Executive Assistant

Job Description

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

We are looking for a highly skilled Executive Assistant to join the Liggins Institute. You will provide quality confidential executive administrative, secretarial and project support to the Institute Director, and when needed the Institute Operations Manager and Deputy Director.

This role plays a critical part in optimizing day-to-day operations, enabling the Director to focus on their core responsibilities and supporting the effective implementation of the Institute's mission, aligned with our organizational values and Te Ao Māori Principles.

The main responsibilities in this role will be complex management of the Directors email inbox and diary, coordinating and supporting local events, fast and accurate minute taking, formatting of presentations and documents, e-card and p-card reconciliations, and managing challenging travel arrangements. You will need an advanced skill level within the MS Office Suite, as well as proficiency with using Zoom and MS Teams.

You will enjoy ownership of the work that you do and be empowered to develop your own systems of efficiency and process improvements and contribute ideas to the continuous improvement of our Institute.

This is a fulltime permanent opportunity.

The salary range for this role is $73,400 - $90,700 based on skills and experience.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Position Description

He kōrero mōu | About you

You will ideally come to us with prior experience in a similar role. A health science background would be an advantage, but this is not essential. You will have excellent communication and organisational skills, enjoy problem-solving and be methodical in your approach to your work to ensure our academic, professional staff and students are well supported. You will be a confident EA with a natural ability to engage with a diverse range of people.

If you are the kind of person who gets satisfaction from being involved with a wide range of different tasks and people, and enjoys thinking one step ahead of others to make sure they have what they need and things get done, you will find this role really rewarding.

You will bring:

• EA experience, supporting senior management level roles
• Excellent time management, prioritisation and organisation
• Exceptional professional written and spoken communication
• Resourcefulness and skills finding new information, acquiring new skills and getting answers
• Skills relating to negotiation and politely guiding others to ensure all stakeholders are well supported and get what they need in a way that is sustainable of your time
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office skills
• Problem solving, collaboration and someone who enjoys developing efficiencies and improvements

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou | What we offer

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university and maintains significant computational, laboratory and analytic facilities. Auckland itself is frequently rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment through:

• Flexible employment practices (including working from home if feasible, flexible hours)
• Up to 6.75% company superannuation scheme
• A competitive salary with five weeks’ annual leave

In addition, we also offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, a generous parental leave allowance, childcare, and a number of other discounts on internal and external services. For more information, please visit Staff Benefits.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

Applications must be submitted online, by the closing date of 26 May 2026 to be considered. Please include your cover letter and your CV highlighting how you meet the skills and experiences detailed above.

Please reach out to Lynda Pitcaithly, via l.pitcaithly@auckland.ac.nz, for a confidential conversation. Please note we are happy to answer your questions, but we do not accept applications by email.