Executive Assistant to CEO and CGO

Company Description

AXL is seeking an EA with shared responsibilities for the CEO and CGO. The position provides a unique opportunity to join a team at the most senior level who are reshaping the face of Canadian innovation. Work directly with teams from executive offices of some of Canada's largest companies, government, and with many of the world's leading academics.

The variety and complexity of projects in the portfolio demands a unique and impeccable track record of team management. It also demands a personality with an entrepreneurial bent. Do you know exactly how a project could be successful, if only the bank/company/government you work for would just get out of its own way? Do you long for a world where you could make up your own rules, and do anything required to make your projects a success? Was "If I Ran the Circus" your favorite Dr Seuss book as a child, and you genuinely do not understand why anyone could think differently?

Imagine doing projects where you are celebrated for working around rules and regulations, for redefining the success metrics, and for walking up to the boss and saying, "this is dumb, we shouldn't do this project, we should do this other thing instead." Now imagine this last one gets you a steak dinner instead of a passive aggressive comment on your annual review.

Role Description

Our CEO and CGO are seeking a smart, hungry, and highly organized individual to join our team as our joint Executive Assistant. As the EA, you will play a crucial role in supporting the team with various administrative tasks. Effective communication skills, both spoken and written in English, are essential as you will be interacting with team members and stakeholders. We value strong interpersonal skills, and the ideal candidate should have the ability to make everyone they interact with feel seen, heard, and respected.

This is a full-time on-site role for an Executive Assistant near the University of Toronto's St. George campus. The EA will be responsible for managing the CEO and CGO's office lives, keeping tabs on a very large number of projects, and ensuring all are making progress. The candidate should be comfortable meeting with government officials and executives in large companies. Common tasks include:

Calendar Management:

Booking meetings and ensuring events are up to date with agenda, attendees, and tasks. You will follow the time-blocking SOP to manage the calendar effectively, ensuring that all meetings have agendas, confirmed attendees, and other necessary details.

Email Management:

Filtering the inbox for junk, flagging items that require CEO and CGO's attention, and organizing emails for easy reference. You should possess strong writing skills for process documentation purposes and be able to manage a high volume of SOPs, meeting notes, and documentation.

Project Management:

Maintaining a database of ongoing projects being performed by or for CEO and CGO, with due dates, follow-ups, and backup plans.

To-Do Management:

Organizing tasks will be a key responsibility. You will add tasks to the calendar, flagging urgent items and providing additional context during the daily sync.

Operations Support:

Assisting with onboarding and offboarding of employees (workspace setup, documentation, tools access) and maintaining and improving internal operational systems, SOPs, and documentation. You will also be supporting HR, finance, and legal admin tasks, such as expense tracking, invoices, and contract management and collaborating with cross-functional teams to streamline processes and improve operational efficiency.

Office Management:

Maintaining a productive and well-functioning office environment. Ordering and managing office supplies, equipment, and vendor relationships and coordinating office logistics including space planning, mail, IT support, and facilities management. Organizing internal team events and culture initiatives and Serving as the point of contact for visitors and general office inquiries.

Travel Arrangements:

You will be in charge of creating itineraries and booking flights and hotels.

Meeting Notes:

Taking detailed notes during meetings, sending them out in a particular format to key stakeholders, and logging any action items for tracking and follow-up.

Errands:

In partnership with other team members, various tasks will require being out and about in the city making purchases or other arrangements.

The initial weeks in this role will primarily consist of onboarding and learning. The goal is for you to gain independence and be able to manage tasks autonomously by the end of the four-week training period.

This is a full-time position, and you will be required to work from 9am – 5 pm Eastern time. This will allow for overlap with the team, and there will be times when you will have more flexibility or will be required to manage items after hours.

Joining us as an Executive Assistant presents an exciting opportunity to work closely with our C-suite in a fast-paced environment, where embracing change is crucial. If you are someone who thrives on dynamic challenges and welcomes the opportunity to make a significant impact, this role is perfect for you

To excel in this role, you need to have:

Minimum of 2 Years' Experience:

The candidate should bring a proven track record with a minimum of 2 years of experience in the Executive Assistant, project management, or related field.

Proficiency in Technology:

The candidate should have a strong technical background and be comfortable working with various software and tools. Proficiency in using Windows and the Microsoft suite of tools for project, email, document, and calendar management is preferred. While specific knowledge of the company's tech stack can be taught, the candidate should be tech-savvy and competent in working with technology.

Exceptional Organizational Skills:

You should demonstrate exceptional organizational skills, with the ability to maintain well-structured email filing systems and effectively manage calendar events. You should be able to manage a high volume of tasks and communications while ensuring accuracy and precision in your work.

Keen Attention to Detail:

Attention to detail is crucial in this role. This role requires someone who pays close attention to even the smallest aspects of their tasks and communications, ensuring accuracy and avoiding any errors. You should be meticulous in your work to deliver high-quality results.

Adaptability and Quick Learning:

The candidate should be able to quickly adapt to new situations and learn new processes and technologies. They should have the ability to acquire context swiftly and leverage past mistakes as valuable learning opportunities. Being open to continuous learning and improvement is key.

Proactive Nature:

The candidate should possess an innate ability to anticipate needs and "see around the corner." They should proactively identify tasks that require attention before being asked to do so, consistently staying three steps ahead whenever possible. This role does not involve handholding, so the candidate should understand how to do the work, ask questions when needed, and take responsibility for their own growth and development.

Brownie points for:

Experience creating or updating playbooks.

Executive Assistant (EA) experience supporting C-suite or Director-level individuals.

Experience in the tech industry.

Further Reading/Citations:

Major components of this job description come from the SaaS Academy, and the team uses the Martell's "Buy Back Your Time" framework to scale and manage his teams.