Executive Support Specialist, Advancement and Creative

Job Description

St. Joseph Academy
Location: San Marcos, California
Reports to: School President
Type: Full-Time or Part-Time

About St. Joseph Academy
Founded in 1995, Saint Joseph Academy is an independent, TK-12 Catholic school in San Marcos, California, unwaveringly faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Rooted in a classical education model, SJA favors a time-honored curriculum that cultivates wisdom, virtue, and academic excellence through the study of the liberal arts, sciences, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Our mission is to form vibrant young men and women who, committed to living by Catholic principles, answer God's call to transform human culture for the Kingdom of God. With a student body of under 400 students, SJA fosters a close-knit community where faith and reason flourish. We rely on the spiritual and philanthropic generosity of our benefactors, whose intentions are remembered daily in our students' prayers.

Position Overview
The Executive Support Specialist - Advancement & Creative serves as a high-impact partner to the School President, blending strategic advancement work with hands-on creative execution. This role supports fundraising, donor relationships, enrollment efforts, and high-visibility communications - with particular focus on the annual St. Joseph Academy Gala, Fall Raffle, and other key initiatives.
You will design graphics, draft compelling communications, help cultivate donors, and provide high-level project and organizational support that advances the school's mission. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong relational skills, and a creative eye who thrives in a lean environment and is excited to serve through both relational work, event planning, and beautiful design.

Key Responsibilities
• Create graphics, promotional materials, social media content, invitations, and digital/print collateral for the annual Gala, fundraising campaigns, enrollment efforts, and other school events.
• Write and design compelling donor appeals, thank-you notes, event recaps, newsletters, and promotional copy that inspire generosity and community engagement.
• Support the development and execution of advancement strategies, with particular focus on the annual Gala and donor cultivation initiatives.
• Play a central role in planning, promoting, and executing key school events (Gala, Fall Raffle, donor receptions) - handling both front-of-house hospitality/networking and back-of-house logistics.
• Maintain accurate donor records, track relationships, and help deliver personalized stewardship and recognition.
• Help build and steward relationships with local businesses, foundations, and community partners.
• Assist with grant research and proposal writing as needed.
• Provide high-level project coordination and organizational support to the President on advancement, communications, and mission-critical initiatives (this role does not include traditional calendar management).

Qualifications and Characteristics
• Strong Proficiency in Canva is required. High comfort creating polished visual content for print and digital platforms. Knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud or short-form video/film editing is helpful but not required.
• Familiarity with modern digital tools and platforms, including email marketing tools (e.g., Constant Contact), donor databases/CRMs, and social media management platforms.
• Self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset who thrives in a fast-paced, lean environment with a bias for action and comfort with ambiguity.
• Relational and people-oriented - enjoys building authentic relationships with donors, parents, business leaders, and the broader Catholic community.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to craft compelling, heartfelt messages that advance the school's Catholic and classical mission.
• Motivated by ambitious goals and sees fundraising as a way to serve the formation of saints and scholars.
• Bachelor's degree preferred. Experience in fundraising, development, event planning, marketing, graphic design, communications, or high-level project support is highly valued. Deep familiarity with and commitment to Catholic education is a strong plus.
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Preferred (but not required): Experience in nonprofit advancement or Catholic school environments.

Why Join St. Joseph Academy?
You'll join a tight-knit, mission-driven team that is boldly building something excellent for the Kingdom. If you're an idealistic, creative, action-oriented professional who wants to use both your relational gifts and artistic talents to advance a classical Catholic school - while providing high-level support to school leadership - this is a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact.

How to Apply
Please submit your resume and a digital portfolio or 2-3 work samples showcasing your graphic design, event marketing, or written communication work to delatorreb@sjaclassical.org.

About the Employer

St. Joseph Academy was established in response to the Second Vatican Council's call for greater lay witness in contemporary society. Teaching in accordance with the Magisterium of the Church, our mission is to form young men and women who, committed to live by Catholic principles, will transform and advance human culture. We aim to accomplish this by offering a traditional learning environment that blends faith and reason in educating the whole child.

Man was created by God in His image and likeness and therefore is destined for Him who is infinite perfection. In the spirit of the Divine Master, amidst a world of material possession, the mission of St. Joseph Academy is to prepare the child for what he must be and for what he must do here on earth, in order to gain the sublime end for whi