Executive Assistant

XQ Institute is the nation's leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life. We work in communities throughout the country, with individual schools and entire school systems, to help them dream big about what high school could be, turn their innovative ideas into action, and create more rigorous and equitable schools.

Requirements

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Academic Officer, we're seeking a highly organized, proactive, and mission-driven Executive Assistant to support two senior leaders on our Schools & Systems Team. This role is based in our Washington, DC office and plays a critical part in keeping priorities on track, managing operations with precision, and ensuring that our leaders are able to focus on advancing work that impacts students and communities. You'll be a trusted partner, detail-obsessed organizer, and communications hub—someone who can anticipate needs, manage complex schedules, and serve as a consistent force for clarity and calm in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex calendars for both executives, including scheduling meetings, coordinating travel arrangements, and ensuring efficient time management
• Provide comprehensive administrative support, including expense reporting, document preparation, correspondence management, and meeting logistics (meeting templates, meeting material prep, etc)
• Coordinate and prepare materials for leadership meetings, board presentations, and external engagements
• Act as a liaison for the Marketing and Content teams with other departments, ensuring smooth information flow and follow-through on cross-departmental initiatives
• Anticipate the needs of both executives, proactively identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Coordinate team events, offsites, and departmental activities to foster team cohesion and alignment
• Assist with project and event management tracking for high-priority marketing and content initiatives
• Screen and prioritize incoming communications, responding to routine inquiries independently and routing others appropriately
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information and demonstrate sound judgment in complex situations
• Support special projects and initiatives as needed, showing flexibility and adaptability
  
  
  

Qualifications

• A confident contributor and positive collaborator with a consistent spirit of partnership and productive problem-solving
• "Self-starter" willingness to take the initiative and works well both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to adapt to challenges and opportunities with a solutions-oriented, positive perspective
• Discernment to identify and resolve inefficiencies and a proactive sense of urgency in creating solutions
• Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to develop relationships with a wide range of individuals and proven ability to collaborate with a diverse, multi-functional team
• Meticulously organized and detailed, with a keen eye and careful attention to detail with follow-through of short-term and long-term tasks
• Proven experience with executing against goals on time and to high standards of excellence
• Strong work ethic and independence, with a high degree of motivation to collaborate, learn, and iterate
• Ability to communicate effectively and in a timely manner, both verbally and in writing, with colleagues, vendors, consultants, partners, and XQ audiences
• Flexibility and willingness to perform other tasks as assigned and to learn, grow, and stretch
• Mission-oriented commitment to understanding and articulating the mission, programs, and activities of XQ
• 5 years of experience in an executive support position
• Superior project management skills, a keen eye, and attention to detail
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Bachelor's degree
  
  
  

XQ Mindsets

Ours is a world defined by uncertainty, a society in flux, a state of unprecedented upheavals. While we don't anticipate any quick fixes, we can anchor ourselves to what we see emerging. That's why we have established a set of collective XQ Mindsets to ground us.

• 100% accountability: This doesn't mean you have 100% ownership. It doesn't mean you are responsible for every last thing that needs to be done. It means choosing to take responsibility for our collective success and impact
• Maker mindset: We build stuff. We won't always get it right the first time—in fact, we rarely will. But by quickly making and testing our work, we can learn what works and what doesn't
• We are the ones we've been waiting for: Critique is not enough. It is on us to create the solutions—no matter where we sit in the organization. We are a well-resourced organization filled with brilliant people. No one else is coming to our rescue
• Opportunity knocks: We are ready, willing, and able to take on anything that is thrown our way. Pivots are a natural part of our approach, so let's embrace them so that we can experience them joyfully
• Stand on the shoulders of giants: We honor those who came before us, who aren't seated at our tables, and build on others' and our own earlier work with respect and reverence.
  
  
  

Benefits

Compensation

The salary for this role is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. XQ offers excellent organizational benefits. The salary range is $130,000- $150,000.

Location

XQ is based in Oakland, CA with offices in Washington DC, New York and Los Angeles. This role will be based in Washington DC.

To Apply

Please apply online. In your cover letter, please address why your skills, interests, and experience align with the requirements for this role.

XQ is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. At XQ, promoting, celebrating, and supporting diversity is a core value. Individuals are considered without regard to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, sexual expression, religion, color, veteran status, disability, marital status, or ancestry.