Executive Assistant - King County Library System Foundation

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Job Number 2026-00164

The KCLS Foundation is seeking a highly skilled and relationship-focused, 30 hours/week (benefits eligible), Executive Assistant to provide exceptional support to the Executive Director and serve as a key liaison to our Board of Directors. This role requires professionalism, discretion, and the ability to anticipate needs in a dynamic environment.

The Executive Assistant will manage complex administrative responsibilities, support high-level decision-making, and maintain strong working relationships with board members and internal strategic partners. This position requires excellent judgment, flexibility, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

The Executive Assistant will support the Executive Director by managing complex calendars, coordinating correspondence, preparing confidential documents, and should be comfortable working with high-profile board members. This role requires anticipating the Executive Director’s needs, exercising sound independent judgment, and handling sensitive information with discretion. The position also involves credit card reconciliation, expense management, and producing high-quality written materials such as reports, agreements, presentation decks, meeting minutes, RFPs, and manuals. Additionally, the Executive Assistant will maintain master templates, mailing lists, and standardized documents while using databases and project management tools like Monday.com to support organizational workflows.

To succeed in this role, the ideal candidate will bring prior Executive Assistant experience, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and a high level of detail orientation. They should be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and able to adapt to a flexible schedule. Strong judgment, confidentiality, and relationship-building skills are essential. Familiarity with databases and project management platforms will further support the Executive Assistant’s ability to stay organized and maintain consistency across Foundation processes.

About King County Library System (KCLS):

KCLS has a vision of a world where knowledge allows diverse communities to prosper and grow. In order to support this vision, we create opportunities through meaningful connections by acting as the knowledge sharing center for over 1.5 million diverse patrons, providing an unparalleled collection of library materials, resources, technology, services, and programs.

Approximately 1,000 engaged and passionate staff provide service in 50 community library locations and patron engagement using direct outreach, programs, and virtual assistance. Our service area includes cities, towns, tribal lands, and unincorporated districts of King County, with the exception of the city of Seattle.

From a 2021-2022 comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Assessment Demographics and Language Report, of the more than 1.5 million residents who live within the KCLS service area, almost half identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). Moreover, roughly one-third of the KCLS community speaks a language other than English as their first language.

The King County Library System values the diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and cultures of all qualified individuals. We seek applicants that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color), immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, individuals with disabilities, veterans, etc.

KCLS welcomes reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities as an opportunity to assist qualified individuals to participate in the job application or interview process and/or perform the essential functions of the position upon hire.

Need an accommodation to apply or interview? Call (425) 369-3224 or email employment@kcls.org.

KCLS ensures equal opportunities and consideration for all job applicants, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. KCLS does not tolerate discrimination or harassment during any stage of employment, including in recruiting, hiring, promotion, termination, leave of absence, compensation, or training.

Examples of Duties

Essential Duties/Major Responsibilities:

The items listed in this section are the key duties and responsibilities for this job and do not represent an exhaustive list. Our organization is dynamic and therefore duties may change based on business necessity; however, any new duties will remain within the scope of the job.

• Produces a variety of written materials ranging from routine to complex, including correspondence, reports, agreements, presentation materials, meeting minutes, Requests for Proposals (RFP), and manuals. Develops and maintains master documents, templates, mailing and contact lists, and forms to ensure consistency with Foundation standards.
• Proofreads and checks materials created by the Executive Director for the KCLS Foundation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with Foundation standards, policies, and procedures.
• Coordinates, arranges, and confirms meetings. Maintains calendars for the Executive Director – KCLS Foundation and Foundation Board of Directors and screens requests for appointments.
• Receives and screens visitors and telephone calls in support of the Executive Director – KCLS Foundation providing information and handling issues as appropriate that may require sensitivity and the use of sound independent judgment.
• Handles inquiries and concerns from patrons, donors, community members or officials that are sent to the Executive Director – KCLS Foundation. Determines the priority and routes incoming correspondence to the appropriate staff. Researches the situation, gathers data from internal and external sources, and drafts a response. Refers the request or complaint to appropriate staff as needed. Takes or recommends action to resolve the issue.
• Writes, reviews, and edits agenda items for the Foundation Board of Directors, Foundation team, and assigned staff meetings and committees. Attends meetings, takes notes, and transcribes minutes.
• Researches, edits, condenses and assembles information from a variety of sources for the preparation of records and reports. Recommends organizational, procedural or other changes in area of focus to achieve greater productivity.
• Maintains database entries to track Foundation information. Establishes confidential, subject, project, and specialized files. Organizes and maintains office files and archives records and files per established guidelines. Assists staff in locating files and records.
• Maintains a library of documents for the Foundation Board of Directors to include meeting agendas, projects and assignments, pending Board matters, minutes, rosters, and bios.

Secondary Duties

1. Prepares travel and training requests. Confirms travel and other arrangements for conferences and business trips. Compiles expense reports and prepares post- travel memoranda. Requests reimbursement for petty cash expenditures.
2. Provides administrative support for professional association affiliations of the Executive Director – KCLS Foundation, including drafting meeting announcements and materials and arranging for meeting rooms and food.
3. Provides other administrative support staff to Foundation staff members related to communications, special events, donor engagement, grants and corporate partnership activities.
4. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Core Competencies:

Each KCLS position has job-specific competencies. These competencies describe characteristics needed for optimum performance in the position. In addition, there are organizational competencies applicable to all positions at KCLS that encompass the culture and set expectations for how work is performed.

Organizational Competencies

• Valuing Diversity

Manages relationships with all kinds and classes of people inclusively and equitably. Respects, values, and encourages the unique dimension each employee adds to the organization and each member of the community brings to the whole. Seeks opportunities to learn about differences.

• Customer Focus

Primarily focused on customer needs. Able to deliver high-quality, value-added services. Constantly strives to find new ways to increase customer satisfaction and understanding, foster equitable services, and forge meaningful connections.

• Ethics, Values and Judgement

Exercises best judgment, trustworthiness, and professional standards of conduct. Consistently demonstrates organization’s values, moral principles, and accountability in behavior, character, and action. Defends intellectual freedom and confidentiality.

• Professional and Technical Knowledge

Demonstrates proficiency in professional and technical skills and/or knowledge in position-related areas. Purposely keeps up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise, in order to better foster personal success and connections for others.

Job-Specific Competencies

• Approachability

Listens more than they talk. Allows appropriate time for interactions. Purposely builds rapport, sets positive tone and exhibits confidence by body language and speech. Maintains boundaries.

• Interpersonal Savvy

Relates well to all kinds of people at all levels, both internally and externally. Builds appropriate relationships. Interactions are often purposeful and constructive.

• Communicates Effectively

Conveys ideas and information in a way that is clear, engaging, and suitable to the audience. Main point of their message is apparent. Listens more than they speak and responds appropriately. Seeks influence.

Desired Minimum Qualification

Education and Experience:

The items listed below are the minimum requirements for the job and are relevant to this position. The organization values both work experience and education and realizes that individuals take different paths to acquire knowledge.

• High School diploma or GED equivalent.
• Five years of increasingly responsible administrative support to a senior level manager.
• Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the necessary qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position will be considered.

Special Requirements:

Valid Washington State driver license.

Paid Time off

It is the policy of KCLS to grant to all part-time and full-time employees:

• Annual Leave (Vacation).
• Sick Leave
• Holidays - KCLS celebrates twelve (12) holidays each year and one (1) floating holiday. Part-time employees are eligible for holiday pay if they are scheduled to work on the day the holiday falls on.

Medical/Dental Insurance Benefits

Our health insurance plans with Kaiser/Premera/Delta Dental are offered at low premium rates to all employees working 20 or more hours per week. Employees may also purchase benefits for dependents and domestic partners.

Retirement - Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)

Employees working 20 hours per week or more are automatically enrolled in the Washington State Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) program. Both KCLS and the employee contribute toward PERS retirement benefits.

Flexible and Dependent Care Spending Accounts and Health Saving Account

Employees working 20 hours per week or more can set aside a portion of their salary on a pre-tax basis to pay for family medical and dependent care needs. KCLS provides an annual employer contribution to Health Saving Account when the employee is enrolled in a high deductible health plan.

Life and Accidental Death & Disability, Long Term Disability Insurance

All the employees working 20 hours per week or more qualify for the group term life and AD& D insurance benefits equal to one times their annual salary. Employees working 40 hours per week receive long-term disability insurance.

Optional/Voluntary Benefits

Employees working 20 hours per week or more are eligible to participate in the following voluntary benefits:

• Supplemental Term Life and AD&D Insurance
• Personal Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Nationwide Pet Insurance
• Allstate Identity Theft Protection
• Student Loan Refinance

Deferred Compensation Retirement Plan (available to all KCLS Employees)

• 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan - You can supplement any other retirement benefits you may have by setting aside pre-tax dollars in this retirement savings account.

Other Benefits

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) This employer-sponsored program is a confidential service that can provide referrals to counseling, financial, legal, child care/elder care services.
• Ride-Wise KCLS encourages you to "leave the car at home" and seek other ways to commute to work. All employees are eligible for
• reimbursement of 50% of your tax-free ORCA transit pass and van pool. The Guaranteed Ride Home program is also available for staff.
• Tuition Assistance KCLS encourages employees to pursue college, associate and graduate degrees and certificate programs where such education and knowledge bring value to KCLS. Tuition assistance, as funding permits, is available to all employees.