Sr Executive Assistant

Principal Financial Group•Des Moines, IA

1d•$35 - $48•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr Executive Assistant supports the EVP, General Counsel, and Secretary, who is a member of Principal Financial Group’s Executive Management Group (EMG). This role requires the highest level of confidentiality and influence, supporting complex scheduling and materials for individuals with significant scope of influence. The assistant will support the enterprise's highest priority work within their administrative capacity, assisting in facilitating enterprise priorities through communication and collaboration with key partners. This role functions as an administrative strategic partner and an extension of the executive, proactively optimizing executive time, decision flow, and stakeholder engagement in alignment with enterprise priorities. The focus is on the organization’s highest-level business, industry, and community priorities.

Requirements

8+ years of related experience or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, or education.
Understanding of company and department policies/procedures, business vocabulary and well networked, or the industry the EMG member oversees.
Position requires tact, excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish trust and rapport easily across all channels.
Must be able to build and maintain relationships with high-profile and diverse groups.
Must have the ability to influence and negotiate.
Discretion and good judgement required to resolve problems and make recommendations for solutions and actions.
Must be self-directed, have highly developed communication and able to adjust to audience, planning, time management, and organizational skills, and thrive in ambiguity and fast pace/fluid environment.
Commitment to excellence and service focused – perform at the highest level possible on a consistent basis and dedicated to meet the expectations of EMG.
Strong sense of commitment and ability to manage highly sensitive/confidential information required.
Some travel, including overnight stays, may be required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Negotiate scheduling and meeting priorities with internal and external stakeholders.
Draft agendas and collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure alignment to meeting outcomes, related emails, prior meeting highlights, action items, and discussions.
Identify presenters and attendees and seek and distribute related materials.
Prioritize tasks and resolve conflicts independently, minimizing executive involvement.
Anticipate executive needs by understanding priorities, decision-making style, and risk tolerance.
Proactively identify and mitigate potential conflicts related to time, sequencing, optics, or stakeholders.
Manage complex, global scheduling across multiple time zones and stakeholders.
Enable timely and high-quality executive decision-making by ensuring readiness of context, materials, and participants.
Support interactions with the Board of Directors, investors, external partners, and global leadership.
Coordinate board-related preparation and logistics.
Intentionally structure and protect executive focus time.
Ensure the calendar reflects strategic and enterprise priorities.
Serve as a gatekeeper and control point for executive access, balancing availability with impact and effectiveness.
Represent the executive with professionalism in communications and interactions.
Act as liaison to EMG peers and senior leaders.
Apply sound judgment to maintain trust, credibility, and strong relationships across the organization.
Facilitate and attend meetings or events as needed.
May be involved in business-value driven department or enterprise-wide projects of a complex nature tied to strategy and business plans.
Lead or support special projects when required.
Collaborate closely with peer administrative teams to ensure seamless information flow and issue resolution.