Administrative Receptionist
About the Employer
Front Office Receptionist / Administrative Support Specialist
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.
Job Description
Reports to: Head of School
Position Classification: Full-time
Work Schedule: Regular school-day schedule with occasional evening and weekend responsibilities
Front Office and Reception
Serve as the primary receptionist and initial point of contact for the school.
Maintain a professional, welcoming, organized, and service-oriented front office environment.
Greet parents, students, visitors, vendors, applicants, volunteers, prospective families, and community members promptly and courteously.
Determine the nature and purpose of visits and appropriately assist or direct individuals to the proper staff member or office.
Manage visitor sign-in procedures, identification requirements, visitor badges, and other established access-control procedures.
Maintain awareness of activity within the reception and entrance areas and immediately report unusual, unsafe, or concerning circumstances to school administration.
Provide accurate general information regarding school procedures, schedules, events, office hours, departments, and other routine matters.
Ensure the reception area is maintained in a professional, orderly, and welcoming condition.
Telephone and Communication Responsibilities
Answer and manage the school's primary telephone lines in a professional, courteous, and efficient manner.
Screen, prioritize, transfer, and route calls appropriately.
Take and distribute accurate telephone messages when necessary.
Respond to routine parent and community inquiries while referring matters requiring administrative review or decision-making to the appropriate administrator.
Demonstrate patience and professionalism when communicating with concerned, upset, or frustrated individuals.
Assist with schoolwide communications, announcements, correspondence, mailings, and other communications as directed.
Monitor designated general school email accounts or communication systems when assigned.
Maintain confidentiality and professionalism in all verbal, written, and electronic communications.
Parent and Student Services
Provide courteous and responsive assistance to parents and students with routine front-office matters.
Support established procedures for student arrival, late check-in, early dismissal, and other attendance-related front-office functions as assigned.
Verify proper authorization before releasing students in accordance with school procedures.
Contact parents or guardians regarding routine student matters when directed.
Assist students who report to the front office and appropriately refer disciplinary, medical, academic, counseling, or administrative concerns to designated personnel.
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and avoid making decisions outside the authority of the position.
Ensure parent questions and concerns are routed efficiently to the staff member or administrator best positioned to address them.
Help maintain a school environment in which families feel respected, welcomed, and valued.
Administrative Support
Provide administrative and clerical support to the head of school and other administrators as directed.
Prepare correspondence, reports, spreadsheets, forms, notices, labels, meeting materials, and other documents.
Perform accurate data entry and maintain electronic and paper files.
Assist with copying, scanning, filing, document preparation, records organization, and mail distribution.
Receive, sort, and distribute incoming mail, packages, deliveries, and internal correspondence.
Assist with outgoing mailings, shipping, and correspondence.
Maintain calendars, schedules, appointment information, meeting notices, and organizational materials when assigned.
Assist in preparing materials for meetings, parent programs, school events, registration activities, and administrative functions.
Maintain appropriate inventories of front-office supplies and communicate supply needs to the appropriate staff member.
Enrollment and Registration Support
Under the direction of the head of school and in coordination with enrollment and registration personnel:
Assist families seeking general information regarding enrollment and registration.
Direct prospective families to appropriate enrollment personnel, tours, application resources, or registration procedures.
Assist with enrollment events, registration activities, open houses, tours, and other recruitment-related functions.
Receive documents from families and route them appropriately.
Assist with copying, scanning, organizing, filing, and tracking enrollment-related documentation when assigned.
Provide administrative support during high-volume enrollment and registration periods.
Maintain confidentiality and accuracy when handling enrollment and student information.
Support effective communication with english-speaking and spanish-speaking families when qualified to do so.
Records and Confidentiality
Safeguard confidential information involving students, families, employees, and school operations.
Handle student information and educational records in accordance with applicable school policies and confidentiality requirements.
Maintain accurate records and demonstrate strong attention to detail.
Learn and effectively use school information systems, databases, communication platforms, and other technology.
School Safety and Emergency Support
Follow all established school safety, visitor-management, emergency, and security procedures.
Maintain awareness of individuals entering and exiting the school.
Immediately notify administration or appropriate personnel of suspicious activity, unauthorized visitors, safety concerns, emergencies, or potentially disruptive situations.
Assist administrators during drills, emergencies, evacuations, lockdowns, reunification activities, or other emergency situations as assigned.
General School Operations
Work collaboratively with enrollment and registration, student services, operations, administrative assistants, instructional staff, and other departments.
Provide reasonable administrative assistance to other school offices during periods of increased workload when directed by the head of school.
Assist with coordinating meetings, parent conferences, school events, deliveries, appointments, and other front-office activities.
Ensure that information is communicated and routed promptly to the appropriate administrator or department.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The successful employee must demonstrate the ability to:
Provide exceptional customer service and demonstrate a genuine commitment to assisting others.
Communicate effectively and respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Demonstrate warmth, patience, kindness, tact, diplomacy, and professionalism.
Remain calm and effective when dealing with difficult, emotional, demanding, or rapidly changing situations.
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:
Treat every student, parent, employee, and visitor with dignity, respect, patience, and courtesy.
Maintain a helpful, responsive, and solution-oriented approach.
Demonstrate patience and composure during high-volume and stressful periods.
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.
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:
Open houses
Enrollment and registration activities
Parent programs and meetings
Schoolwide events
Orientation activities
Community events
Special administrative projects
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.
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.