Executive Assistant to the Executive Director at Stella Maris High School

Job Summary

The Executive Assistant to the Executive Director is responsible for providing high-level executive, administrative, and strategic support to the Executive Director. The role requires exceptional organisational skills, sound judgement, professionalism, and the ability to manage confidential information with discretion. The successful candidate will coordinate executive schedules, manage communications, oversee administrative processes, support strategic projects, and act as a liaison between the Executive Director and internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

1. Executive Task Ownership — Capture every instruction, convert it into a clear task/ticket, assign owners where necessary, track deadlines, follow up, escalate delays, and close the loop with evidence of completion.
2. Follow-Up & Accountability — Follow up with staff, heads, vendors, consultants, IT, HR and other stakeholders on the Director's behalf. 
3. Calendar & Meeting Management — Own the Director's calendar, schedule meetings, run meetings  prevent conflicts, prepare agendas, ensure participants are ready, and track decisions and action items after meetings.
4. Executive Documentation — Ensure important instructions, decisions, reports, handovers, processes and project information are properly documented in the appropriate company system rather than disappearing into chats and emails.
5. Communication Management — Draft and coordinate executive correspondence, memos, reminders and follow-ups. Identify communications requiring the Director's personal attention instead of simply forwarding everything to the Director.
6. Project & Deliverable Tracking — Maintain visibility across the Director's active projects. Know what is pending, who owns it, what is overdue, what is blocked, and what requires the Director's decision.
7. Meeting Follow-Through — A meeting is not finished when the call ends. Capture decisions, assign action items, establish deadlines and follow up until those actions are completed.
8. Information & Research Support — Research vendors, products, services, logistics or other matters the Director assigns and return with organized findings and recommendations—not a pile of links for the Director to investigate personally.
9. Vendor & Administrative Coordination — Coordinate quotations, invoices, payments, deliveries, collections, documentation and outstanding vendor actions with the relevant internal teams.
10. Executive Readiness — Keep the Director prepared. Before a meeting, deadline or decision, the Director should already have the relevant documents, status, outstanding issues and decisions required.
11. Escalation Management — Identify problems before they become emergencies. When something is delayed or someone is unresponsive, escalate it early rather than waiting for the Director to discover it.
12. Confidentiality & Judgment — Handle sensitive executive, personnel, financial and organizational information professionally and understand what can be delegated, what should remain confidential and what requires the Director's direct approval.

Qualifications

Education

1. Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, Law, Communications, Secretarial Administration, or a related discipline.
2. A Master's Degree is an added advantage.

Professional Certifications (Preferred)

1. Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
2. Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
3. Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) (where relevant)
4. Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
5. Relevant executive administration or governance certifications are an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years' experience providing executive-level administrative support.
• Previous experience supporting a Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, Managing Director, or other senior executive is highly desirable.
• Experience in the education sector is an added advantage.

Technical Competencies

• Executive calendar and schedule management
• Meeting coordination and minute-taking
• Executive correspondence and report writing
• Presentation development
• Project coordination
• Research and policy analysis
• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Document and records management
• Virtual meeting platforms and collaboration tools

Core Competencies

• Exceptional organisational and planning skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• High level of professionalism and executive presence
• Sound judgement and discretion
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to manage competing priorities
• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Relationship management and diplomacy
• Initiative and proactive decision-making
• Integrity, confidentiality, and accountability

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Stella Maris Schools is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Successful candidates will be required to undergo appropriate background and reference checks before employment.