Executive Assistant

Purpose

The Executive Assistant reports directly to the CFO and provides high-level administrative support, managing complex calendars, travel, and confidential information. Key responsibilities include acting as a strategic gatekeeper, organizing board meetings, preparing reports, and handling stakeholder correspondence, and supporting the wider finance leadership team.

Key Accountabilities

General

• Assist the CFO with organizational and personal administration on a daily basis.
• Providing administrative support to the CFO in the follow up and completion of departmental work plans, responding to queries, issuing memos and following up on behalf their behalf.
• Prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously and follow through on issues in a timely manner.
• Assist other Senior Management Committee (SMC) members as delegated or required.

Communication

• Priorize emails, prepare letters, presentations, and reports, communicating clearly, confidently and in a professional manner at all levels both internally and externally, ensuring all correspondence and relevant materials are produced in a timely and accurate manner.
• Chase responses to requests and emails when needed.
• Greet visitors graciously and in a professional manner and a positive, cheerful attitude; act as a brand ambassador for GEMS Education. 
• Answer phone calls in a pleasant, helpful and professional manner, direct all incoming calls to appropriate party promptly and efficiently, accurately recording messages and reliably passing messages to recipient in a timely manner.

Diary Management

• Understand the importance of key meetings, building flexibility into the diary and anticipating needs, arranging meetings and preparing briefing materials as and when required for such meetings.
• Work with the CFO to manage the calendar and schedule (board meetings, conferences, regional office visits) including coordinating the CFO’s global and domestic travel itineraries.
• Be personable while managing heavy communications and calendar scheduling (requiring interaction with both internal and external executives and assistants, as well as consultants, clients, co-workers and the general public) to coordinate various complex meetings.
• Ensures that key dates and events are highlighted to the CFO ahead of time.

Expected Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher 
• Extensive experience supporting C-suite executives, with high discretion as well as the wider department leadership - ideally in a large complex organisation

Job-Specific Knowledge & Skills

• Exceptional presentation, scheduling and communication skills
• Digitally savvy with strong MS Office proficiency
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service and time management skills, together with diplomacy, tact and well developed organisational skills
• Open and collaborative working style; must be comfortable in an environment where ideas are shared and challenged
• Passionate and enthusiastic
• Knowledge of the education sector is desirable

GEMS Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of its students and staff. A UK-enhanced DBS or equivalent police check is a pre-requisite for all appointments.