Careers @ EA
Many students come to Eastside Academy because they have not found meaning, value, or success in a traditional school. They are not seeking a school that simply repackages traditional instruction with fewer students in the room. They hope for a different approach to learning that EA offers.
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Teaching Intern
Teaching Internship
Job Summary:
The Teacher Intern will assist and support the classroom teacher in various educational activities. The intern will gain hands-on experience in lesson planning, classroom management, and student engagement, contributing to the overall development and success of the students. This internship provides an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in a real-world classroom setting. This internship will take place during the work week and a minimum of four hours a day in the afternoons.
Key Responsibilities:
- Classroom Assistance: Support the teacher in managing the classroom environment and maintaining student discipline.
- Lesson Preparation: Assist in preparing teaching materials, handouts, and other educational resources.
- Student Engagement: Lead small groups or individual students during class activities, providing academic support and encouragement.
- Observations: Observe the teacher’s methods, classroom dynamics, and student interactions to learn effective teaching strategies.
- Grading and Assessments: Help with grading assignments, quizzes, and other assessments under the teacher’s guidance.
- Classroom Management: Assist in maintaining a positive learning environment by helping with classroom routines, transitions, and organization.
- Communication: Meet with teacher mentor once a week to discuss student progress, goals, and assignments.
Qualifications:
- Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a teacher education program (e.g., Bachelor’s or Master’s in Education).
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- A genuine interest in working with students and supporting their educational growth.
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Knowledge of classroom management techniques (preferred).
- Ability to adapt to changing classroom environments.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain practical experience in lesson planning, classroom management, and student support.
- Develop skills in educational technology and teaching strategies.
- Enhance understanding of the educational system and school operations.
- Build professional connections in the education field.
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Chaplain Assistant Internship
Eastside Academy Chaplain Assistant Internship
Position Summary
The Chaplain Assistant Internship is an opportunity to serve the students of Eastside Academy and experience the daily activities of Christian youth ministry. It is a combination of learning from an experienced youth minister and chaplain while also providing opportunities for hands-on ministry experience. The position assists the EA Chaplain in planning spring retreat activities, chapel gatherings, and student service projects, while participating in their implementation using Eastside Academy’s mission of spiritual formation and education. Further, the Chaplain Assistant Intern will assist in relationally leading teens while also serving as an EA ambassador in all interactions with the community. Most importantly, the CAI will have the privilege of sharing the gospel with youth as an overflow of her/his own faith journey.
Essential Functions
Within the role of Chaplain Assistant Intern, you will have the opportunity to grow in your understanding of youth ministry through personal & cohort-based coaching built around EA cultural attributes (Christ-centered, relational equity and trust, courageous vulnerability and honesty, safe and sacred storytelling, joyful camaraderie, and holistic growth-based development) while also implementing vital job functions such as communicating with families, spending time with students, leading and coordinating chapel gatherings, supporting student services, and participating the daily teamwork of EA community. You will also actively participate in Staff Meetings and Professional Development training.
Personal and Professional Spiritual Responsibilities
Because the overriding purpose and mission of Eastside Academy is to inspire change in the lives of youth through high school education, counseling, recovery, housing, and life skills in a Christ-centered environment, it is very important that you exhibit the following spiritual characteristics and responsibilities:
- Seek Christ and His Kingdom through a personal life of wholehearted devotion, intentionality, and action that demonstrates maturity of character, faith, and discipline.
- Deliberately pray and seek God’s guidance and wisdom on behalf of Eastside Academy—its students, staff, families, and supporters—as well as celebrate its Spirit-led intentions and initiatives.
- Participate and lead regular times of prayer, devotion, and worship as a regular aspect of your role as a Chaplain Assistant Internship.
- Honor and attend to the Statement of Faith of Eastside Academy and its requirements as given in the employee manual.
- Model empathy, humility and care for all people in ways that exemplify the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and promotes equity and inclusion in word and practice.
- Ability to humbly serve and honor others even in difficult situations with prayer, consistency, transparency, and resilience.
- Demonstrates proper reliance on God, others, and self through generous giving of time and skills, by collaboratively incorporating others’ ideas, welcoming candid input, recognizing others’ need for grace and extending forgiveness and empathy.
- Prioritizes others’ needs in ways that accentuate spiritual growth through active and empathetic listening, problem-solving skills, and advocacy for justice and joy
- Trusts God with new approaches and changes, and communicates needs and limits with emotional intelligence, while seeking confidence and wisdom in Christ.
- Seeks authentic Christ-Centered relationships with people of various backgrounds, fosters an inviting environment and empowers historically marginalized groups through active listening, inclusion, advocacy for those who are vulnerable and respect of others’ experiences.
Position Requirements
- Embraces the vision, mission, and Statement of Faith of Eastside Academy
- Has a passion for the spiritual formation of youth and ministry
- Self-Motivator and diligent work ethic
- Strong moral character and of good repute
- Patiently and conscientiously connects with youth
- Communicates effectively with youth and adults
- Honors and pursues diversity of gifts, cultures and ethnicities
- Socially appropriate interpersonal skills and conflict-management
- Coachable and respectful of work environment expectations
Director of Operations
Eastside Academy is creating a Director of Operations role for the first time as a deliberate investment in our organizational capacity and future. Until now, many of these responsibilities have been carried by the Executive Director alongside broader executive leadership responsibilities. This new role brings them together under a dedicated leader who can strengthen the systems, people, and infrastructure supporting the entire organization. The Director will join organizational leadership, lead an existing Operations Team, and build an operating environment in which people have the clarity, information, and support they need to do their best work.
About Eastside Academy
Description
Director of Operations
Location: Bellevue, Washington
Reports to: Executive Director
Status: Full-time, exempt
Salary: $100,000–$115,000 annually
Build the systems that allow a mission to flourish
Eastside Academy is creating a Director of Operations role for the first time as a deliberate investment in our organizational capacity and future.
Until now, many of these responsibilities have been carried by the Executive Director alongside broader executive leadership responsibilities. This new role brings them together under a dedicated leader who can strengthen the systems, people, and infrastructure supporting the entire organization.
The Director will join organizational leadership, lead an existing Operations Team, and build an operating environment in which people have the clarity, information, and support they need to do their best work.
About Eastside Academy
Eastside Academy is a nonprofit alternative high school and support program in Bellevue, Washington. Our mission is to inspire change in the lives of youth through high school education, counseling, recovery, housing, and life skills in a Christ-centered environment.
Our students often come to Eastside Academy after not finding meaning, value, or success in traditional school settings. We walk alongside students and families through an integrated model of education, mental health care, and relational support that helps young people rediscover hope, purpose, and the possibility of a different future.
What winning looks like
The Director of Operations creates an organization in which the systems supporting the mission are dependable, visible, appropriately owned, and increasingly proactive. Staff spend less energy navigating operational friction, leaders have trustworthy information, risks are addressed early, and organizational growth does not require proportional increases in complexity.Success means that:- Facilities, technology, vendors, and administrative systems function reliably.
- Financial processes are accurate, timely, and well controlled.
- Employees experience clear and dependable people systems.
- Risks, compliance requirements, and recurring deadlines are addressed proactively.
- The Operations Team demonstrates increasing ownership and effectiveness.
- Routine operational matters no longer require the Executive Director’s involvement.
- EA’s systems become more scalable and less dependent on individual staff knowledge.
What you will lead
Organizational Operations + Infrastructure
Build and improve organization-wide workflows, calendars, facilities, technology, purchasing, vendor relationships, and administrative systems. Clarify ownership, coordinate cross-functional handoffs, remove operational friction, and lead Operations-owned logistics for major organizational events and transitions.Financial Operations + Stewardship
Lead the Office Manager + Financial Administrator and oversee reliable financial-administration systems. Partner with external accounting professionals, strengthen internal controls, monitor spending, support budgeting and forecasting, and provide leaders with trustworthy financial information for decision-making.People Operations + Organizational Support
Coordinate HR administration, onboarding, offboarding, benefits, personnel documentation, required training, policies, and recurring employment processes. Build dependable systems that support employees and supervisors while department leaders retain authority for hiring, supervision, performance management, and personnel decisions within their teams.Risk, Compliance, + Organizational Readiness
Maintain organization-wide compliance calendars, documentation, renewals, records, safety planning, and emergency-readiness systems. Coordinate timelines and approvals across departments while functional leaders retain responsibility for the accuracy and submission of reporting from their areas.Operations Team Leadership + Organizational Capacity
Lead, coach, and develop the Office Manager + Financial Administrator and Manager of Community Engagement. Establish clear priorities, decision rights, accountability, and sustainable workloads. Strengthen the systems supporting volunteers, mentors, community partnerships, family-resource navigation, and community-resource mobilization.Executive leverage and organizational execution
Across these five areas, the Director translates established leadership decisions into clear ownership, timelines, systems, and follow-through. The Director maintains visibility into cross-functional commitments, prepares operational information for decisions, and helps organizational priorities move from decision to completion.The Director has meaningful authority over Operations-owned systems and day-to-day operational decisions within approved strategy, policy, and budget.Functional leaders retain responsibility for Education, Counseling, fundraising strategy, organizational culture, program outcomes, and supervision of their teams. Cross-functional coordination does not transfer those responsibilities to Operations, and the Director is not the default owner of work simply because it is unclear or spans departments.What you bring
We care less about whether your experience follows a particular timeline and more about what you have successfully led, built, and implemented.
The strongest candidates will demonstrate:
- Implementation + Follow-Through: You turn decisions into action, establish clear plans and ownership, close loops, and remain engaged until a system is implemented, adopted, and working reliably.
- Tenacity: You persist through ambiguity, resistance, competing priorities, and the less-visible details required to finish important work. You do not confuse a good idea or documented plan with a completed result.
- Systems Building: You have designed or improved organizational systems, workflows, documentation, decision rights, and recurring operating rhythms.
- AI Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to use modern AI tools and build task-specific AI agents or AI-enabled workflows that improve efficiency, information access, analysis, and follow-through, with sound judgment regarding data privacy, security, accuracy, and human oversight.
- Operational Breadth: You have held meaningful responsibility across several operational areas, such as finance, people operations, technology, facilities, vendors, compliance, administration, or organizational risk.
- People Leadership: You have directly led and developed staff, established accountability, delegated meaningful responsibility, and helped others grow in ownership.
- Financial Stewardship: You are comfortable working with budgets, financial reports, internal controls, payroll-related processes, forecasting, and accounting professionals.
- Project Leadership: You can move complex work from ambiguity to clear ownership, milestones, implementation, and completion.
- Operational Judgment: You can distinguish what requires immediate attention, what can wait, what should be delegated, and what requires executive involvement.
- Change Stewardship: You introduce new systems with attention to communication, trust, adoption, and organizational readiness.
- Collaborative Leadership: You work effectively across functions while respecting the authority and expertise of other leaders.
- Integrity + Discretion: You handle sensitive financial, personnel, student, and organizational information with sound judgment and care.
- Mission Alignment: You align with Eastside Academy’s mission, values, relational commitments, and Christ-centered identity.
Relevant experience may come from nonprofit operations, school administration, business operations, people operations, finance, human services, or another environment requiring leadership across multiple organizational functions. Experience in a small-to-midsize organization, especially during growth or organizational change, would be particularly valuable.
You do not need to have held the title “Director of Operations” or meet every preferred qualification to apply. If you can demonstrate that you have built systems, led people, exercised sound operational judgment, and carried important work through implementation, we would like to hear from you.
Compensation and benefits
Salary: $100,000–$115,000 annually, depending on relevant experience, demonstrated capability, and qualifications.
Eastside Academy offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
- EA-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees
- A flexible spending account (FSA)
- An employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan
- EA-paid life insurance
- Two weeks of paid time off (PTO)
- Paid holidays and school breaks
- Sick and safe time, along with additional leave benefits
- Professional-development support
- An Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Eligibility requirements and the terms of the applicable benefit plans govern coverage.
How to apply
Please submit a résumé and cover letter through the link.
In your cover letter, tell us what draws you to Eastside Academy’s mission and how your experience has prepared you to build systems that help people and programs do their best work.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Salary
$100,000 – $115,000 per year
