Executive Assistant to the CEO

Sunward Federal Credit Union•Albuquerque, NM

About The Position

The Executive Assistant (EA) to the CEO is a high-trust, high-judgment role responsible for amplifying CEO effectiveness through proactive prioritization, executive preparation, meeting architecture, and disciplined follow-through. This role operates as an extension of the CEO’s capacity, optimizing time allocation, ensuring decision-ready preparation, and driving accountability on “what-who-by when” commitments. The EA maintains deep working context of Sunward’s strategic priorities, key initiatives, and stakeholder relationships to anticipate needs and reduce friction across the CEO’s operating cadence. The role also serves as the primary owner of CEO meeting operations, board logistics/portal readiness, and executive-office coordination, aligning with Sunward’s standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and values-based execution.

Requirements

5+ years of progressively responsible executive support experience, including direct CEO or C-suite support and board-facing work.
Demonstrated ability to operate with high discretion and sound judgment in sensitive environments.
Advanced proficiency in modern productivity and collaboration tools (calendar systems, document management, board portals, presentation tools).
Aligned to proactive strategic executive support, this role requires: Foresight and anticipation; initiative; autonomy
Critical thinking and complex problem solving
Advanced research, analysis, and briefing (ability to convert information into decision-ready synthesis)
High-trust communication: tact, diplomacy, negotiation, emotional intelligence, sound judgment
Confidentiality and discretion
Operational rigor: time management, workflow design, systems thinking, and high-detail execution quality
Governance fluency: board packet standards, minutes discipline, portal management, policy/version control

Nice To Haves

Experience in financial services/credit union governance environments; familiarity with exam/audit coordination norms.
Demonstrated experience creating executive briefings, decision memos, and meeting operating systems (W3, action logs, decision registers).

Responsibilities

CEO Time Strategy, Gatekeeping, and Prioritization
Own CEO calendar as a strategic asset: allocate time to highest-value decisions, protect strategy blocks, and build realistic transition/prep time.
Apply judgment on inbound requests: recommend accept/decline/delegate/async-summary based on CEO priorities and enterprise impact (not “first-come, first-served”).
Run weekly schedule reviews with CEO; proactively rebalance to protect margin time and decision quality.
Enforce meeting standards (agenda for meetings longer than 15 minutes; clear outcomes, owners, and decision points).
Meeting Management, Decision-Ready Preparation, and Follow-Through
Own meeting operations for every meeting the CEO attends, regardless of scheduler, including readiness, materials, and precision in execution.
Build CEO briefing packets for key meetings: objectives, stakeholder context, relevant background, anticipated decision points, risks, and recommended posture.
Create and protect pre-meeting preparation time on the calendar and ensure materials are delivered in advance.
Run post-meeting accountability using W3 (“What–Who–By When”): capture actions, distribute within defined timelines, and follow up to completion.
Board & Governance Operations
Ensure board/committee materials are board-ready and delivered at least one week prior, including active follow-up with executives/stakeholders for outstanding content.
Maintain governance policies and documentation discipline: review cadence, version control, and reference integrity.
Own board portal operations: technology owner, packet consolidation, and volunteer viewability standards.
Capture board/committee follow-ups, assign appropriately, and ensure closure.
Minutes discipline finalize board minutes within three business days and committee minutes within two business days.
Organizational Context, Intelligence, and Executive Office Coordination
Maintain a working understanding of Sunward’s priorities, key initiatives, and stakeholder relationships to anticipate CEO information needs, especially ahead of decision cycles.
Serve as an informed liaison between the CEO office and Executives, ensuring requests are framed with context, deadlines, and clear expectations, consistent with professionalism standards.
Provide visibility to the CEO on organizational/ELT deliverables, risks, and decline; escalate patterns.
Support executive office systems and tools that increase leverage (templates, standard work, and process improvements).
Travel, External Commitments, and Executive Presence Support
Operate CEO travel as a managed workflow: travel blocks, logistics, itinerary distribution, space needs while traveling, and pre-travel prep time.
Maintain discipline on external board/organization commitments: ensure calendar accuracy, communicate travel 4+ weeks out, and support CEO routines.
Identify and coordinate appropriate CEO recognition moments (internal and external) per CEO Office expectations.