Executive Assistant

Job Purpose:

To provide high-level, complex executive and administrative support to the assigned management, ensuring efficient and effective administration of the department/section and representing MBZUAI professionally to internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

Department responsibilities

• Manage the line manager’s schedule, balance conflicting demands, and prioritize commitments and appointments to ensure effective use of the daily schedule to support them achieve their role and division goals.
• Assess and prioritize requests for approval received and ensure requests are reviewed by the management in a timely manner.
• Act as key point of contact for internal and external stakeholders requesting the management’s attention, inclusive as acting as key point of contact for the line managers direct reports, overseeing to it that the line manager’s time is effectively and efficiently managed and providing a tactful and respectful interface that supports achievement of MBZUAI goals.
• Support the management in the execution of professorial duties (if relevant), for example by coordinating reports, presentations and other commitments.

Correspondence, documentation, and information management

• Create well-structured, professional communications and documentation by efficiently gathering, compiling, and formatting information, demonstrating excellent written language skills, and using appropriate software and tools.
• Manage and prioritize email and other correspondence to the line manager, drafting replies where appropriate, and ensuring timely and accurate responses to all communications.
• Conduct thorough research, analyze data, and write insightful and well-structured reports for the line manager presenting findings and recommendations in a clear and concise manner to support informed decision-making.
• Maintain accurate records and databases to facilitate the division’s planning and decision-making.
• Contribute to the development, execution, and analysis of surveys and other data collection methods necessary to support decision-making by the management.
• Maintain the confidentiality of sensitive files and information by implementing secure storage and retrieval procedures and ensuring compliance with MBZUAI information security and privacy policies.

Administration

• Provide high-level administrative support as required by management.
• Schedule and carry out administration in relation to performance reviews of the line manager’s direct reports and/or department employees, ensuring compliance with MBZUAI timelines and procedures
• Continuously review the administrative systems and recommend well-researched improvements, inclusive smart utilization of IT and AI, to enhance quality of outputs and create efficiencies.
• Maintain alignment with department line managers and coordinators, when applicable.

Coordination with Executive Assistants

• Oversee the workflow of division Executive Assistants, redistributing tasks as appropriate to ensure the best utilization of administrative resources for the benefit of the division.
• Liaise with other divisional Executive Assistants to collect and coordinate information required for effective decision-making by the management.

Meeting management

• Create and distribute agendas for division and MBZUAI meetings, ensuring all relevant topics are covered and participants are prepared so that meetings are efficient and productive.
• Document, distribute, and maintain meeting minutes to ensure complete and accurate records of discussions and decisions made in division and university meetings.
• Follow up on resolutions and action items to ensure decisions are implemented and objectives met.
• Draft action plans to support significant decisions and meeting resolutions, identifying resources required, and establishing timelines and reporting frequencies in consultation with the Office or project owner as appropriate.

Hospitality

• Greet and receive VIPs and visitors in a professional and friendly manner, ensuring appropriate assistance and hospitality is provided, thereby projecting a positive impression of the division and MBZUAI.

Events management

• Plan and manage conferences, events, and executive meetings, ensuring all logistics and details are handled to deliver an efficient, successful, and well-organized experience that reflects positively on the division and MBZUAI.

Travel

• Coordinate the line manager’s travel arrangements, ensuring arrangements align with MBZUAI travel policies and make best use of effective time management.

Budget support

• Provide efficient and effective financial administration support to the Office including all funding, managing expenditure requests, managing invoices, tracking budget, and ensuring all financial transactions are accurately recorded, processed, and reported in a timely manner.
• Assist in the preparation of the budget, ensuring managers provide requisite information and forecasts on time so that the Office submits budget plans and reports according to MBZUAI requirements.
• Monitor and analyze fund expenditure against budget and report any discrepancies to the management or their delegate.

Other duties

• Perform all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.

Academic Qualification:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in business administration or any other relevant discipline.

Professional Experience:

Essential

• At least two years’ experience as an executive assistant in a large, complex organization.
• Excellent written and verbal English skills.
• Strong organization and time management skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and handle multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to gain and maintain trust, including experience working successfully supporting senior executives and officials.
• Attention to detail with the ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Commitment to customer service excellence.
• Experience in survey administration, analysis, and reporting.
• Demonstrated experience and competence in financial administration.
• Demonstrated experience selecting suppliers in accordance with procurement and budget requirements and managing supplier / service provider relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with competence in report writing.
• Superior computing skills including in Microsoft Office and Outlook, and with word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and data analysis software.
• Demonstrated success operating in a multicultural environment and adapting systems and processes to meet diverse expectations and needs.
• Exposure to and understanding of Middle Eastern business and cultural practices.

Preferred

• Prior employment as an executive assistant in a university.
• Experience working successfully in the UAE.
• Arabic language speaker.