FRONT OFFICE RECEPTIONIST / ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SPECIALIST
JOB DESCRIPTION
Reports To: Head of School
Position Classification: Full-Time
Work Schedule: Regular school-day schedule with occasional evening and weekend responsibilities
POSITION SUMMARY
The Front Office Receptionist / Administrative Support Specialist serves as the primary point of contact for Carolina International School and plays a critical role in the daily operation, professionalism, safety, and effectiveness of the school.
Reporting directly to the Head of School, this position manages the school's main reception area and provides high-quality assistance to parents, students, staff members, visitors, vendors, prospective families, and members of the community. The employee is responsible for answering and routing telephone calls, assisting visitors, responding to routine inquiries, supporting student and parent needs, and performing a broad range of administrative and clerical functions.
The position requires an exceptionally professional, personable, organized, dependable, and service-oriented individual who can successfully manage multiple responsibilities and competing priorities in a fast-paced K–12 school environment. The employee must demonstrate excellent judgment, discretion, patience, and composure while maintaining a welcoming and positive presence at all times.
Because the front office is often the first point of interaction families and visitors have with Carolina International School, the employee must consistently demonstrate kindness, courtesy, responsiveness, professionalism, and a genuine desire to assist others.
The Front Office Receptionist / Administrative Support Specialist works collaboratively with Enrollment and Registration, Finance, Student Services, Operations, Administration, and other school offices while remaining directly accountable to the Head of School.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates must possess:
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An Associate Degree from an accredited college or institution.
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A minimum of three years of successful administrative, receptionist, clerical, customer-service, school-office, or comparable professional experience.
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Strong computer literacy and demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and related electronic systems.
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Ability to operate standard office equipment, including multi-line telephone systems, computers, printers, copiers, scanners, postage equipment, and other commonly used office technology.
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Strong written and verbal communication skills.
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Excellent interpersonal and customer-service skills.
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Demonstrated ability to organize work, establish priorities, meet deadlines, and manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
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Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise appropriate discretion when handling student, employee, parent, financial, and school information.
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Ability to work effectively with students, parents, employees, administrators, vendors, and members of the public.
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Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings, weekends, school events, enrollment activities, open houses, and other functions as assigned.
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A demonstrated record of reliability, professionalism, punctuality, sound judgment, and teamwork.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Preference may be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:
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A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
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Previous administrative or front-office experience in a public, charter, private, or other educational setting.
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Experience working directly with parents, students, and the general public.
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Experience with student information systems, enrollment systems, databases, or other school-based technology platforms.
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Multilingual communication skills.
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Fluency or professional proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred due to the importance of effectively communicating with and supporting the school's diverse families and community.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Front Office and Reception
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Serve as the primary receptionist and initial point of contact for the school.
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Maintain a professional, welcoming, organized, and service-oriented front office environment.
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Greet parents, students, visitors, vendors, applicants, volunteers, prospective families, and community members promptly and courteously.
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Determine the nature and purpose of visits and appropriately assist or direct individuals to the proper staff member or office.
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Manage visitor sign-in procedures, identification requirements, visitor badges, and other established access-control procedures.
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Maintain awareness of activity within the reception and entrance areas and immediately report unusual, unsafe, or concerning circumstances to school administration.
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Provide accurate general information regarding school procedures, schedules, events, office hours, departments, and other routine matters.
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Ensure the reception area is maintained in a professional, orderly, and welcoming condition.
Telephone and Communication Responsibilities
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Answer and manage the school's primary telephone lines in a professional, courteous, and efficient manner.
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Screen, prioritize, transfer, and route calls appropriately.
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Take and distribute accurate telephone messages when necessary.
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Respond to routine parent and community inquiries while referring matters requiring administrative review or decision-making to the appropriate administrator.
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Demonstrate patience and professionalism when communicating with concerned, upset, or frustrated individuals.
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Assist with schoolwide communications, announcements, correspondence, mailings, and other communications as directed.
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Monitor designated general school email accounts or communication systems when assigned.
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Maintain confidentiality and professionalism in all verbal, written, and electronic communications.
Parent and Student Services
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Provide courteous and responsive assistance to parents and students with routine front-office matters.
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Support established procedures for student arrival, late check-in, early dismissal, and other attendance-related front-office functions as assigned.
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Verify proper authorization before releasing students in accordance with school procedures.
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Contact parents or guardians regarding routine student matters when directed.
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Assist students who report to the front office and appropriately refer disciplinary, medical, academic, counseling, or administrative concerns to designated personnel.
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Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and avoid making decisions outside the authority of the position.
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Ensure parent questions and concerns are routed efficiently to the staff member or administrator best positioned to address them.
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Help maintain a school environment in which families feel respected, welcomed, and valued.
Administrative Support
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Provide administrative and clerical support to the Head of School and other administrators as directed.
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Prepare correspondence, reports, spreadsheets, forms, notices, labels, meeting materials, and other documents.
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Perform accurate data entry and maintain electronic and paper files.
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Assist with copying, scanning, filing, document preparation, records organization, and mail distribution.
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Receive, sort, and distribute incoming mail, packages, deliveries, and internal correspondence.
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Assist with outgoing mailings, shipping, and correspondence.
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Maintain calendars, schedules, appointment information, meeting notices, and organizational materials when assigned.
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Assist in preparing materials for meetings, parent programs, school events, registration activities, and administrative functions.
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Maintain appropriate inventories of front-office supplies and communicate supply needs to the appropriate staff member.
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Provide additional clerical and administrative assistance during periods of increased school activity.
Enrollment and Registration Support
Under the direction of the Head of School and in coordination with Enrollment and Registration personnel:
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Assist families seeking general information regarding enrollment and registration.
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Direct prospective families to appropriate enrollment personnel, tours, application resources, or registration procedures.
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Assist with enrollment events, registration activities, open houses, tours, and other recruitment-related functions.
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Receive documents from families and route them appropriately.
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Assist with copying, scanning, organizing, filing, and tracking enrollment-related documentation when assigned.
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Provide administrative support during high-volume enrollment and registration periods.
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Maintain confidentiality and accuracy when handling enrollment and student information.
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Support effective communication with English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families when qualified to do so.
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Avoid making admissions, eligibility, enrollment, placement, or registration decisions unless specifically authorized.
Records and Confidentiality
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Safeguard confidential information involving students, families, employees, and school operations.
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Handle student information and educational records in accordance with applicable school policies and confidentiality requirements.
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Ensure confidential documents and electronic information are protected from unauthorized access.
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Refer requests for student records, personnel information, public records, or other sensitive information to authorized personnel.
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Maintain accurate, orderly, and secure files and records within the responsibilities assigned to the position.
School Safety and Emergency Support
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Follow all established school safety, visitor-management, emergency, and security procedures.
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Maintain awareness of individuals entering and exiting the school.
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Immediately notify administration or appropriate personnel of suspicious activity, unauthorized visitors, safety concerns, emergencies, or potentially disruptive situations.
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Assist administrators during drills, emergencies, evacuations, lockdowns, reunification activities, or other emergency situations as assigned.
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Remain calm and exercise sound judgment during emergencies or high-stress situations.
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Recognize that school safety, student security, and established access procedures take precedence over convenience.
General School Operations
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Work collaboratively with Enrollment and Registration, Student Services, Operations, administrative assistants, instructional staff, and other departments.
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Provide reasonable administrative assistance to other school offices during periods of increased workload when directed by the Head of School.
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Assist with coordinating meetings, parent conferences, school events, deliveries, appointments, and other front-office activities.
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Ensure that information is communicated and routed promptly to the appropriate administrator or department.
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Assist substitutes, vendors, contractors, volunteers, applicants, and visitors with routine arrival and orientation procedures.
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Maintain working knowledge of the school calendar, major events, schedules, administrative responsibilities, and organizational structure.
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Assist with special projects and schoolwide initiatives as assigned.
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Perform other administrative, clerical, operational, and school-support duties as assigned by the Head of School.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
The successful employee must demonstrate the ability to:
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Provide exceptional customer service and demonstrate a genuine commitment to assisting others.
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Communicate effectively and respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
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Demonstrate warmth, patience, kindness, tact, diplomacy, and professionalism.
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Remain calm and effective when dealing with difficult, emotional, demanding, or rapidly changing situations.
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Manage multiple telephone calls, visitors, student needs, deadlines, and administrative responsibilities simultaneously.
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Prioritize competing responsibilities and recognize situations requiring immediate administrative attention.
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Exercise sound judgment without exceeding the authority of the position.
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Work independently while remaining accountable to the Head of School.
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Work collaboratively and productively as part of a multidisciplinary school team.
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Maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive information.
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Maintain accurate records and demonstrate strong attention to detail.
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Learn and effectively use school information systems, databases, communication platforms, and other technology.
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Adapt quickly when priorities, schedules, or operational needs change.
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Maintain a professional appearance and demeanor appropriate for the school's primary reception area.
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Establish and maintain positive working relationships with parents, students, employees, administrators, and community members.
PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS
Because this employee represents Carolina International School to the public on a daily basis, exceptional professionalism is required.
The employee is expected to:
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Treat every student, parent, employee, and visitor with dignity, respect, patience, and courtesy.
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Maintain a helpful, responsive, and solution-oriented approach.
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Demonstrate patience and composure during high-volume and stressful periods.
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Avoid confrontational, dismissive, argumentative, or discourteous interactions.
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Protect confidential information and avoid discussing sensitive school matters in public areas.
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Support established school policies, procedures, and administrative expectations.
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Communicate concerns through appropriate supervisory channels.
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Work cooperatively with colleagues and contribute positively to the overall effectiveness of the school.
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Demonstrate consistent attendance, punctuality, dependability, initiative, and readiness for work.
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Understand that flexibility is essential in a school environment and that responsibilities may change according to operational needs.
TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION
The Front Office Receptionist / Administrative Support Specialist is an integral member of the school's administrative support team. Effective performance requires regular collaboration with multiple departments and an understanding that successful school operations depend upon communication, flexibility, teamwork, professionalism, and mutual support.
Although the employee works collaboratively with numerous offices and staff members, assignments, priorities, responsibilities, and performance expectations for this position are established by the Head of School or the Head of School's designee.
WORK SCHEDULE AND ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The position primarily operates during established school and office hours. However, occasional evening and weekend responsibilities are an expected component of the position and may include:
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Open houses
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Enrollment and registration activities
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Parent programs and meetings
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Schoolwide events
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Orientation activities
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Community events
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Special administrative projects
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Other activities designated by the Head of School
Reasonable schedule flexibility is an essential expectation of the position.
PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS
The employee must be able to perform the customary physical functions associated with a professional school-office environment, including prolonged periods of sitting or standing, operating computers and office equipment, communicating by telephone and in person, moving throughout the school office and campus as necessary, and occasionally lifting or moving routine office materials and supplies.
The employee will work in a high-traffic, fast-paced environment in which frequent interruptions, competing demands, telephone calls, student needs, parent inquiries, visitors, and rapidly changing priorities are normal conditions of employment.
EVALUATION
Performance will be evaluated by the Head of School or designee based upon the employee's effectiveness in fulfilling the responsibilities of the position, including professionalism, customer service, dependability, confidentiality, accuracy, initiative, teamwork, communication, organizational effectiveness, technology proficiency, adaptability, and overall contribution to the efficient operation of Carolina International School.
DISCLAIMER
The duties listed in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the employee assigned to this position. They are not intended to constitute an exhaustive list of every responsibility, duty, or skill required. Carolina International School reserves the right to modify duties or assign additional responsibilities consistent with the operational needs of the school.
