InsideOut

The Council of Chief State School Officers is seeking applicants for a Program Assistant position for its Arts Education Partnership (AEP). AEP is a coalition of more than 100 national education, arts, government and philanthropic organizations that demonstrates and promotes the essential role of learning in the arts for the success of students in school, life, and work. AEP provides leadership, advocacy, research and technical assistance to its partnering organizations and to the field of arts education. It is the primary source and convener for organizations interested in advancing arts education through partnerships.

Position Description and Responsibilities

The Program Assistant reports to the Director of the Arts Education Partnership and is a member of a small staff that relies on active and effective teamwork. The position requires some travel on a limited basis. The specific responsibilities of the position are:

• Assisting in the design and management of AEP's annual national forums that address critical issues in education and arts education, as well as the meetings of AEP's governance and steering committees;

• Serving as the web master for the AEP website (www.aep-arts.org), which is a primary source of information and resources to the AEP participating organizations, to state education agencies, and to the field of arts education;

• Assisting in AEP's publications process that is outsourced to an outside fulfillment house;

• Maintaining AEP's two listservs, the closed network through which AEP communicates with arts managers at state education agencies, and the public listserv that provides regular updates to the field of arts education on new policy and program developments;

• Responding or coordinating responses to inquiries concerning arts education policies and programs from AEP partnering organizations and the general public;

• Serving as office manager: Maintaining important AEP records and documents, including contracts and financial records related to forums and meetings;

• Providing general administrative support to the Director.

Skills and Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree and preferably one year of related experience;

• Competent user of MS Office Suite, including MS Word, Excel, and Access;

• Interest in arts education or education policy and program development and/or implementation;

• Ability to work independently and to foresee, identify, design and/or recommend solutions to needs, issues, and/or problems in the position's areas of responsibility;

• Conference and meeting planning;

• Competence and experience in developing and managing websites, listservs, databases and other electronic communication processes;

• Excellent written and oral communication skills;

• Demonstrated commitment to teamwork.