Job Description

About the job Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant, Ogilvy South Africa

We are now looking to appoint an experienced Executive Assistant to support the EXCO Team based in Johannesburg.

Overview of the Role:

Reporting to EXCO, the Executive Assistant (EA) provides direct support in a one-on-one working relationship. The EA serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on various matters relevant to the principals that the EA supports.

In certain instances, the EA also:

Serves as a liaison to the Ogilvy Board of Directors and senior management teams as well as other external Boards that the EXCO team serves on.

Organizes and coordinates executive outreach and external relations efforts; and,

Oversees special projects in the office of the EXCO Team.

The business operates in a highly competitive environment providing some of South Africa's most loved brands with best-in-class Creativity and service delivery excellence. In this, there is a significant focus by all senior managers, including the EXCO Team, on building and maintaining deep and strong relationships with senior and C-Suite Clients.

The ideal individual will have the ability to exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative, and organizational skills, and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities.

The EA must enjoy working within a fast-paced and high-performance environment and can work independently - under pressure at times on a range of projects, activities, and tasks from conception to completion.

Given the nature of the role, it is imperative that the individual can deal with confidential matters with the utmost discretion.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The overarching objective of the EAs role is to create sufficient time and space for the EXCO Team to focus on his/her core responsibilities and priorities on an ongoing basis. Achieving this objective requires that the EA be responsible for:

• Completing a broad range of administrative tasks for the EXCO Team including:

Managing an extremely active and fluid calendar of appointments.

Completing expense reports.

Composing and preparing correspondence that is often confidential and sensitive.

Arranging complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agendas; and

Compiling documents for travel-related meetings.

• Supporting the Senior Management, staff, and external stakeholder engagement plans by:

Scheduling, co-ordinating agendas and minute-taking of relevant Senior Management and various staff meetings

Creating and scheduling the cycle of the EXCO Team and Client contact sessions

Creating, edits and completes drafts for written communications and PowerPoint presentations to internal and external stakeholders

Ensuring that the EXCO Team's bio is kept updated and responds to requests for materials regarding the EXCO Team and the business in general:

• Working closely and effectively with the EXCO Team to keep him/her well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up on them appropriately.
• Anticipating the EXCO Team's needs well in advance of meetings, conferences, etc. and ensure that he is adequately prepared for all meetings (agendas, notes, reports, and presentations etc).
• Planning, coordinating, and ensuring that the EXCO Teamm' schedule is followed and respected. Provides a "gatekeeper" and "gateway" role, creating win-win situations for those seeking direct access to the EXCO Team's time and office.
• Remaining aware and following up on requests for meetings, feedback and /or information by the EXCO Team to internal and external stakeholders as well as requests from such stakeholders to the EXCO Team. In doing this, the EA determines the appropriate course of action, referral, or response.
• Acting as a trusted "barometer" by having a sense for the issues taking place in the environment and keeping the EXCO Team updated.
• Providing leadership to build relationships crucial to the success of the organization and manages a variety of special projects for the EXCO Team, some of which may have organizational impact.
• Successfully completing critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting acknowledgement letters, personal correspondence, and other tasks that facilitate the EXCO Team's ability to effectively lead the company.
• Prioritising conflicting needs and handling all matters expeditiously and proactively.

Core Competencies

• Strong organizational skills that reflect an ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, Senior Clients, external partners, and the Media
• Expert-level written (composition, grammar, and spelling) and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability
• Emotional maturity & Resilience
• Highly resourceful team-player balanced with the ability to also be extremely effective independently
• Proven ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information with discretion; be adaptable to various competing demands; and demonstrate the highest level of external and internal client service and response
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Forward-looking thinker actively identifying opportunities to drive operational effectiveness and efficiencies; and proposes feasible solutions.
• Experience working in multi-cultural environments and fully embracing diversity

Experience and Qualifications

• +5 years of experience supporting C-Suite Executives
• Experience / interest in marketing, advertising, and communications
• Bachelor's degree required
• Proficiency in:

Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point) Expert level

Adobe Acrobat Intermediate level

Online meeting platforms (MS Teams, Zoom, Google Meet) Expert level

Social Media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) Intermediate level

Online booking and shopping services (Uber, Bottles, Mr Delivery etc.) Expert level

• Valid driver's license

Ogilvy