Executive Assistant

Company: Assurant
Location: Elmwood Park
Posted on: October 3, 2021

Job Description:

The role of the Executive Assistant (EA) for our Executive Vice President (EVP)/President requires the successful candidate to quickly understand our business and our Executive’s approach to work in an extremely fast paced environment. The EVP is responsible for a multi-billion-dollar global business, which means he is consistently juggling multiple priorities, staff, client and Board of Director relationships, and the entire organization at all times.  He is often away from the office – traveling and working remotely within our other offices or meetings at industry events or clients.  Support for making travel arrangements and keeping the executive’s family informed and resolving any conflicts on the travel calendar is an essential part of the support. Because of the nature of his work, the EVP’s calendar and priorities are extremely complex and require a seamless approach to supporting him.  The EA is expected to provide this seamless support as their role is highly visible and has significant impact on the EVP’s own performance. Maintaining confidentiality is of utmost importance in this position as the Executive’s schedule and the information he handles are most likely of sensitive nature.

Top priority is to ensure that the Executive continues to be productive to serve our company and our clients. The ability to think quickly and operate both strategically and tactically are the most important behaviors that distinguish an Executive level Administrator from other level executive support.  In addition, the successful EA will demonstrate interest, curiosity, and the ability to understand our business and the EVP's business engagements.  This position requires a high level of responsibility in decision-making and planning.  It is imperative that this person stay ahead of the EVP to ensure they are anticipating problems and fixing them before they occur. High integrity, Ethical Standards and treating all colleagues with respect is a critical element of this role. The EA needs to have flexibility to support the EVP from time to time for extended hours as he may be dealing with a board meeting or meeting with an international team.

Responsibilities:

• Focused on keeping the executive productive and focused on critical matters through ensuring required tasks are completed in a timely manner

• Schedule meetings and manage the executive’s calendar and contacts. When necessary, negotiate with others who need time on the Executive’s calendar to shuffle things around.

• Keep the executive’s calendar accurately updated and keep other stakeholders abreast of changes

• Schedule executive-level Meetings in partnership with other administrative teams and ensure all meeting attendees and their EAs are abreast of all meeting logistics

• Manage and book the executive’s travel; Monitor flight status and make appropriate changes as required to avoid bottlenecks and delays; Arrange and manage local transportation logistics and confirm the same. Keep the executive’s family appraised of travel logistics and details.

• Submit expense reports and vacation requests on behalf of the executive

• Keep the executive organized with meeting materials and priorities

• Assume receptionist duties, greet public and refer them to appropriate staff members

• Answer phone and route calls appropriately and/or take messages.

• Distribute incoming mail and prepare outgoing mail including bulk mail, as needed; Manage notarization of documents as and when needed

• Prepare meeting materials and other company documents, as needed.

• Order office supplies and monitor inventory, as needed

• Update and maintain mailing lists

• Maintain appropriate interpersonal relationships with employees, peers, and consumers

• Facilitate special event registration and execution.

• Occasionally travel with the executive, as needed, to support various events

• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

• Ability to travel 5-10%.

• 5 years' executive-level administrative experience required.

• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a team.

• Typing skills with at least 50 WPM.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Examples of skill level:

• WORD - customizing a form letter, adding a watermark, inserting a linked object from a file; protecting a form, merging recipient list data with a form letter.

• EXCEL - using VLOOKUP, MATCH & INDEX functions, running macros, creating custom functions, using IF, SUMIF & ROUND functions.

• POWERPOINT - creating & editing a custom slideshow; embedding & linking content

• OUTLOOK - creating & importing a vCard, creating group schedules in a Calendar group, forwarding contact information, using mailbox cleanup.

• Working knowledge or ability to learn quickly various web-based expense management and other office systems

• Ability to use an advanced knowledge of skills, methods & practices & some innovation, analysis, & reasoning to choose appropriate alternatives from among pre-defined policies & procedures to complete work that includes successive steps & involves some non-routine problems &/or decisions.

• Problem solving mind set is very important for this job. When the EA runs into a bottleneck with a situation, they need to be able to find a solution.

• Timely availability and acknowledgement of information received is important

• Using good judgement to ascertain situations and react accordingly is critically important

• Accuracy and attention to detail is critical in this position

• Patience, empathy, and high EQ

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Keywords: Assurant, Cicero , Executive Assistant, Other , Elmwood Park, Illinois