Executive Assistant to The CEO - Johannesburg, South Africa - Futurelect

Description

Summary

Futurelect is seeking a seasoned, dynamic and highly driven Executive Assistant to the CEO as we rapidly expand our programme offering throughout Africa.

The Executive Assistant will play an integral support role in our fast-paced and growing organisation.

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant will provide executive support to the Chief Executive Officer and the Director of Programmes in a pair of one-on-one working relationships.

In addition, you will serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders on all matters pertaining to the Office of the CEO.

The Executive Assistant serves as a liaison between Futurelect's Board Chairperson, the board of directors and senior management teams; organises and coordinates executive outreach and external relations efforts, and oversees special projects on behalf of the CEO.

The Executive Assistant must be professional, agile, creative and innovative, and enjoy working in a highly entrepreneurial and growing team that is both mission-driven and results-driven.

You will have both internal and external facing responsibilities, gaining insights into a breadth of activities across the organisation, while also gaining insight into the day-to-day principles of running a growing, pan-African non-profit organisation.

Working primarily with the Special Projects and Programmes teams, the Executive Assistant's principal responsibilities will be to render administrative support, manage workflows, and ensure excellence in external communications and stakeholder engagement in order to support the CEO and Director of Programmes as they lead Futurelect's expansion and growing public leadership and civic education programme offerings.

About Futurelect
Futurelect is an independent, non-profit organisation established in 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Our mission is to make the public service work better for more people throughout the African continent by supporting a new generation of ethical civic, political and government leaders.

To achieve this, Futurelect designs and delivers a series of non-partisan, intensive and interdisciplinary leadership development, and training programmes to diverse groups of ethical and innovative leaders annually - particularly young people and women - in order to prepare them for leadership in the public service.

Women and young people are often limited to participating in political life as voters rather than as elected representatives.

We seek to stimulate the creation of a new generation of political insiders from typically marginalised groups in African societies.

Futurelect also supports those who will elect our leaders in the future.

We want to empower vibrant and engaged electorates with the knowledge necessary to participate energetically in civic and democratic processes and hold their elected leaders to account both at the ballot and in-between elections.

Role & Responsibilities

Meeting and Diary Management:

• Manage, coordinate, and oversee the CEO and Executive Director of Programmes' diaries, meeting schedules and travel schedules;
• Coordinate complex scheduling and calendar management, as well as content and flow of information to the CEO and senior managers;
• Maintain the CEO's diary, ensuring that time is suitably allocated to the highest priorities;
• Coordinate and carry out duties relating to scheduling meetings, whether in person or remotely;
• Conduct research and prepare briefing documents/collate information for the CEO, Director of Programmes, and senior management team members ahead of critical internal and external meetings;
• Take detailed and accurate meeting minutes when required and distribute action items to meeting participants in a timely manner;
• Track the CEO and Executive Director of Programmes' commitments, goals, projects, tasks and deadlines;
• Ensure items are effectively delegated, reprioritised, or addressed, navigating conflicting demands and time pressures;
• Handle selected matters expeditiously and proactively and ensure followthrough to successful completion;
• Maintain professionalism and the strict confidentiality of meetings and related materials;
• Anticipate and address problems swiftly and effectively.

Travel and Logistics:

• Plan and book travel arrangements including flights, accommodation, transfers, dinners, venues, suppliers, etc. for the CEO and Director of Programmes;
• Coordinate together with the relevant service provider all travel and travelrelated bookings to ensure meeting schedules are properly coordinated with travel and travel dates;
• Manage Futurelect's international calendar of events and engagements, and the diaries and travel commitments of the CEO and Director of Programmes;
• Prepare itineraries, meeting schedules and briefing documents as well as manage competing priorities for the CEO and Director of Programmes when they are travelling;
• Ensure all travel by the CEO a