Top Level Executive Assistant

NYC based busy high-level executive couple with 4 children and a puppy is seeking a top Executive Personal Assistant (EPA) to start after the holidays in early 2022.

Summary: Experienced Executive Personal Assistant Needed (light travel required)

A busy, multi-faceted leader of her Purpose-driven family enterprise – comprising a global operating company, a family office, and a philanthropic foundation – is seeking a proactive, solutions-oriented, thoughtful, reliable, and discreet full-time career Executive/Personal Assistant with a positive attitude to directly support her across her business, philanthropic, communal, personal, and household domains. The leader is also a dedicated mother of four and an active member of her communities, committed to doing her part to make the world better.

The heart of the EPA role is to partner with their primary stakeholder to support her effective, productive fulfillment of her priorities and responsibilities and, in some cases, serve as an on-brand, values-aligned extension of her to expand her capacity. Core duties are effective calendar management, inbox management, relationship management, and travel management. The EPA will also take on the many big and small tasks that this working mother must get completed, with guidance and appreciation from their stakeholder. To a more limited extent, the EPA will offer the same types of support to the primary stakeholder’s husband, who is an author, editor, professor, and active community member. The best-fit EPA will share values with the couple and possess presence combined with humility, thus representing both stakeholders in synch with their ethos. The driven, learning-agile EPA will benefit from a culture in which team members are invested in for continued professional development and growth.

Hours Company hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm. This is not a 24/7 position, but working overtime and the hours it takes to get the job done should be expected. The stakeholders respect the non-work time of their team members and appreciate when something is done in off-hours while also encouraging setting up systems and planning ahead to avoid it wherever and whenever possible.

Location The EPA will be based in New York City/Brooklyn. The primary locations are a boutique office and home work space, both in Brooklyn, NY; secondary locations the EPA may visit a few times each year are the main family office and corporate headquarters, both in NE Ohio. In typical months, there will be no travel. In some months, there may be up to 4 days of travel. Work-from-home may be possible at times when strategically planned and well executed. Travel to additional locations, including the possibility of extended summer stays elsewhere within the U.S., may be requested and will be mutually decided upon.

Technical Requirements  Fluency in PC/Microsoft, Mac/Apple, and Google systems required. A company laptop will be provided. Training and support to stay current with technology advances will be supported.

Details  The EPA must be skilled at switching seamlessly between their stakeholders’ professional, personal, and communal domains and priorities, and embrace the diverse aspects of the role – from detailed computer work to running errands, from the conceptual to the hands-on, from the corporate to the family. Fully embracing “no job too big or too small” will be essential to the EPA’s job satisfaction! The successful EPA will be a straightforward communicator and active listener who will cultivate the conditions for a strong partnership with their primary stakeholder, both to get things done and to nurture trust between them. The best-fit EPA thrives on a fast-paced, changing, and large workload; takes personal responsibility for the seamless execution of their work; and derives fulfillment from adding capacity to and supporting the high performance of others. The EPA understands that the primary stakeholder is juggling many priorities, and is therefore tenacious and comfortable being the “squeaky wheel” with grace and kindness. The successful EPA possesses confidence combined with humility, flexibility and interest in learning, and diplomatic command skills. They are not easily shaken under high expectations and pressure, and they will healthily manage setbacks and challenges with a positive attitude, generating constructive ideas for improvement.

Ideally, the aspiration is for a long-term relationship to develop between the EPA and their stakeholders, achieving high performance together and mutually flourishing. That said, the stakeholders also understand that a great EPA might want to evolve their career at some point, and so would feel good if the EPA would make a moral commitment of 3 years, at a minimum, and an intention to lead a panful process to identify a strong successor in collaboration with the primary stakeholder. This will enable continuity of EPA support for the stakeholders as well as stakeholder support of the EPA’s transition.

The EPA will interact closely with colleagues from the operating company (headquartered in NE Ohio), the family office (main office in NE Ohio; boutique office in Brooklyn, NY), and the family foundation (Brooklyn, NY). Given the multiple locations of colleagues, the EPA will need to build strong, collaborative relationships largely remotely with strategic in-person time. The EPA will be encouraged to be proactive and take responsibility for fostering constructive, productive working relationships. The EPA will manage a part-time office manager/administrative associate of the boutique office in Brooklyn (to be hired as of December 2021) and will have the support of this direct report for tasks as directed by the EPA. The EPA will also work and interact with multi-generational family members and members of the community organizations in which their stakeholders are active.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Ensure complex multi-calendar, inbox, relationship, and travel management implemented reliably. Offer suggestions for improving ways of working to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction for all.
• Maintain the primary stakeholder’s to-do list, ensuring it is comprehensive and up-to-date. Assist in, encourage, and track timely task completion so deadlines are not inadvertently missed.
• Support the primary stakeholder in driving her strategic initiatives. Ensure sufficient fluency in her priorities so as to be able to be proactive.
• Complete a host of administrative responsibilities across all domains.
• Lead and execute administrative projects. Follow, develop, and manage administrative systems and processes. Seek continuous improvement for efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction for all.
• Contribute to other projects as a member of a team as needed.
• Represent the stakeholders and their family with excellence in professionalism, friendliness, diplomacy, and customer service in every interaction. Reinforce (and protect as needed) the family and corporate brands.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with corporate, family office, foundation, household colleagues, and external partners. Liaise between all workgroups, departments, and levels effectively and graciously.
• Contribute to household management such as scheduling vendors, contractors, and other duties as assigned. (This may ebb and flow depending on other members of the household team.) (Currently, there is an extensive home renovation project underway.)
• Maintain currency with technology/software advancements and be a “lead user.”
• Manage a part-time office manager/administrative associate (to be hired) of the boutique office in Brooklyn; delegate administrative tasks as appropriate; ensure direct report’s meeting of job requirements and support their high performance.
• Fulfill other duties as arise and assigned. (Expect dynamism. Significant role shifts will be discussed and agreed upon in advance.)

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (preferred but not required)
• Career-level experience supporting busy executives professionally and personally that engendered comfort with how corporations and families work, and built skills in organizational agility and interpersonal savvy.
• Intellectual horsepower. Ability to think quickly with stakeholders.
• Unwavering professionalism.
• Learning agility with a developmental mindset. Adaptability.
• Strong common sense, cultural awareness, and sensitivity. Sound judgment.
• Consummate discretion, tact, maturity, and composure. Understands and protects confidential matters.
• Reliability, trustworthiness, honesty, and a strong ethical compass.
• Commitment to excellence.
• Timeliness and action orientation. Ability to change gears quickly to handle new priorities, and then return to other tasks.
• Ability to perform and thrive when there’s ambiguity. Proven analytical problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communications; clear and concise communication with accurate grammar.
• Strong organizational skills. Ability to create and manage orderly systems for projects, tasks, and collaboration with stakeholder and colleagues.
• Experience managing a direct report and delegating appropriately.
• Tech-savvy; ability to work across systems and software including PC/Microsoft, Mac/Apple, Google etc. Ability to troubleshoot and complete basic tech tasks, guided by off-site IT and/or when IT is unavailable.
• Comfort interacting with the multi-generational family, including elementary to high school age children.
• Flexibility to work in various locations as necessary and requested.