Executive Assistant to Executive Director at Oxfam

Job Purpose

The Executive Assistant to the Executive Director’s role fully supports the Executive Director by managing time and engagements and by tracking all pending work. The Executive Director operates at a very high level internationally, and also has many internal commitments within the Oxfam confederation.  The diary needs to be managed to enable the Executive Director to be at her/his most effective. Management and sign off of the Executive Coordinator’s work and guidance provided when needed.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Full maintenance of the Executive Director’s diary.  This involves both responding to internal and external requests and also proactively scheduling appointments and managing the tension between internal and external work.  The diary is extremely busy, and there is a significant amount of high level external liaison which requires good knowledge of protocols at the level of government and international institutions, sound judgment, and political awareness and ultimately decision making
• Full management of the Executive Director’s emails, bringing forward items for attention in a timely manner. This requires development of a robust pending system and the ability to take effective decisions on prioritization.
• Receiving all invitations to the Executive Director and holding weekly meetings with the OI ED Support Team in order to establish a strategic external engagement agenda, whilst working with the Head of Governance to ensure that a balance is found between external and internal commitments.
• Establishing a relationship of mutual trust and respect with the Executive Director in order to facilitate communication and maximise efficiency.
• Handling both general and specific paper and electronic correspondence; drafting text for the Executive Director, including high level communications.
• Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Executive Office such as by developing templates, standards and promoting ways of working best practice, for instance in the preparation and provision of meeting briefs.
• Finalizing the Executive Director’s travel and meeting packs as prepared by the Executive Coordinator, and providing guidance to the Executive Coordinator when delivering specific pieces of work for the Executive Director.
• Overseeing of Executive Office Budget.
• Overseeing the work of the Executive Coordinator, providing guidance and sign off on all administrative areas.
• Ensuring the Executive Director’s time is utilised as efficiently as possible when she/he is travelling by overseeing the hosting organisation / affiliate’s schedule, amending anything that would be deemed unsuitable by the ED, setting up meetings/calls in the local time zone and ensuring they take place on time.
• Providing personal support to the Executive Director when required.
• Liaising with the Executive Director’s high level external contacts including embassies, government officials, INGO leaders and royalty.
• Managing the Executive Director’s leave application ensuring sign off by the OI Chair.
• Conducting documentary and website research on specific topics or organizations as required.
• Providing other support to the Executive Office as required, including overseeing and/or managing projects and/or processes for the Executive Director, such as the annual performance appraisal process.
• Maintaining secure and confidential files, including lists of high level personal emails and addresses.

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Leadership and Management

• Effective negotiation abilities and informal leadership skills in a multi-stakeholder, networked environment.
• Ability to anticipate problems and find solutions
• Demonstrable organizational and project management skills and ability to manage multiple projects to deadlines.
• Strong analytical skills.

Administrative

• Excellent organizational and administration skills, including an ability to effectively prioritize tasks which could be high level and where judgement is key.
• Ability to work independently, taking initiative and organizing work pro-actively.
• Ability to work in a changing environment involving high pressure at times.
• Able to work effectively as part of a team and also on sole assignments.
• Good analytical and problem solving skills.
• Good time management skills.
• Numeracy skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Experience in coordinating small projects.
• Ability to manage a combination of time pressure, and a depth of preparation and complexity around scheduling (particularly regarding travel).
• Able to work in a structured manner towards agreed deadlines.
• Computer literate: highly proficient in the use of word processing software (MS Word), presentation software (MS PowerPoint), spreadsheet software (MS Excel), database software (MS Access), email and internet.

Communication

• Ability to liaise with a wide range of people, often at a high level both internally and externally and with credibility, tact and diplomacy, and build strong working relationships.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal and negotiation skills with an ability to adapt style of communication to suit the relevant audience (e.g. sensitivity to certain cultures; drafting high level communications).
• Recognising situations of potential brand risk and approaching them with due sensitivity and confidentiality.
• Fluent spoken and written English.

Desirable

• French and Spanish.