Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO - Reston, VA

VetJobs • Reston, VA

11d • $86,800 - $135,625 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Executive Assistant serves as a strategic partner and central coordinator for the Office of the CEO, supporting both the CEO and the SVP, General Counsel & Ethics Officer. The role is the primary liaison among the CEO, Board of Trustees, executive leadership team, and key external stakeholders, and requires anticipation, operational excellence, professionalism, and discretion.

The position supports Board of Trustees and standing committee activities, including preparing meeting materials and coordinating logistics, governance protocols, and follow-up. It manages complex domestic and international travel; prepares briefing materials for public and media engagements; coordinates with communications, marketing, and government relations teams; and manages expenses and vendor relationships for both principals.

The role establishes the executive leadership team's operating rhythm, plans executive offsites, optimizes the CEO's schedule, promotes preparation standards, and coordinates scheduling across the executive team. It also provides indirect oversight, mentorship, and coordination across executive assistants organization-wide, serving as an escalation point for complex scheduling, events, and cross-functional coordination. The role is on-site in Reston, Virginia, and requires travel as needed and the ability to lift up to 30 pounds.

Requirements

• US citizenship is required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• 10 years of progressive experience supporting C-suite executives, including at least 5 years directly supporting a CEO or President.
• Bachelor's degree or additional experience in lieu of a degree.
• Direct experience engaging with a Board of Directors or Trustees, including preparing board materials and coordinating governance.
• Expert-level, hands-on daily proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency with virtual meeting platforms, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
• Working experience using AI tools for executive summaries, presentations, research, meeting notes, prioritization, and planning.
• Extensive experience managing complex domestic and international travel, including multi-country itineraries, visa coordination, information security, and contingency planning.
• Experience managing executive meeting cadences, capturing minutes and action items, and driving follow-up to completion.
• Ability to navigate competing priorities with composure and precision and anticipate outcomes and impacts by assessing circumstances and conflicts.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including the ability to draft executive-level correspondence, presentations, and briefing documents.
• Track record of planning and executing executive offsites, Board-level engagements, and high-profile events.
• Ability to travel as required.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Absolute discretion, sound judgment, and integrity when handling sensitive information.
• Ability to influence without authority, build trust across organizational levels, and foster collaboration.
• Emotional intelligence to navigate interpersonal dynamics, de-escalate tension, and maintain productive relationships.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with relational or NoSQL databases, including schema design, data modeling, and query optimization.
• Understanding of software testing methodologies, including unit, integration, and automated testing.
• Experience across the full software development life cycle, from requirements analysis and design through implementation, deployment, and maintenance.
• Proficiency with Git-based version control systems, including branching strategies, pull request workflows, and code review practices.
• Ability to manage and contribute to multiple concurrent projects while maintaining high-quality deliverables and prioritizing competing requirements.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and other containerization and orchestration technologies.
• Experience deploying, configuring, and maintaining applications in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Knowledge of Python web frameworks such as FastAPI and Flask for RESTful APIs, microservices, and backend solutions.
• Ability and willingness to work across the technology stack and learn new technologies as project needs evolve.
• Experience in Agile development environments, including sprint planning, daily standups, backlog refinement, and iterative delivery.
• Proficiency in Python 3, including modern language features, type hinting, and package management best practices.
• Top Secret clearance is highly desired.
• Experience in a mission-driven organization, government contracting, professional services, or technology environment.
• Familiarity with government contracting, governance best practices, and board management platforms.
• Project management certification or equivalent experience, such as PMP or CAPM.
• Experience coordinating across multiple executive assistants or leading an administrative team.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Polished, articulate communication; independent judgment; ability to facilitate senior-level discussions and represent CEO priorities; professional bearing; and emotional intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Maintain direct engagement with Trustees and their offices; prepare materials, presentations, briefings, and agendas for at least three formal Board meetings annually in coordination with the SVP/General Counsel and CEO.
• Manage Board meeting logistics, including travel, catering, hospitality, venue, and technology.
• Distribute pre-read materials on time and drive follow-up on meeting action items and resolutions to completion.
• Support standing committee meetings and ensure alignment with governance protocols.
• Plan complex domestic and international travel, including multi-city itineraries, visa and passport coordination, and contingency planning.
• Develop talking points, background research, and briefing materials for keynotes, panels, media engagements, and announcements.
• Coordinate messaging and logistics with communications, marketing, and government relations teams.
• Maintain a forward-looking calendar of industry events and partnership opportunities.
• Manage expense reports and vendor relationships for the CEO and SVP, General Counsel & Ethics Officer.
• Establish and maintain the executive leadership team's operational rhythm, including recurring meetings, strategic planning, and quarterly reviews.
• Develop agendas, prepare materials, capture minutes and action items, and drive structured follow-up to completion.
• Plan and execute executive offsites, including venue, agenda design, facilitator coordination, and logistics.
• Ensure the CEO's time is allocated to high-impact activities and escalate stalled items as appropriate.
• Enforce preparation standards for those seeking the CEO's time and guide leaders in preparing requests with adequate context and detail.
• Provide indirect oversight, mentorship, and coordination across executive assistants organization-wide.
• Coordinate schedules across the executive team, resolve conflicts, and optimize collective bandwidth.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex scheduling, event planning, and cross-functional coordination.
• Represent the CEO and organization professionally with board members, clients, partners, candidates, employees, and external stakeholders.
• Exercise discretion and sound judgment when acting, escalating, or deferring; build trust and foster collaboration across organizational levels.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior