Executive Assistant Intern — Full-Time, Paid
Organization: Celeste Beauty Academy
Location: Charlotte, NC | Hybrid
Employment Type: Full-Time, Paid Internship
Duration: Planning Year (Approximately 12 Months)
Schedule: Monday–Friday
Reports To: Executive Director & Founding Board of Directors
Start Date: ASAP
About Celeste Beauty Academy
Celeste Beauty Academy (CBA) is preparing to open a tuition-free North Carolina public charter high school centered on cosmetology, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and college readiness.
As a recipient of the NC GROW Charter School Program Planning & Implementation Grant, CBA is building its founding team and organizational infrastructure in preparation for an August 2027 opening.
Joining CBA during its Planning Year provides a unique opportunity to work directly alongside executive leadership and the Founding Board while helping build a new public charter school from the ground up.
Position Summary
Celeste Beauty Academy is seeking a highly organized, resourceful, and ambitious Executive Assistant Intern for a paid, full-time, year-long internship supporting the Executive Director and Founding Board of Directors throughout the school's Planning Year.
This is not a traditional short-term or clerical internship. The Executive Assistant Intern will function as an integral member of CBA's founding team and gain hands-on experience across executive operations, project management, board governance, grant implementation, strategic planning, organizational development, community partnerships, and charter school operations.
The Executive Director will provide primary day-to-day supervision and work direction, while the intern will also provide administrative and project support to CBA's Founding Board and its governance responsibilities.
This position is designed for an emerging professional seeking significant early-career experience, direct exposure to executive leadership, and an opportunity to grow alongside a new organization.
Upon successful completion of the Planning Year internship, the individual may be considered for transition into a permanent full-time position with employee benefits as Celeste Beauty Academy begins school operations. Continued employment will be based on performance, organizational needs, available positions, and funding.
Key ResponsibilitiesExecutive Leadership Support
- Provide direct day-to-day administrative and project support to the Executive Director.
- Manage executive calendars, meetings, appointments, deadlines, and follow-up activities.
- Prepare meeting agendas, briefing materials, presentations, reports, and executive documents.
- Draft and proofread professional correspondence and internal communications.
- Conduct research and prepare summaries to support executive decision-making.
- Maintain organized and confidential executive records.
- Coordinate communication and meetings with staff, vendors, community partners, educational organizations, and other stakeholders.
- Track commitments, decisions, deadlines, and follow-up items on behalf of executive leadership.
- Assist the Executive Director with special projects related to organizational development and school launch.
Founding Board & Governance Support
- Provide administrative and project support to the Founding Board of Directors.
- Assist with preparation of board meeting agendas, packets, presentations, reports, and supporting materials.
- Maintain organized board and governance records.
- Track board decisions, action items, assignments, and follow-up responsibilities.
- Assist with coordination of board meetings and committee activities.
- Support communication between the Executive Director and Founding Board.
- Assist with maintaining documentation associated with public charter school governance and organizational compliance.
- Support preparation and organization of materials for public board meetings.
- Maintain professionalism and confidentiality when handling sensitive organizational, personnel, financial, or governance information.
Planning Year & Project Management
- Assist with coordinating major Planning Year workstreams leading to CBA's August 2027 opening.
- Maintain project trackers, calendars, deadlines, deliverables, and action items.
- Monitor outstanding assignments and assist with follow-up across departments, board committees, vendors, and project teams.
- Prepare project status updates for executive leadership and the Founding Board.
- Help develop organizational workflows, procedures, templates, and administrative systems.
- Assist leadership in maintaining accountability for time-sensitive Planning Year requirements.
- Coordinate meetings and documentation related to school-launch initiatives.
- Support implementation of strategic priorities established by executive leadership and the Founding Board.
Grant Administration & Compliance Support
- Assist with organizing documentation related to CBA's NC GROW Charter School Program Planning & Implementation Grant.
- Track grant-related deadlines, deliverables, expenditures, and supporting documentation as assigned.
- Assist with preparation and organization of grant reports and monitoring materials.
- Maintain organized records to support grant compliance, monitoring, and audit readiness.
- Conduct research related to grants, funding opportunities, partnerships, and organizational initiatives.
- Assist with collecting documentation from vendors, staff, and organizational partners when needed for reporting.
- Support executive leadership with maintaining accurate Planning Year documentation.
Business & Organizational Operations
- Assist with developing administrative systems necessary for future school operations.
- Support vendor coordination, purchasing documentation, contracts, and operational projects.
- Assist with staff recruitment, interview scheduling, candidate communication, onboarding, and personnel documentation.
- Organize policies, procedures, contracts, agreements, and organizational records.
- Assist with development of standard operating procedures and internal workflows.
- Maintain digital filing and document-management systems.
- Assist with scheduling professional development, trainings, organizational meetings, and planning sessions.
- Support additional operational projects as the school prepares to open.
Communications & Community Engagement
- Support professional communication with community organizations, educational partners, businesses, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Assist with event planning, logistics, materials, registration, and follow-up.
- Attend select community, organizational, board, and professional meetings with executive leadership when appropriate.
- Assist with presentations, reports, newsletters, and stakeholder communications.
- Support community engagement and school recruitment initiatives as needed.
- Represent Celeste Beauty Academy professionally when interacting with external stakeholders.
Professional Development
This internship is intentionally structured to provide meaningful professional experience rather than primarily clerical work.
The Executive Assistant Intern will gain practical exposure to:
- Executive leadership and decision-making
- Project and program management
- Public charter school development
- Education administration
- Nonprofit management
- Board governance
- Grant administration and compliance
- Strategic planning
- Business operations
- Organizational development
- Human resources and recruitment
- Professional communications
- Community partnership development
Because CBA is in its founding stage, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to see major initiatives progress from strategy and planning through implementation.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree completed or nearing completion preferred.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Exceptional organization and time-management abilities.
- Strong attention to detail and follow-through.
- Professional judgment and ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to independently manage assignments and competing priorities.
- Strong research and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace.
- Ability and willingness to learn new technology and organizational systems.
- Ability to communicate professionally with executives, board members, community leaders, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Interest or experience in education, business administration, nonprofit leadership, project management, public administration, organizational development, communications, or executive operations.
- Previous administrative, internship, project management, nonprofit, education, leadership, or professional office experience preferred but not required.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is proactive, dependable, professional, highly organized, adaptable, and comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment.
We are seeking someone who does not simply wait for assignments. The successful candidate should be able to identify needs, ask thoughtful questions, organize complex information, anticipate upcoming deadlines, communicate professionally, and follow projects through completion.
The strongest candidate will be excited by the opportunity to help build an organization from the ground up and interested in developing into a long-term professional role as Celeste Beauty Academy grows.
Position Details
Employment Type: Full-Time, Paid Internship
Duration: Approximately 12 months / Planning Year
Schedule: Monday–Friday
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Start Date: ASAP
Reports To: Executive Director & Founding Board of Directors
The Executive Director will provide primary day-to-day supervision, while the position will also support and maintain accountability to the Founding Board of Directors in carrying out assigned governance and Planning Year responsibilities.
Career Path
This position is structured as a full-time, paid Planning Year internship leading into Celeste Beauty Academy's anticipated August 2027 school opening.
High-performing interns may be considered for transition into a permanent full-time position with employee benefitsfollowing successful completion of the Planning Year.
Continued employment is not guaranteed and will be based on individual performance, organizational needs, available positions, funding, and successful completion of internship responsibilities.
CBA is especially interested in candidates who are looking for more than a traditional internship and want an opportunity to establish themselves within a growing organization while contributing to the launch of a new public charter school.
Pay: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Charlotte, NC 28208
