Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO

Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust•Alexandria, VA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This highly trusted member of the Executive Office maximizes the effectiveness of the Chief Executive Officer and supports the efficient operation of the Bank’s executive leadership activities. The position manages the CEO’s calendar, correspondence, travel, meetings, Board interactions, and administrative priorities, and coordinates between the CEO and executive leadership, the Board of Directors, employees, customers, shareholders, community leaders, industry organizations, and other stakeholders. The role manages CEO priorities and commitments, prepares briefings and decision-support materials, coordinates executive leadership and Board activities, supports strategic and operational initiatives, and tracks decisions and follow-up actions. It requires sound executive judgment, discretion, organizational intelligence, business and financial acumen, strong communication and analytical skills, and advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 and appropriate productivity and AI tools. The position has no supervisory responsibilities, though it may coordinate administrative resources and cross-functional activities on behalf of the CEO. It operates in an office setting; telework is not available. Limited local travel may be required. For applicants located in Northern Virginia, the anticipated salary range is $125,000–$175,000 annually, with possible additional compensation such as bonuses or incentive pay where applicable.

Requirements

8–12+ years of progressively responsible experience supporting senior executives, preferably including several years supporting a CEO, President, Board, or other C-suite executive.
Exceptional judgment in determining which matters require the CEO’s attention, should be delegated, can wait, or represent a developing risk or opportunity.
Ability to handle sensitive Board, executive, personnel, strategic, financial, regulatory, customer, and other information with discretion.
Strong understanding of how decisions and information move through a complex organization and ability to navigate relationships without formal authority.
Business and financial acumen sufficient to prepare CEO briefings, identify issues, and distinguish important information from routine detail.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and ability to interact credibly with directors, senior executives, regulators, major customers, employees, and community leaders.
Strong research, analytical, and synthesis capabilities, including the ability to reduce substantial information to concise executive-level briefings.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, as well as modern productivity and AI tools appropriate for confidential executive-office work.
Ability to perform the stated physical demands, including manual dexterity, lifting files, opening cabinets, and bending, stooping, or standing as necessary.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree, particularly in business administration, finance, communications, organizational leadership, or a related discipline.
Several years of experience supporting a CEO, President, Board, or other C-suite executive.

Responsibilities

Strategically manage the CEO’s calendar and align the CEO’s time with the Bank’s priorities.
Anticipate scheduling conflicts, preparation requirements, travel considerations, and follow-up needs; prepare the CEO for significant meetings with agendas, background materials, participant information, and outstanding issues.
Maintain visibility into the CEO’s commitments, deadlines, decisions, and follow-up obligations; identify emerging issues and exercise judgment about what requires the CEO’s attention, delegation, or established organizational channels.
Track significant CEO priorities, initiatives, commitments, and deadlines; coordinate follow-up on strategic and operational initiatives at the CEO’s direction.
Prepare executive summaries, briefing materials, talking points, issue papers, and decision-support materials; research and synthesize information into actionable summaries.
Translate CEO discussions and decisions into documented next steps, owners, and completion dates; follow up with executive management on commitments and facilitate cross-functional coordination.
Assist the CEO in preparing for strategic planning sessions, management retreats, Board meetings, regulatory interactions, industry meetings, customer meetings, and community engagements.
Coordinate CEO-sponsored executive leadership meetings, including scheduling, agendas, materials, decisions, action items, and follow-up.
Coordinate senior-management retreats, planning sessions, and other executive events.
Serve as a primary administrative liaison between the CEO and Board members; coordinate CEO-related Board communications, meetings, schedules, materials, and follow-up.
Work with corporate governance personnel on Board and committee activities; assist with Board presentations, CEO reports, talking points, and supporting information; track and coordinate follow-up on CEO commitments from Board discussions.
Draft and edit correspondence, memoranda, presentations, speeches, talking points, and other CEO communications.
Coordinate communications involving directors, executives, employees, customers, shareholders, community organizations, banking associations, regulators, and other external stakeholders.
Maintain awareness of important relationships and outstanding follow-up commitments; ensure correspondence and requests directed to the CEO receive timely and appropriate attention.
Support meetings by establishing objectives, assembling agendas and briefing materials, identifying decisions or issues requiring CEO attention, coordinating preparation, documenting decisions when requested, tracking actions, and keeping the CEO informed of material unresolved matters.
Perform other duties as assigned.