Executive Assistant – Cape Town
Our client is looking for an experienced Executive Assistant to provide administrative support to the greater team of the company, including front-of-house duties, office management, travel management, and executive assistance. In this Cape Town based Front-of-House & Office Administration role, you will be working within their close-knit team of highly experienced Investment professionals comprising almost 40 people based in Cape Town, Johannesburg and the UK. This is a key role that is the first point-of-contact for their clients, that requires maturity, confidence, calmness, awareness of the differing needs and characteristics of individuals, diligence, accuracy, a “can do” attitude, and the ability to work independently across multiple concurrent activities. The role is responsible for creating and maintaining a welcoming and pleasant environment for their clients and visitors, and for maintaining a pleasant office environment for the team members. The broader responsibility of the role covers a range of other activities within the areas of office management, client service and compliance, together with responsibility of assisting the team with various planning and administrative activities.
Experience and Requirements:
- The ideal candidate should be excited about working in a fast-paced environment, can support a large team and is able to work across multiple time zones.
- Must have previous experience as an Executive Assistant, or similar, with a minimum of ten years’ relevant experience, with a major portion of their experience gained through working within a professional services firm and ideally with some experience of working within the financial services industry.
- The company manages various South African, African and Global strategies and travel extensively, so it is essential that the successful candidate has experience in organizing complex global and local travel arrangements.
Responsibilities:
- Providing administrative support for Investment teams, including but not limited to diary management and general administrative support such as printing and binding, producing letters, booking couriers, taxis, rooms, organising team events etc.
- Extensive Travel Coordination: creating itineraries for complicated local and global business trips, including the booking of flights, accommodation, transfers and submission of applications for visas.
- Meeting Coordination: arranging logistics for both internal and external meetings over various time-zones and different mediums; face to face, video conference, audio conference and telepresence.
- Front-of-house (incl. reception and switchboard), which includes; liaising with staff and clients, operating a switchboard, including the ability to handle calls in a professional manner, taking and passing on accurate and detailed phone messages in a timely manner.
- Maintaining client meetings and calendars.
- Office Management and general office administration, including ordering and managing all stationery and office procurement requirements.
- Proactive thinking to anticipate issues in multi-time zones.
- Compiling and distributing meeting packs in a timely manner.
- Monthly management of payments & expenses for the team.
- Receiving, distributing and processing all incoming and outgoing documentation, including international and local couriered deliveries.
- Managing relevant HR systems and processes, including leave.
- Coordination with the IT department.
System Skills:
- Extensive Outlook experience and complex diary management
- Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Personal Attributes:
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to be clear and concise when passing on information
- Strong organisational skills
- Ability to be proactive and think quickly
- Ability to build and maintain relationships on all levels
- Ability to use own initiative
- Confidentiality and ability to handle sensitive matters at all times
- Composure under pressure
- High attention to detail
- Strong gatekeeping skills
