Advocates For Children (AFC) is a dynamic social justice organization that strives to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds. AFC works on behalf of children and youth who are at greatest risk of academic failure due to poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, homelessness, immigration status/limited English proficiency, or involvement in the child welfare or juvenile/criminal legal systems. We use uniquely integrated strategies to advance systemic reform, empower families and communities, and advocate for the educational rights of individual students.  

AFC grounds our work in our organization’s values:  

• Family-Centered: We listen to what families want for their children and empower them with information and support.  

• Expertise: We ground our advocacy in more than 50 years of experience with the NYC public schools and deep knowledge of the legal and education systems affecting the students and families we serve. 

• Passion: We are united by our unrelenting drive to dismantle obstacles to education and our unwavering dedication to NYC’s students and families. 

• Community: We foster collaboration and inclusive practices within our team and with outside partners so we can learn from different perspectives and unite in advancing our common goals. 

• Justice: We view the law as a powerful tool to bridge gaps in access to education and help families from under-represented communities fight for their rights. 

• Impact: We recognize that our value lies in the difference we make in the lives of students and their families and push ourselves to achieve concrete results.  

For more information on AFC, see www.advocatesforchildren.org.

Job Summary

AFC seeks a dedicated, full-time Administrative Assistant to support the Postsecondary Readiness Project (PReP) and Project Achieve. PReP works to support and advocate for NYC students and families seeking appropriate services to complete their high school education and transition to postsecondary life. The Assistant will support PReP’s work (70%) leading a citywide coalition of organizations striving to improve transition services for students with disabilities in NYC public schools and advocating for families.  

Project Achieve is AFC’s program that has been fighting for the educational rights of students in NYC’s foster system for over 20 years. Project Achieve works to build the capacity of foster care agencies to better address the educational needs of the children and youth in their care. The Assistant will support Project Achieve’s workshops, monthly Education Collaborative meetings, and community education resources (30%). 

This position will report to the Director of the Postsecondary Readiness Project. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Supports coordination of PReP’s citywide Transition Alliance coalition meetings and Education Collaborative meetings, including scheduling, arranging logistics, preparing materials and note-taking.  

• Supports PReP and Project Achieve activities by maintaining directories, managing communications with partners, sharing updates, and tracking progress.  

• Assists in the development and maintenance of a comprehensive directory of transition services, including mapping pathways and resources.   

• Supports the preparation and distribution of policy initiative materials, advocacy efforts, and correspondence with government agencies.  

• Assists with logistics for collaboration efforts with external partners, community-based organizations, and governmental entities, including arranging meetings, preparing meeting materials, note-taking, and following up on action items.  

• Contributes to the creation and execution of a robust inter-agency referral process by compiling resources, contacts, and services available to students and families.  

• Assists with the documentation and reporting of Transition Alliance and Education Collaborative activities, outcomes, and impacts, ensuring that progress towards objectives is tracked and communicated.  

• Provides administrative support for fairs, trainings, workshops, and presentations.  

• Provides administrative support for casework including client intake, scheduling, hearing preparation, case tracking, and inputting case progress into Salesforce database.   

• Supports the team in researching and compiling data on best practices in transition planning.  

• Updates databases and performs other administrative tasks for the PReP team as needed.  

• Supporting the overall work of PReP and Project Achieve as needed. 

• Assists other AFC teams and office staff with other administrative duties as needed.  

Qualifications

• Understanding of and alignment with AFC’s mission. Please review AFC’s work at www.advocatesforchildren.org. 

• Desire to learn, both as an individual and as part of an organization, and apply diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism principles. 

• 1-2 years administrative experience in non-profit organizations preferred. 

• High School diploma/GED required; 2-year or 4-year college degree preferred.   

• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively engage across cultures, identities, and ethnicities. 

• Strong writing and active listening skills with the ability to synthesize information and take accurate notes.  

• Well organized with the ability to complete tasks, work on multiple priorities, and meet deadlines.   

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, with attention to detail.  

• Comfortable with technology and able to learn new applications with ease. Must have high proficiency with Microsoft applications and Adobe Pro. Salesforce proficiency a plus.  

• Knowledge of NYC education system or education issues preferred.  

• Fluency in Spanish is a plus but is not required. 

How to Apply

Candidates should submit a resume and cover letter highlighting why they are interested in this role at AFC and how their experience aligns with the Administrative Assistant position, including any personal or professional experience that demonstrates your connection to the populations that AFC serves.  

The position is available immediately, and resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Due to the high volume of applicants, only qualified candidates will be contacted.  

Compensation

This is a full-time position, with a salary in the range of $54,798 - $58,021, depending on experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.   

This position is expected to work at least 2 days a week in the office and remotely on the remaining days. 

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION INFORMATION

AFC’s current compensation package includes medical and dental insurance, with a plan option that covers full payment of medical plan premiums for staff and their qualified dependents.  AFC has generous time-off policies that include 10 federal holidays, office closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and 15 vacation days and 15 paid time off days in the first year of employment.  AFC also offers a 403(b) plan with a fully vested employer match and coverage of the premium cost of life insurance and short-term and long-term disability insurance.

AFC is an equal opportunity employer that actively seeks to recruit and retain a diverse staff and encourages all applications including from people of color, persons with disabilities, parents of persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or gender expressions and persons of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. 

AFC is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability or other protected characteristic. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. For more information and to request an accommodation, contact Human Resources at HR@advocatesforchildren.org.