Executive Assistant (with project work)

The Role

The Executive Assistant serves as the strategic partner to Consultant(s) by driving all aspects of an engagement forward, with a key focus on completing high-quality search and advisory work. In essence, the EA plays a critical role as “the glue” that connects and coordinates the activities of the internal team while balancing the needs and expectations of clients and candidates.

The EA is deeply involved in all aspects of assignments and projects. Based on the strategic goals and timeline for each project, the EA will prioritize, adapt, manage and seamlessly execute all related processes and communications.

The EA is often the firm’s first point of contact with clients and candidate, representing both the RRA brand and that of the Consultant’s, who the EA will represent they are not immediately available. In our fast-paced environment, the EA must also be able to quickly pivot, proactively adjust and problem solve in real-time.

Responsibilities for the role include, but are not limited to:

Project Management

• Oversee the process for each assignment and keep every step of the process on track
• Proactively manage the team’s efforts to ensure they are moving the assignment/project forward
• Inform the team of any critical updates related to client expectations or candidate pipeline; adjust the project plan accordingly and conduct triage (if needed)
• Schedule all business-related meetings, calls and interviews

Project Communication & Documentation

• Manage and own (where appropriate) communication with clients and candidates.
• Create, edit and format all client-facing documents (e.g. status memos, job specifications, business development proposals, etc.) to ensure all information is accurate and meets the client and Consultant expectations.

Relationship Building & Management

• Maintain excellent relationships with firm members, clients, prospects and candidates to achieve highest levels of customer service.
• Serve as the external liaison between the Consultant(s) and their clients and their extended team (e.g. Executive Assistants, Hiring Manager, Human Resources).
• Serve as the internal liaison with all RRA team members including Researchers, Knowledge, Office Coordinators and Shared Services.
• In partnership with office coordinators, host clients and candidates in the local office and act as their point of contact to create a seamless experience.

Managing Information, Data & Financials

• Manage the financial aspects of the billing process, including expense report processing, client invoicing and tracking receivables.
• Update and maintain the integrity of the RRA confidential and proprietary database, involving data entry activity.
• Partner with shared services, where required, on data entry and financial elements of the role.

Business Development

• Support Consultant in their business development activities including planning, content creation, and tracking of outcomes.
• Actively identify, develop and support Consultant’s business development plan.

Candidate Profile

The EA should be a proactive problem solver with strong business judgement, detail orientation and interpersonal skills. The ideal candidate can prioritize, organize, multi-task and make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment with multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Key competencies and experiences required for this role include:

• Project Management and Attention to Detail. Ability to prioritize, manage, and balance a variety of project responsibilities effectively, efficiently and accurately.
• Problem Solving and Business Acumen. Ability to see around corners, quickly synthesize information, connect dots and develop solutions.
• Relationship-Building. Excellent interpersonal relationship skills, particularly the ability to develop rapport and engage with people at all levels.
• Communication and Service-Orientation. Skillful communicator who can develop clear messaging, provide quality service and effectively adapt style to fit different audiences.

A university degree from a respected institution is preferred. Strong proficiency in MS Office, Excel and PowerPoint.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

The Company

Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) is the premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership advisory services. For fifty years, we have improved the way the world is led by identifying and assessing outstanding executives who can support the growth and success of our clients’ organizations.

We are a privately held global firm with 400+ consultants who lead thousands of engagements annually across a broad range of industries and functional roles. With offices worldwide, we serve all major business regions including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the South Pacific.

Our success over the past five decades is attributable to the outstanding quality of our people and a culture and business strategy fiercely committed to client service:

• We invest in long-term relationships, taking the time to gain a thorough understanding of each client’s business goals and strategy, their position in the marketplace and business lifecycle, their competition, and their culture.
• We develop tailored solutions and identify the most effective RRA team to serve on each client engagement, based on their functional expertise, industry experience and geography.
• We lead with insights and combine market research with our collective expertise, to help prepare our clients for what’s next.
• We recruit the very best leaders to each role by identifying expected and unexpected candidates who will have an immediate and significant impact on an organization.

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity, inclusion and respect for individuality are at the core of our firm’s culture and are essential to the success of our executive search and assessment business. Both for ourselves and for our clients, we strive to attract the best people from the broadest pool of candidates. We embrace differences in race, religion, culture, gender, nationality, age, sexual orientation, thinking style, background and perspectives, with the goal of providing a positive work environment for our employees and exemplary service to our clients.