Executive Assistant for Nexford University | Remote SA (paying R31 000 p/m) UK Hours

📌 Position Title: Executive Assistant to the CEO

🌍 Location: South Africa, 100% Remote 

💰 Salary: ZAR310000 – ZAR420000 

⏰ Working Rhythm: Innovation is a 24-hour gig, but we value your downtime. Officially, your rhythm is set to the beat of 10am – 6:30pm, Mon – Fri to align with our CEO’s UK-based schedule. This means some flexibility is necessary, but we fully embrace work-life balance & respect your off-the-clock hours.  

📝 Contract Type: Full Time Permanent 

🤝 Reporting To: CEO 

📅 Start Date: As Soon as Possible 

Role Impact 🚀 

As the Executive Assistant to the CEO at Nexford University, your role is integral to our mission of providing accessible and affordable education worldwide. Beyond traditional administrative support, you embody ambition, versatility, and proactive thinking. Your day-to-day will vary, from crafting articles and preparing presentations to coordinating travel logistics and overseeing admin tasks. Critical in your role is the ability to foster the CEO’s productivity, helping to adhere to and meet critical deadlines for strategic deliverables. Through your support, you enable the CEO to concentrate on high-impact initiatives that expand our reach and enhance the quality of global education. Your contribution is key to propelling Nexford forward, directly influencing our capacity to make education accessible to learners everywhere. 

A Day in the Life of an Executive Assistant ☀️ 

No two days are the same in this role. Your schedule is as varied as the tasks you manage, offering a dynamic blend of organization and innovation. But here’s a snapshot of what you might encounter: 

☀️ Morning: Your day starts with a thorough review of the CEO’s calendar; you notice an urgent meeting has been scheduled that conflicts with a long-standing investor appointment. You attend the urgent meeting as you are up to speed with all the necessary information allowing the investor meeting to take place.  

🕛 Midday: You start to prepare all the necessary material and documents for an important regulator meeting happening in a few hours. There has been a last-minute update to the latest budget figures which need to be included in the slide deck. Utilizing your expert skills in Excel, you quickly transform the results into a graph update the presentation deck.   

🌤️ Afternoon: You get started on crafting an op-ed, translating the CEO’s verbal insights into compelling written form. Your task involves delving into research, pinpointing supporting data and statistics to bolster the piece’s arguments, streamlining the CEO’s workflow.  The article is due tomorrow morning as part of a monthly thought leadership series the CEO is keen on publishing. 

🌙 Evening:  As the day draws to a close, you proactively reach out to colleagues for updates on their pending contributions. These are essential for finalizing a report the CEO must dispatch by day’s end, a project you are instrumental in compiling. 

Key Responsibilities 🎯 

The Constants 🔒:   

• Manage sensitive matters with a high level of confidentiality and discretion, especially decisions directly impacting the operations of the company. 
• Provide comprehensive administrative support, including calendar management, travel coordination, and document formatting, displaying a high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel, for data analysis, pivot table manipulation, and report generation. 
• Demonstrate expert-level proficiency in PowerPoint to design and refine presentation decks that convey complex information concisely and clearly. 
• Act as the first point of contact for the executive, handling and directing inbound communications, to ensure efficient flow of information. 
• Oversee the preparation and follow-up of executive meetings, ensuring all necessary materials are prepared in advance and action items are tracked and addressed post-meeting. 

The Variables 🔄:  

• Take on specific project management roles as needed, ensuring timely progress and completion of projects that fall under the executive’s purview or are critical to team objectives. 
• Assist in the planning and execution of internal and external events, ranging from team meetings to client engagements, ensuring they align with executive and organizational goals. 
• Work alongside other senior leaders to provide strategic support, including preparing for important meetings, synthesizing information from various departments for decision-making, and facilitating communication between the executive and other departments. 

Skills and Qualifications 🌟  

We value a diverse pool of candidates who bring a combination of skills, experience, and the right mindset to our team. While we don’t expect every candidate to have every point, here are some skills and qualifications that would make you a great fit for this role:  

• 5+ years’ experience in a Senior Administrative position, or an Executive/Personal Assistant role reporting directly to the CEO or Senior Executives (minimum 2 years in a remote position) 

• Experience in managing projects or leading initiatives is highly desirable, showcasing the ability to oversee projects from conception to completion, ensuring deadlines are met. 
• The ability to adapt to new tools and technologies quickly, especially those relevant to remote work environments (e.g., Teams, Asana). This skill is essential for ensuring smooth communication and project management across different time zones and locations. 
• Flexible team player willing to do what it takes to get the job done; adaptable and enjoys a challenge.  
• Given the nature of the role, handling sensitive information with the utmost confidentiality and integrity is paramount. The candidate must demonstrate a proven track record of maintaining professional discretion.  
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills