About the Role

The Executive Secretary provides exceptional level business and administrative support, advice, and guidance to the CPO and works closely with members of the Strategic Management Committee (SMC) and other HR Senior leaders to enhance their effectiveness and enable them to focus on strategic business matters. The Executive Secretary to the CPO role is highly visible and varied, providing comprehensive and confidential high-level administrative support aligned with GEMS Education\'s mission and vision.

This role requires a consummate professional, able to work on their own initiative, with exceptionally high standards of professionalism, EQ, and confidentiality.

Key Accountabilities:

General

• Assist primarily the CPO with organisational and personal administration on a daily basis.
• Provide administrative support to the CPO and wider HR department as needed, in the completion of departmental work plans, responding to queries, issuing memos, and following up on behalf of the CPO.
• Prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously and follow through on issues in a timely manner
• Maintain an excellent PR network with consulates, government departments, external vendors, and important business contacts.
• Assist other Senior Management Committee (SMC) members and senior HR team members as delegated by the CPO.

Communications

• Prioritise emails, preparing letters and reports, communicating clearly, confidently, and in a professional manner at all levels both internally and externally, and ensuring all correspondence and relevant materials are produced in a timely and accurate manner.
• Communicate and handle incoming and outgoing communications on behalf of the CPO.
• Follow-up responses to requests and emails to/from the SMC
• Greet visitors graciously and in a professional manner, and create a good personal image through a neat, clean, business-like professional appearance, and a positive, cheerful attitude.
• Answer phones in a pleasant, helpful and professional manner, direct all incoming calls to the 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 for the CPO as and when required for such meetings.
• Work with the CPO to manage his calendar and schedule (board meetings, conferences, regional office visits) including coordinating the CPO\xe2\x80\x99s global and domestic travel itineraries.
• Be friendly and 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 CPO ahead of time.

Documentation & Reports

• Conduct research/analysis as directed by the CPO and producing reports as and when required.
• Work closely with the CPO and SMC through regular correspondence and following up on action points from meetings on behalf of the CPO, liaising with senior internal and external parties (locally/globally).
• Protection and security of records and ensuring filing systems are maintained and up to date.
• Maintain records of decisions and ensuring action items are clearly recorded.
• Organise documents for signatures related to relevant projects.
• Keep accurate records and files at all times and as appropriate.
• Update and maintain a database of executive key contacts.
• Handle sensitive information and material with the highest level of discretion and confidentiality and maintaining data confidentially.
• Maintain and present the reports in a timely manner.

Meeting & Events Planning

• Organise external visits, meetings, and speaking engagements and coordinate briefing material and speeches.
• Prepare materials, packets, and presentations for CPO\xe2\x80\x99s meetings, senior management team meetings, off-site, and all-staff meetings.
• Organise the logistics of board meetings and other key internal meetings.
• Organise travel, apply for any necessary visas, coordinate the logistics and put together accurate itineraries and coordinate meetings, lunches/dinners during CPO\xe2\x80\x99s overseas trips.
• Coordinate and distribute notes at management meetings as requested. Type up notes as requested.
• Organise and arrange venues for all other meetings requested by the CPO.
• Coordinate travel arrangements including scheduling and purchasing tickets for executive staff, board members, and key guests as directed by the CPO.

Miscellaneous tasks

• Assist with special projects and reports as required.
• CPO\xe2\x80\x99s guests \xe2\x80\x93 arranging necessary logistics
• Flexibility \xe2\x80\x93 fulfill the requirements of the role and meet business needs.
• Embrace and encourage the ethos and standards of excellence as defined in the GEMS Core Values.
• Ensure the GEMS policies, procedures, and codes of conduct are followed at all times.
• Initiate effort and energy beyond the typical work day, where the tasks require additional commitment.
• Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.
• Perform other duties as requested by direct & dotted reporting line managers / supervisors.

Expected Experience:

• Relevant secretarial training and qualifications, you will have proven experience as an all-round executive level PA, with prior experience working for a CPO or CEO preferred but not essential

Job-Specific Knowledge & Skills:

• Exceptional presentation, scheduling and communication skills
• Digitally savvy and adept at using social media
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service and time management skills, together with diplomacy, tact and well developed organisational skills.
• Exceptional standards of confidentiality, able to handle sensitive matters with tact and discretion. Able to work effectively and professionally with Executive level colleagues and VIPs
• Open and collaborative working style; must be comfortable in an environment where ideas are shared and challenged.
• Work-self sufficiently, confident to challenge and advise to Executive level as needed
• Passionate and enthusiastic
• Knowledge of the education sector is desirable

About Your Benefits

An attractive remuneration package is on offer to the successful candidate including tax-free salary, medical cover, tuition fee concessions, annual leave, and end-of-service benefits.

About GEMS

Trusted for over 60 years and now a third generation education family, GEMS Education began in a single school room in Dubai. Today, we have the privilege of educating over 170,000 students from over 176 countries through GEMS owned and managed schools globally; over 270,000 students access resources through our services division.

GEMS Education