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Virtual Executive Assistant

Date Posted —

Type of Work:
Full Time
Salary:
$800-1000
Hours per Week:
40

Job Description

Role Title: Virtual Executive Assistant

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Virtual

Position Summary
Alliance For Women and Girls is in search of an Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive support to our Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This critical role is centred around maintaining and enhancing the CEO’s agenda to ensure it aligns with our strategic goals, emphasising responsiveness, and sustainability. The Executive Assistant will manage a dynamic array of tasks, ranging from scheduling to strategic planning support, ensuring the CEO’s time is optimised for maximum impact.

The successful candidate will possess exceptional attention to detail and a proven ability to implement effective personal management systems. This will include managing a complex calendar of appointments, coordinating travel plans, and facilitating meetings and requests for the CEO’s attention. Experience balancing reactive and proactive responsibilities is essential, with competencies in donor research, crafting compelling presentations, and liaising with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

The role demands a high degree of personal initiative, exceptional judgement, and the ability to prioritise tasks continuously. The ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, demonstrating a natural propensity for teamwork and open communication with both internal and external parties. A daily commitment to navigating scheduling challenges, with an adaptable and proactive approach, is paramount.

Responsibilities

Manage the CEO’s calendar to ensure the CEO’s time is aligned with her priorities. This includes managing day-to-day internal and external high-volume scheduling across multiple time zones; re-prioritizing as necessary; engaging with numerous internal and external constituents with a high level of care, urgency, and sensitivity; and being available for quick responses to scheduling confirmations and changes, updating the CEO and external and internal constituents as changes arise
Donor Engagement and Research: Proactively identify and research prospective donors and partners, aligning with the CEO’s strategic priorities. Prepare briefs and background materials for the CEO ahead of key meetings and engagements.
Presentation and Report Drafting: Craft compelling presentations and reports for internal and external stakeholders, including board members, donors, and partners. Ensure these documents communicate the organisation’s achievements, goals, and strategic direction effectively.
Book local and international travel arrangements – including flights, hotels, and ground transportation
Manage the scheduling and logistics for large group Zoom calls with staff and external stakeholders- and Alliance For Women and Girls Talks between our CEO and influential regional and global leaders
Manage tracking against team budget; process reimbursements, requests for payment from external vendors, and monthly expense reports
Provide additional ad hoc administrative support that includes but is not limited to, sending thank you gifts, working with IT on technology issues, printing and mailing documents, troubleshooting video conference calls, coordinating mailings, maintaining listservs and contact information documents, ordering office supplies, and managing written correspondence that requires the CEO’s signature
Be proactive in supporting the CEO and creating a positive relationship with the rest of the organisation and its external constituents

Requirements
Experience in providing administrative support to senior executives, involving calendar management, travel arrangements, meeting coordination, and preparation of documents and presentations.
Broad experience in office administration procedures, including handling correspondence, managing records, and organising office supplies.
Experience in coordinating or participating in projects, demonstrating ability to meet deadlines, coordinate with different stakeholders, and manage several tasks at once.
Strong proficiency in office software such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), and experience with virtual meeting platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
International experience strongly preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment – managing a high volume of e-mail and other requests along with multiple streams of work, independently prioritise tasks, juggling competing priorities swiftly, and working effectively across a globally dispersed team environment
Demonstrates excellent judgement, creative problem-solving, and strong critical thinking skills
Meticulous attention to detail and excellent organisational ability
Excellent, proactive communication skills and comfort engaging with diverse stakeholders, ranging from our internal staff to high-stakes external audiences
Consistently exhibits thoughtfulness, compassion, and generosity of spirit to internal and external stakeholders while driving toward results
Deeply committed to the mission, vision, and values of Alliance For Women and Girls
Ability to handle sensitive information with the highest degree of integrity and confidentiality.
Strong interpersonal skills to interact effectively with diverse groups of people, fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.

To apply please send your resume, and responses to the three written exercises below

Executive Assistant Written Exercises

Exercise 1: Strategic Schedule Management and Prioritization
Imagine you are two weeks into the role, and the CEO’s schedule has become unexpectedly overloaded due to simultaneous high-priority commitments, including donor meetings, internal strategy sessions, and an urgent need for report drafting on the organisation’s latest initiative. You must re-prioritize the CEO’s calendar without compromising the organisation’s objectives or stakeholder relationships.

Outline your approach for re-prioritising the CEO’s commitments, detailing how you would communicate changes to internal and external stakeholders while ensuring the CEO’s time is optimised for maximum impact.
Propose a contingency plan for ensuring critical tasks are completed in the event of overlapping commitments, including how you would leverage technology or delegate responsibilities within the team.

Exercise 2: Crisis Management and Communication
An urgent issue arises that requires the CEO’s immediate attention, but it coincides with a critical donor meeting and an internal strategic planning session. You need to manage this situation effectively to minimise disruptions and maintain stakeholder confidence.

Describe your immediate actions to address the urgent issue while ensuring the CEO can fulfil her commitments. Include how you would communicate with the involved parties (internal team, donor, etc.).
Draft an email to the internal team explaining the situation, how it’s being managed, and any adjustments to their schedules or responsibilities. Your communication should aim to reassure and motivate the team during this challenging time.

Exercise 3: Donor Research Exercise
You have been given the task of expanding the Alliance For Women and Girls’ donor base to support its strategic initiatives. Your first assignment is to identify at least 3 potential donors who are likely to be interested in supporting women and girls’ empowerment in low to middle-income contexts across Africa.

Describe the steps you would take to identify potential donors, including any specific databases, networks, or platforms you would use. Detail how you would prioritise these potential donors based on the alignment with our mission, their giving history, and their capacity to give.
Explain how you would analyse the information gathered to select a shortlist of potential donors. Include criteria such as alignment with our strategic goals, potential for long-term partnership, and the donor’s interest in gender equality and empowerment.

Submission Instructions for all exercises

Please submit your response in no more than one page, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and the strategic alignment of your proposed actions with the Alliance For Women and Girls’ mission and goals. Could you please complete and submit your responses to these exercises by 10am Thursday 4th April GMT

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Company: 11 Agency
Name: Vongai Nyahunzvi
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