Elm City Montessori School

Business Manager

Job Description

Elm City Montessori School, launched in August 2014, is New Haven’s first public Montessori school. We currently serve approximately 325 students between the ages of 3 and 13. New Haven, Connecticut is a thriving arts, cultural, and education hub, located in the center of a growing community of public Montessori schools.

About the Position: This is a 12-month position. This person reports to the Director of Finance and Operations. 

Required Qualifications:  Applicant must have a minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in a school or early childhood program working with operations, facilities, and human resources.

Preferred Qualifications:  The ideal candidate is well-organized, positive, proactive, and motivated and has Montessori training. In addition, S/he ideally has strong communication skills, experience in schools and experience coordinating programs. Bachelor’s in Education, Management or related field. Bilingual (Spanish) is preferred. 

Areas of Responsibility

Finances

• Manage the receipt, processing and recording of cash receipts

• Manage bill payment and vendor accounts

• Manage revenue compliance

• Maintain the school’s bookkeeping records according to GAAP

• Solicit and document quotes for supplies and services

• Issue and monitor all purchase orders

• Process disbursements and reimbursements

• Once a month review the budget VS actuals report in Quickbooks to track spending

• Monitor office supplies and plan for replenishment

• Record in-kind donations and services

• Manage Extended Day program invoice and payment system

School Operations 

• Manage operations requests, coordinate purchasing and manage the inventorying and organization/distribution of all supplies and materials

• Managing ordering, preparation, and set up for school and community events

• Manage the ordering, inventorying and organization/distribution of all supplies and materials

Human Resources

• Collect and manage all required payroll paperwork; run background checks

• Manage payroll, benefits and human resources reporting

• Maintain personnel files

• Track employee absences and provide appropriate quarterly follow up meetings 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required

• Knowledge of and experience with bookkeeping, financial reporting, GAAP, audits, budgeting and cash flow management

• Prior experience in compliance preferred

• Prior experience in a charter or public school school preferred

• Alignment with the mission and vision of ECMS

Compensation: $45,000-50,000 based on education and experience. Medical, vision, dental and 401K matching benefits available.

Interested applicants may fill out ECMS Employment Application:

Director of School Operations | Job Description

Elm City Montessori School, launched in August 2014, is New Haven’s first public Montessori school. We currently serve approximately 320 students between the ages of 3 and 13. New Haven, Connecticut is a thriving arts, cultural, and education hub, located in the center of a growing community of public Montessori schools.

The Director of School Operations provides leadership for and manages all operational functions, including all human resources, IT, and facilities and is responsible for ensuring that the school complies with all relevant state/local/federal rules and regulations. The Director of School Operations reports to the Principal and is a member of the school’s leadership team and will play an important role in ensuring the school’s short and long term success. Key components of this position include: human resources systems development and management, operations systems and management, budget management, and facilities management.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Human Resources Management

• Develops and manages human resources policies and programs for the entire school; conducts a continuing study of all human resources policies, programs, and practices 

• Supervises ECMS staff hiring and onboarding

• Identifies and ensures compliance with legal requirements and government reporting/regulations affecting human resources (e.g., OSHA, EEO, ERISA, Wage and Hour)

• Monitors human resources exposure of the organization

• Coordinates decision-making on employee benefits programs

• Directs the preparation and maintenance of files and reports that are necessary to carry out human resources responsibilities

• Manages payroll, benefits and human resources reporting

• Supervises and evaluates the Business Manager and Operations Associate

Financial Management

• Manages the school’s annual budget with Principal

• Submits and manages all state and federal grants

• Coordinates and supports annual audit, yearly financial reporting

• Supervises the purchasing and leasing of materials, services, supplies, and equipment, including purchase requests, bill payment, reimbursements, and bookkeeping

• Prepares requests for proposals, issues and receives bid requests and interviews vendors regarding the purchase of materials, services, supplies, and equipment in accordance with the school’s charter and state regulations

Facilities 

• Leads leasing negotiations, facilities alteration and refurbishment

• Plans and manages short- and long-range facilities projects

• Negotiates contracts and supervises the work of cleaning, maintenance, and external contractors and staff

• Ensures that the interior and exterior of the school facility are clean, healthy, and safe (aligned with our 'care of the environment' values)

• Coordinates external use of facilities 

• Manages tenant relationships including rental agreements and space needs

• Manages partnerships with the New Haven Public School business and facilities departments and the City of New Haven Parks & Public Works departments

• Directs special projects, as needed

School Operations 

• Manage operations requests, coordinate purchasing and manage the inventorying and organization/distribution of all supplies and materials

• Managing ordering, preparation, and set up for school and community events

• Manage the ordering, inventorying and organization/distribution of all supplies and materials

Data and Information

• Supervises the input and retrieval of all data and information pertaining to essential records and files, including personnel records, student academic and health records, fire and safety records, and central files

• Maintains and guides the potential purchasing of information systems software to ensure the effective and efficient maintenance of school data and records

• Supervises the inventory and maintenance of school property

• Manages the preparation of reports to the CSDE, NHPS, funders, and other agencies as required

Communication and Technology

• Supervises the preparation and dissemination of external school correspondence

• Ensures the messages in school’s voicemail, website, and other social media are current and appropriate

• Approves the purchase and/or lease of all office and instructional equipment and supervises the maintenance of all office and instructional equipment

• Ensures the appropriate backup and storage of computer files

• Supervises and performs when necessary operational and office tasks

Required Skills and Experience

A successful candidate:

Part-Time Administrative Assistant

Position Title: Part-Time Administrative Assistant

Reports To: Managing Director

Location: Lost in New Haven

Schedule: Part-Time, Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM (25 hours per week)

Hourly Rate: $22.00–$26.00 depending on experience

Position Summary

The Part-Time Administrative Assistant is the operational backbone of the Lost in New

Haven administrative office. This position provides essential day-to-day support across

all museum departments with primary responsibility for office administration,

communications, recordkeeping, and board support. The role also carries ownership of

the museum gift shop, including inventory management and point-of-sale operations.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, and comfortable shifting between

detailed administrative tasks and warm, public-facing interactions. This position plays a

meaningful role in the smooth functioning of a small nonprofit museum and offers the

opportunity to contribute across development, operations, programming, and visitor

experience.

Essential Responsibilities

General Office Administration

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the administrative office, ensuring a well-

organized and professional environment.

• Monitor and respond to the museum's general inquiries email inbox, routing

inquiries appropriately.

• Answer and direct incoming phone calls with professionalism and warmth.

• Maintain and order office supplies, monitoring inventory levels and submitting

purchase requests as needed.

• Support scheduling, calendaring, and meeting coordination.

• Prepare correspondence, documents, reports, and other materials as requested.

• Assist with filing, recordkeeping, and general organizational tasks across

departments.

Staff Administrative Support

• Provide administrative assistance to all staff.

• Assist with calendaring, scheduling, and meeting preparation across

departments.

• Draft, proofread, and format communications and documents.

• Help coordinate logistics for internal meetings, staff events, and special projects.

• Handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.

Board of Directors Support

• Serve as the primary administrative liaison for the Board of Directors.

• Compile, assemble, and distribute board meeting packets to all directors in

advance of monthly meetings.

• Send meeting reminders and manage scheduling for full board meetings and

committee meetings via Zoom and other platforms.

• Maintain organized and up-to-date board records, including minutes, rosters,

bylaws, and committee charters.

Development Support

• Assist the Director of Development with donor acknowledgment letters, thank-

you correspondence, and stewardship mailings.

• Help prepare materials for fundraising campaigns, donor events, and board

meetings.

• Maintain donor records and files in coordination with the Director of

Development.

• Assist with special development projects as assigned.

Front Desk Coverage

• Cover the museum front desk as needed, greeting visitors and providing a

welcoming first impression.

• Process admissions and answer visitor questions when front desk staff are

unavailable.

• Support a positive and inclusive visitor experience in alignment with museum

values.

Gift Shop Operations

• Serve as the primary point of contact of gift shop operations during public hours.

• Operate the point-of-sale system and process gift shop transactions accurately.

• Maintain gift shop inventory, conduct regular counts, and identify reorder needs.

• Coordinate purchasing of gift shop merchandise in collaboration with museum

leadership.

• Keep the gift shop space organized, clean, and visually appealing.

Qualifications

Required

• 2 or more years of administrative, office, or operations experience.

• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office or Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar,

Gmail).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with minimal supervision.

• Professional, warm, and welcoming demeanor with the public.

Preferred

• Experience in a nonprofit, museum, arts, or cultural organization.

• Familiarity with donor management software, database systems, or CRM tools.

• Experience with retail, gift shop, or point-of-sale operations.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit and work at a desk for extended periods.

• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds (office supplies, merchandise, etc.).

• Ability to bend, stoop, reach, and climb stairs.

• Willingness to perform occasional local errands for the museum.

To Apply