Job Description

Special Projects Manager to the CEO

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer and directly supporting the CEO, the Special Projects Manager (SPM) will support E4E's next phase of development by serving as a trusted operational lead for the CEO, the Executive Team, and select organization-wide priorities. The SPM manages complexity, creates clarity, and ensures senior leadership time, attention, and workflows are aligned to organizational priorities through strong systems, scheduling, and execution.

This role requires deep, daily partnership with the CEO and close coordination with the Executive Team. The Special Projects Manager will regularly connect with the CEO to align on priorities, troubleshoot obstacles, and adjust plans in real time, while also supporting Executive Team coordination, internal communications, culture-building efforts, and special projects as capacity allows. This role is well suited to someone who genuinely enjoys complex scheduling, fast-paced problem-solving, and being in constant motion behind the scenes to keep senior leaders and the organization operating at their best.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized, detail-oriented, and relational professional with experience supporting senior executives in fast-moving, high-volume environments. They exercise strong judgment, anticipate needs, and translate big-picture priorities into clear next steps, calendar decisions, and follow-through. They are also a culture leader someone who embodies E4E's core values and brings calm, clarity, and accountability to complex work.

Scope: What is the nature of the role?

The Special Projects Manager to the CEO will:

• In service of supporting the CEO:
  • Maximize the efficiency, organization, and execution of the CEO
    • Own and continuously optimize the CEO's extremely active calendar, ensuring it reflects strategic priorities, energy management, and real-time tradeoffs; serve as a trusted gatekeeper who independently prioritizes and sequences internal and external requests
    • Own and help prioritize the CEO's task management, including tracking commitments, follow-up, and engaging in side-by-side work as needed
    • Establish and maintain a daily workflow rhythm with the CEO, including regular check-ins to align on priorities, flag risks, and adjust plans as new information emerges
    • Effectively represent the organization with a range of stakeholders, including donors, partners, members, and staff
    • Draft internal and external correspondence on behalf of the CEO in a way that reflects the CEO's voice and E4E's core values
  • Deliver high-level operational, administrative, and project support with discretion and sound judgment
• In service to the Executive Team, Board, and Board Committees:
  • Serve as a core operational partner to the Executive Team, supporting planning, coordination, and follow-through across Executive Team-led priorities
  • Support early-stage development of Executive Team agendas, project plans, and decision-making processes, including sequencing topics, outlining goals, and tracking milestones and next steps
  • Maintain and continuously improve systems that help the Executive Team stay aligned, informed, accountable, and compliant
  • Coordinate and oversee Executive Team retreat planning, including agenda flow, logistics, schedules, materials, and vendor management
  • Partner with senior leaders to support Board and Committee governance, including early agenda development, sequencing of topics, preparation of materials, compliance-related governance requirements, and follow-up on decisions and action items
  • Lead coordination and execution of Board and Committee Meetings, ensuring high-quality materials, accurate capture of minutes, and effective setup of in-person and virtual meetings
  • Own scheduling and administrative coordination for Executive Team- and Board-related needs, including calendaring, reimbursements, and travel booking
• Lead and manage cross-cutting projects in support of the CEO and E4E's internal communications, including but not limited to:
• Serve as a central bridge between the CEO and E4E teams, ensuring clear, timely communication, follow-through, and closed feedback loops
• Collaborate with the Development team to ensure effective processes and timely communication between internal teams and external funders
• Project manage Town Halls, including technology needs (Zoom, audio, screen sharing, etc.)
• Coordinate, draft, and disseminate the quarterly internal newsletter
• Take on additional internal communications projects as needed and as capacity allows

Minimum Requirements:

• Experience: At least 5 years of professional experience; Special Projects Manager or support to a high-functioning Executive, and project management experience required
• Deep commitment to the values of E4E, to our commitment to antiracism, and passion for students, educators, and improving education.
• Technical Skills: Knowledge of Slack, Asana, Salesforce, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word and corresponding Google Suite products, Understanding of reporting databases (i.e. Salesforce) preferred, very comfortable with phone and email outreach
• Transportation: Ability to travel to retreat locations as needed, likely on a quarterly basis.

Core Values:

• Adjust Course - We take a resilient attitude towards roadblocks and adjust strategies to ensure progress to goal.
• Responsiveness - We keep each other in the loop to keep the work moving forward.
• Inclusiveness - We make space at the table for all, so everyone feels like they belong.
• Ownership - We take part in finding solutions for the problems we identify.
• Communication - We value clear and thoughtful word choice, tone and body language.

Positional Skills:

• Organizing Planning and Executing - Able to organize, track and manage workflow and resources; clearly articulates plans to others, develops systems to prioritize tasks; executes according to set timelines
• Cultivating Relationships & Collaborating Develops a sense of rapport and trust with staff and seeks opportunities to share expertise and leverage the strengths of others; comfortably communicates with external stakeholders
• Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgment Makes strategic decisions, even in ambiguous situations; weighs factors both within and outside of one's control to mitigate risk; exercises discernment when involving others in decision-making, leverages data when appropriate
• Tracking, Measuring & Analyzing Builds and maintains systems and procedures to track data and progress towards individual and organizational goals; analyzes data thoroughly to determine trends & opportunities
• Learning & Developing Pursues opportunities to deepen and expand skill set regularly; implements new strategies with fidelity and shares learning with others

Functional Knowledge:

• Project Management
• Communication
• Calendar Management and Logistics
• Travel Operations Management
• Prioritizing & Gatekeeping

Compensation, Benefits & Applying:

Educators for Excellence (E4E) is committed to valuing team members holistically in appreciation of their contribution to the organization's success and for the good they create for society as part of our mission. While there are many facets of the "Total Rewards" package that come with working at E4E, compensation is a significant factor in a team member's decision to work here. As such, we strive to attract, retain and reward top talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits that are equitably and transparently administered. Therefore, we do not engage in salary negotiations - our first offer is always our best offer!

The salary band for this role is $89,665 - $127,524 *based on NYC cost of labor and adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions. Within this range, our competitive, non-negotiable salary offer will be based on a candidate's relevant experience and credentials, role-related competencies assessed through our robust hiring process, and geographic location.

All new employees are required to comply with E4E's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which requires all staff be fully vaccinated prior to the start of employment. An employee will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Employees may request an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief. E4E abides by each state's requirements, and acknowledges they may change over time. If you advance forward to an interview, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about this job requirement.

Educators for Excellence (E4E) believes in providing employees with

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