dignity of every person.
Curiosity is a gift: Wonder is an animating force that resides in every person and should be modeled and nurtured to stimulate self-discovery, spark innovation, and drive creativity.
We aim high: Raising expectations activates the great potential we see in every person and elicits efforts that result in individual growth and the collective success of our community.
Professional Association Memberships: NAIS, ISACS, LMAIS & INDEX
Lake Forest Country Day School seeks and embraces diversity among our faculty, staff, and student body. LFCDS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, religion, marital status, disability, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, order of protection status, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.