Executive Assistant to Senior Executive

APCO•Washington, DC

19h•$70,000 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

APCO, a global advisory firm with offices across the globe, is looking for a high-performing Executive Assistant to support one of our key global executives. This role is designed for an experienced executive support professional who can operate as a trusted strategic partner and extension of the executive’s office. In addition to managing core responsibilities such as calendar, travel, expenses, meeting logistics and day-to-day coordination, this person will help ensure the executive’s time, attention and engagement are aligned with APCO’s most important priorities. The ideal candidate will bring exceptional judgment, discretion, curiosity, business acumen, attention to detail and the ability to anticipate needs, identify tradeoffs and make thoughtful recommendations that improve executive effectiveness. Life in a consulting environment can be fast-moving, complex and highly fluid. There is rarely enough time in the day, and the executive’s calendar, travel and engagement choices must reflect the highest-value priorities for the business. This role requires someone who can bring calm, discipline and foresight to a busy executive office—someone who does not simply respond to requests, but understands context, connects dots, flags risks and opportunities, and helps the executive operate at their best. This role will work closely with the executive’s core team to manage the executive’s operating rhythm, including strategic calendar and meeting management, travel planning, briefing preparation, follow-up tracking, contact management, file organization, financial processes, external engagements and coordination with key internal stakeholders. The successful candidate will be expected to understand the executive’s priorities, APCO’s business focus and the broader context behind requests in order to help shape how the executive’s time and presence are deployed. This role is fully onsite in our Washington, DC office.

Requirements

High school diploma required; bachelor’s degree preferred.
Ideally 5+ years of full-time experience supporting senior executives, preferably in a professional services, advisory, consulting, communications, legal, financial services or similarly fast-paced client-service environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize information clearly and communicate with senior stakeholders.
Proactive, highly organized and able to exercise strong judgment, discretion and intuition in complex or ambiguous situations.
Advanced skills with Microsoft Office Suite and comfort using technology to improve organization, preparation, workflow and follow-through.
High emotional intelligence and the ability to build trusted relationships with executives, clients, colleagues and external stakeholders.
Ability to anticipate needs, identify patterns, surface risks, recommend practical solutions and follow through with accuracy and urgency.
Familiarity with both PCs and Apple technology, including iPhone and iPad.

Responsibilities

Manage the executive’s calendar with a focus on prioritization, preparation and strategic use of time—not simply availability.
Evaluate meeting requests in context of the executive’s priorities, relationships, deadlines, travel schedule, decision needs and business commitments.
Recommend meeting timing, sequencing, format, duration and attendees to maximize value and reduce unnecessary time burden.
Proactively identify conflicts, tradeoffs and opportunities, offering practical solutions and escalating decisions when needed.
Support preparation for meetings by coordinating agendas, briefing materials, background context, stakeholder input and follow-up items.
Reserve conference rooms, organize refreshments with APCO event coordinators and ensure meeting logistics support the purpose and tone of the engagement.
Manage guests coming into the office, including greeting visitors and coordinating with office management for entry.
Manage end-to-end travel logistics while ensuring travel plans align with the executive’s business priorities, client needs, leadership commitments and external engagement goals.
Work with APCO’s travel booking systems and agents to arrange air, rail, ground transportation and accommodation, while anticipating schedule constraints, executive preferences and policy requirements.
Recommend travel sequencing, meeting opportunities and itinerary adjustments to maximize the value of the executive’s time in each market.
Coordinate with internal stakeholders to identify priority meetings, client touchpoints, team engagements and preparation needs associated with travel.
Anticipate travel risks, schedule constraints and potential tradeoffs, proactively developing options and recommendations for the executive and core team.
Process receipts and prepare reimbursement reports for the executive accurately and on time.
Manage the executive’s time entry, expenses and related approvals with attention to accuracy, deadlines, compliance and the broader financial operating rhythm of the business.
Help manage the flow of information into and out of the executive’s office, routing requests, forwarding relevant emails and ensuring the right people are engaged for information or action.
Compile and maintain a daily to-do list, priority tracker or follow-up summary that helps the executive and core team stay aligned on commitments, deadlines and next steps.
Serve as a process manager for preparing the executive for key internal processes, such as performance reviews, and external engagements, such as conferences, speaking opportunities and client events.
Partner with the executive’s core team to maintain an effective operating cadence, including weekly planning, briefing preparation, follow-up tracking and visibility into upcoming decisions.
Use sound judgment and discretion to identify issues that require escalation, opportunities that should be elevated and requests that can be redirected or resolved through other channels.