Administrative Assistant 5 - Executive Assistant - Pathway Preparation and Title Programs

GENERAL SERVICE

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Administrative Assistant 5 - Executive Assistant - Pathway Preparation and Title Programs

$60,132-$80,820 annually

Closes April 15.2026

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill an Administrative Assistant 5 - Pathway Preparation and Title Programs role.

This full-time position is based in Olympia, Washington.

This position may be eligible for occasional and limited telework following the onboarding period but will primarily be working in-building 5 days/week.

Telework is a combination of in-building and off-site days. We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.

About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state.

Working with the state's 295 public school districts and7state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided with a high-quality public education.

At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives.

We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise.

OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

• We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant ( weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)

We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee.

The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.




Vision, Mission, and ValuesVision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators.

We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.




Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child




Equity
Each student, family, and community possesses strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

• Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and highly mobile student populations.

• Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools.

Position Overview

The Executive Assistant reports to the Assistant Superintendent in the Pathway Preparation and Title Programs division and provides direct and confidential administrative support.

The Pathway Preparation and Title Programs division comprised the following departmental teams: Career and Technical Education, Federal and State Supplementary Programs, Graduation and Pathway Preparation, Learning Options, and Operations.

This position provides guidance to program staff across the division and to other administrative support professionals across the division and has delegated authority to act in the absence of the Assistant Superintendent on administrative matters including correspondence, coordinating personnel actions, travel approvals, assigning and tracking policy review and correspondence assignments, developing administrative procedures and practices, receiving and responding to customer service needs.

Additionally, the Executive Assistant functions as the liaison between the Assistant Superintendent and other members of the Cabinet and Executive Leadership team and divisions, various administrations, agencies, and external partners and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Administrative Support

• Providing direct, confidential, professional, executive-level administrative support to the Assistant Superintendent.
• Managing the Assistant Superintendent’s calendar, meetings, and commitments.
• Using the knowledge of OSPI/OFM/SAAM rules and procedures; manage travel, itineraries, and all required documentation for the Assistant Superintendent.
• Apprising and prioritizing for the Assistant Superintendent on matters judged urgent, confidential, and sensitive.
• Working closely with the Assistant Superintendent to develop avenues for cross-agency collaboration, including supporting and participating in various projects and initiatives.
• Tracking the status of various projects and initiatives within the division and ensuring deadlines are met.
• Coordinating statewide committee meetings, conferences, workshops, and professional development sessions including preparation of meeting notices, completion of required agency approval request paperwork, communication with invitees, making logistical arrangements, preparing meeting materials and handouts (such as final editing of presentations, refinement of meeting agendas, etc.), initiating contracts, completing committee travel, and capturing meeting minutes, as necessary.
• Organizing recruitment, hiring, and onboarding process for new position/new employees.
• Supporting and coordinating purchasing, contracts, budget management, and other fiscal support.

Administrative Leadership

• Serving as a leadership member in the Pathway Preparation and Title Programs division, a lead for the section’s administrative support staff team, and a contributing member of the OSPI Executive Assistants team.
• Providing leadership to the team of support staff within the division by proactively communicating new processes and resources, initiating improvements to processes, providing ongoing guidance for learning and execution of work, and mentoring new administrative staff.

• Evaluating workload needs across division departments and adjusting the approach and staffing deployment as needed.
• Providing guidance and training to new administrative support staff on an ongoing basis until staff become proficient with knowledge of the OSPI/OFM/SAAM rules and procedures for preparation and processing of internal documents in compliance with agency policies and procedures (i.e., travel, contracts, and purchasing).
• Additional responsibilities maybe assigned as required to support the needs of the agency, division, or department.

Divisional Communication and Records Support

• Composing, editing, and finalizing correspondence in a clear and professional manner on behalf of the Assistant Superintendent to agency staff, school district staff, elected officials, public and private entities, legislative staff, stakeholders, and constituents in accordance with agency and statewide executive correspondence guidelines.
• Providing final copyedit and review of all reports and publications created by division staff.
• Maintaining, organizing, and archiving (when necessary) departmental electronic and paper files in consultation and collaboration with the Assistant Superintendent and division staff per agency and state records retention policy.
• Respond to and organize responses for public records requests for the division.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible administrative experience, preferably in a public sector organization.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience creating, formatting, and proofreading correspondence, documents, and manuals.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience supervising or leading others towards shared goals.
• Ability to independently and proactively conduct research to respond to staff and constituent inquiries.
• Experience and in-depth knowledge of effective administrative functions, project management, continuous improvement, and high-level customer service.
• Proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite, especially with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams.
• Ability to proactively learn and apply learning of technology (for example, SharePoint, Smartsheet, etc.).

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, communication, or related field.

• Demonstrated work experience supporting executive leadership level staff.
• Demonstrated strong knowledge of the Office of Financial Management and State Administrative and Accounting Manual rules and regulations. Experience coordinating state travel and purchasing.
• Evidence of successful project management and high-level organizational skills.
• Demonstrated proactive communication skills, including anticipating information needs, providing timely status updates, and escalating risks and issues with appropriate context and recommended next steps.
• Demonstrated ability to work as a self-starter—independently prioritizing workload, taking initiative, and following through on commitments with minimal direction.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and remove barriers by identifying upcoming deadlines, dependencies, and customer expectations, and taking action to ensure work stays on track.
• Solution-oriented approach to work, including the ability to analyze situations quickly, propose options, and implement practical improvements to processes and administrative systems.
• Demonstrated honesty, trustworthiness, and sound judgment when handling sensitive and confidential information, with a high level of professionalism and discretion.
• Knowledge of statewide education organizations, school districts, and educational service districts.

CompensationThe annual compensation for the position is $60,132-$80,820 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications.

Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate.

Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program.

Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systemsfor retirement plan information. This is a general service position.

This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.

Application Process

Those interested in this position must apply throughCareers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word or PDF format:

• A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement;
• A current résumé, and;
• A list of three or more professional references.

NOTE: Your resume and letter of interest must be attached to your application. Please confirm they are attached before you submit.