Parent & Guardians Association (PGA) Program Specialist in Seattle, Washington at Lakeside School
Explore Related Opportunities
Job Description
FTE: 1.0 FTE
Appointment Year: Full Year
Employment Classification: Non-Exempt
Job Summary
The mission of the Parents and Guardians Association (PGA) is to support Lakeside School by building community, facilitating communications, and raising funds. Reporting to the Director of Institutional Philanthropy, this role serves as the primary staff support for PGA volunteer leaders and works closely with multiple school departments to coordinate programs, communications, and events that strengthen the Lakeside parent/guardian community.
Because many PGA initiatives intersect with the broader life of the school, this role partners regularly with departments outside of Advancement, including Student and Family Support, Community Equity and Belonging, Athletics, Academic departments, Facilities, and Communications to ensure alignment and coordination of activities.
This role also plays an important part in supporting an inclusive and welcoming PGA by engaging a diverse community of parents and guardians and helping to ensure that programs, communications, and volunteer opportunities reflect and support the full range of family experiences at Lakeside.
This position requires a highly organized and adaptable professional who is comfortable working in a dynamic school environment where priorities may shift throughout the year. The successful candidate will be collaborative, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects while maintaining strong relationships with volunteers, families, and colleagues across the school.
Lakeside: Fast Facts
Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Job Functions)
Administrative Support
- Provide administrative support to PGA volunteer leadership and related parent and guardian engagement activities.
- Coordinate meeting schedules, agendas, and materials for PGA leadership meetings.
- Maintain calendars, documentation, and records to support continuity as volunteer leadership changes annually.
- Assist with budget tracking, purchasing, and administrative processes related to PGA programs.
- Provide technical support for remote and hybrid meetings.
- Coordinate facilities, supplies, and materials for events and meetings.
- Maintain parent and guardian volunteer listservs, ensuring accurate distribution lists for school communications and events.
Communications
Coordinate production and distribution of communications supporting Advancement and parent and guardian volunteer programs.
- Produce and distribute monthly Pawprint communications and other committee e-notices (e.g., ROAR, Prom, and volunteer groups).
- Manage the PGA webpage and support updates to event and volunteer information.
- Coordinate the preparation and distribution of single-subject emails to parent and guardian and volunteer audiences, including scheduling, content formatting, and distribution logistics.
- Maintain communications timelines and distribution lists to ensure timely delivery of information for school programs and events.
Volunteer Coordination
- Support recruitment, onboarding, and communication with PGA volunteers.
- Maintain documentation and resources to support volunteer leadership roles.
- Help ensure volunteers have clear guidance and access to school resources.
- Update job descriptions and procedures.
Program and Event Support
- In partnership with PGA volunteers, and school leadership, serve as project manager for ROAR, the school’s annual gala raising $450k each year.
- Coordinate event planning timelines, logistics, and venue arrangements.
- Support volunteer chairs with procurement, sponsorship outreach, raffle logistics, and program elements.
- Manage volunteer recruitment, coordination, and training for gala work parties and night-of teams, including student and adult volunteers.
- Support event communications, ticketing logistics, and financial processing, including accounts receivable and credit card transactions.
- Prepare post-event documentation and summaries, including donor tax acknowledgements and revenue/participation reports.
- Manage GreaterGiving gala software. Serve as event manager for PGA programs and events, including but not limited to the All-School Party on the Quad, Community Night, Day of Service, tailgates/Pride, and Field Day, with the expectation that event offerings may evolve over time.
Desired Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
- 3–5 years of experience in administrative coordination, event planning, volunteer management, communications, or related fields. Experience in schools, nonprofit organizations, or community-based environments is preferred.
- Adaptability and a positive, solutions-oriented mindset in a dynamic environment where priorities may shift and volunteer leadership changes annually.
- Strong technical skills and comfort learning new systems; experience with tools such as Google Workspace, website content management systems, email distribution platforms, and basic financial or event tracking systems is preferred.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to partner effectively with colleagues across departments.
- Strong judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive information.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously while maintaining strong attention to detail and organization.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, engaging communications for a range of audiences.
- Experience working with volunteers and building collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Cultural competency and demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse audiences, including parents/guardians, students, faculty, staff, and community members.
- Ability to support evening or weekend events as part of school and community programming.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.
- Ability to occasionally lift and move materials or event supplies (up to approximately 25 pounds).
- Ability to move about campus to support meetings, programs, and events.
- Ability to stand for extended periods during events and programs.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $80,200-$85,000 (non-exempt, salary) based upon experience and education. Lakeside School is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding candidates and provides a competitive compensation package. Lakeside School offers a competitive compensation package and a comprehensive set of benefits, including:
- Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance (based on FTE)
- Dependent medical and vision subsidy
- Retirement with generous employer contribution
- Life/disability insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Flexible spending accounts
- Free lunch
- Free parking
- Bus/bike benefits
- Housing assistance program
- Reduced facility rentals
- Employee Discount Program
- Computer loan program
- Paid holidays and vacation
- Use of school library and gymnasium
- Mentoring
- Professional Development
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and at least 3 references via Lakeside’s online application system. For your cover letter, please address the following: Describe your experience engaging with a school’s parent/guardian (P/G) community. If you have direct experience with Lakeside’s P/G community, please name the context (e.g., committee work, volunteer coordination, events, communications). If not, describe a comparable school community.
About Lakeside
Lakeside School was founded in 1919, and currently enrolls 891 students in grades 5 through 12 from diverse ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds.
The School’s Mission and the shared commitment of all Lakeside employees is to develop in intellectually capable young people the creative minds, healthy bodies, and ethical spirits needed to contribute wisdom, compassion, and leadership to a global society. We provide a rigorous, dynamic academic program through which effective educators lead students to take responsibility for learning. We are committed to sustaining a school in which individuals representing diverse cultures and experiences instruct one another in the meaning and value of community and in the joy and importance of lifelong learning.
Working at Lakeside
Lakeside School is committed to sustaining a community in which individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds teach, learn, and thrive together. To learn more about working at Lakeside—including professional development, mentoring, benefits, and opportunities for involvement—please visit the Careers page on the Lakeside School website.