Principal's Secretary in London

Minimum Qualifications

• Three years of general administrative support or clerical experience, one year of which must be working with accounting or bookkeeping records.
• An Associate Degree or the successful completion of 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university may be substituted for up to two (2) years of the required administrative support or clerical experience.
• Six semester hours of accounting or bookkeeping may be substituted for one year of experience with accounting or bookkeeping records.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience overseeing daily office operations, including the training of administrative staff.
• Administrative support/clerical experience in a PreK-12 setting.
• Experience with word processing, database and spreadsheet programs.

Essential Position Responsibilities

The list below is a summary of the functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties.

• Performs general secretarial tasks including, but not limited to: producing letters, data reports, etc. via the computer; making photocopies, filing, distributing mail, etc.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge

• Financial & Auditing Standards: Comprehensive knowledge of school-based accounting, bookkeeping principles, and the specific state/district mandates for securing and processing public funds.
• Personnel Management: Familiarity with labor contracts and district protocols regarding substitute teacher procurement and staff performance evaluation frameworks.

• Executive Coordination: Expert-level calendaring skills with the ability to manage complex schedules, anticipate conflicts, and prioritise high-stakes meetings for the Principal.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to provide technical guidance and workflow training to other office staff, serving as the 'go-to' expert for complex administrative questions.
• Logistical Problem Solving: The ability to solve the 'daily puzzle' of staff absences by strategically assigning substitutes and internal coverage to maintain school operations.

• Maintaining Discretion: The ability to handle highly sensitive personnel files, financial audits, and confidential student data with the utmost integrity.
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): The ability to remain calm and professional while acting as the primary point of contact for frustrated parents, stressed staff, or students in crisis.
• Systems Thinking: Ability to view the school’s operations holistically, identifying where workflows (like mail distribution or data reporting) can be streamlined for better efficiency.
• Multitasking Under Pressure: Ability to manage high-volume clerical tasks (typing, filing, reporting) while simultaneously managing the front-office environment and phone communications.

Additional Requirements

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be included in further evaluation. Interviews will be limited to those applicants who, in addition to meeting the basic requirements, have experience and education which most closely match the position qualifications and the needs of the school system.

Compensation

This is a 12-month per year position in the Howard County Education Association, Educational Support Professionals (HCEA-ESP) employee unit. The compensation for this position is Grade X on the Secretaries and Assistants salary scale. Step placement will be in accordance with the salary procedures of the Howard County Public School System and the HCEA-ESP Master Agreement which considers relevant prior experience.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, this position is eligible for benefits for eligible employees. Information about additional benefits such as paid time off can be found in the Pre-Employment Requirements.

All employees, regular and temporary, must be fingerprinted, have a criminal background investigation completed, and successfully complete the Maryland Employment History Review, pursuant to Section 6-113.2 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland. In addition, some positions will require completion of a physical examination and/or drug testing.