Executive Secretary (French Speaking)

Executive Secretary (French Speaking) job vacancy in Somerset West.

A renowned international Engineering company is looking for an Executive Secretary to join their team on a full-time permanent basis in the Helderberg Area.

Salary: R55 000 per month.

Job Purpose:

Provides confidential, proactive coordination and administrative support to the CEO, facilitating strategic priorities, international stakeholder engagements and Board-related activities in support of the CEO and Company Secretary.

Requirements:

• Advanced Diploma/bachelor’s degree in business administration, Corporate Governance, Law, Commerce or related field.
• Experience providing executive-level support, preferably to a CEO, Managing Director, ExCo member, Board, or Governance Support role.
• Demonstrated experience working in a highly confidential, fast-paced corporate environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex executive diaries, international travel, senior-level meetings, and confidential correspondence.
• Experience engaging with Board members, customers, suppliers, investors, industry organisations, and senior external stakeholders.
• Experience working across multiple countries, cultures, and time zones.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Excellent written and verbal business communication skills in English.
• Working knowledge of an additional European or international business language, preferably French.
• Demonstrated experience preparing executive correspondence, briefing packs, presentations, agendas, meeting documentation, and action trackers.
• Exposure to Board and committee administration, corporate governance processes, and confidential Board documentation.
• Experience coordinating executive participation in international conferences, exhibitions, customer visits, or industry forums.
• Familiarity with document management, customer relationship management, Board portal, travel management, or workflow systems.

Recommendations:

• Experience working in an international technology, engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, or similarly complex business environment.
• Exposure to Board portals, governance, CRM, travel or workflow systems.
• Working knowledge of an additional European or international business language, preferably French.

Special requirements:

• Valid passport and willingness to travel domestically or internationally when required.
• Ability to work on-site in Somerset West and provide flexibility aligned to executive and international business demands.
• Strict adherence to confidentiality, information security, and delegated authority requirements..

Position Responsibilities:

• Executive support and office coordination
• Manage the CEO’s office, diary, priorities, correspondence, travel, meetings, and follow-up activities.
• Screen requests, anticipate requirements and conflicts, and elevate urgent or strategically important matters.
• Handle confidential, commercially sensitive, governance-related, and personal information with discretion.
• Diary and meeting management
• Manage the CEO’s complex international diary across countries, stakeholder groups, and time zones.
• Coordinate executive, customer, supplier, investor, industry, and Board-related meetings, resolving scheduling conflicts proactively.
• Confirm meeting objectives and logistics and prepare agendas, briefing packs, presentations, and supporting documentation.
• Executive liaison and action coordination
• Serve as the administrative liaison between the CEO, Executive Committee, regional leaders, and functional teams.
• Coordinate information, approvals, reports, presentations, and decisions, communicating CEO instructions accurately.
• Record and track actions, responsibilities, deadlines, and dependencies, escalating overdue or highrisk matters.
• External stakeholder engagement
• Coordinate the CEO’s engagements with customers, suppliers, partners, investors, industry organisations, government representatives, and other key stakeholders.
• Manage the administrative arrangements for external meetings, visits, conferences, exhibitions, and stakeholder events.
• Prepare stakeholder briefings, record commitments, and refer follow-up actions to the appropriate internal owners.
• Board and governance administration support.
• Support the CEO and Company Secretary with Board and committee scheduling, liaison, logistics, documentation, and briefing arrangements.
• Coordinate Board submissions and deadlines, arrange Board-related engagements, and track CEO owned actions.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and refer statutory, legal, governance, minute-taking, filing, and resolution matters to the Company Secretary or authorised specialist.
• International travel and event coordination
• Plan and coordinate the CEO’s domestic and international travel, including transport, accommodation, meetings, access, and contingency arrangements with the Travel Coordinator.
• Arrange visas, invitation letters, itineraries, travel documentation, and related requirements through authorised channels.
• Liaise with international stakeholders and manage the CEO’s participation in conferences, exhibitions, panels, industry forums, and networking events.
• Executive communication and document management
• Draft professional executive correspondence, invitations, meeting confirmations, introductions, acknowledgements, and follow-up communication.
• Adapt communication for different audiences and coordinate responses requiring input from multiple internal contributors.
• Maintain secure, organised records and apply confidentiality, access control, version control, data protection, and records-management requirements.
• Internal coordination and continuous improvement
• Maintain an overview of the CEO’s strategic priorities, commitments, decisions, risks, and key deadlines.
• Coordinate internal communication and information flow across departments to support alignment and timely access to authorised documents.
• Improve systems, templates, and processes to support an efficient, responsive, and internationally professional CEO office.

Applying for Position:

• Only open to South African citizens.