Executive Assistant, Design Leadership / Contract / Hybrid / Irvine, CA

Our client, a leader in electric vehicle technology , is hiring for a contract Senior Executive Assistant, Leadership Administrative Partner. This is an onsite position with occasional remote work and based in Irvine, California.

This role will perform key executive assistant duties to support Design Studio Leaders including their Chief Design Officer as well as senior directors of design.

You will be the “heartbeat of the studio”, serving as a critical hub for operations and communication. This role requires responding to urgent tasks and ensuring the CDO is kept informed of daily, weekly, and monthly changes. You will thrive in a fast-paced, upbeat environment with a fun organization and coworkers. While the CDO has an operational team to prioritize his schedule on a weekly basis, this role will focus on monitoring and adjusting his schedule to accommodate everyday changes as needed.

This team is constantly moving and requires a great deal of support and collaboration from the support team. An ideal candidate will have worked in a fast-paced environment, is proactive and stays 3 steps ahead, can problem solve in the moment, pivot, take action and move things.

Start-up experience is beneficial, experience working with very direct communication, and is thick skinned. Highly organized and communicative. Experience with cross functional collaboration.

Contract Duration: 8 Months with Potential to Extend

Hours: M-F, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM PST

Estimated Start Date: August 31st

Core Responsibilities & Studio Environment:

• Communication Gateway: Keeping design leaders and Operations Team in contact.
• Urgent Response: Responding to urgent tasks and keeping everyone looped into changes.
• Studio Culture: Fun, upbeat environment with fun coworkers.
• Required Attitude: Resilient professional with strong cross-functional communication skills and a proactive approach to navigating ambiguous or fast-paced environments.
• Hours: Standard schedule + available for urgent items when needed.
• Travel/WFH: Travel is not required.

Calendar & Scheduling Management: Provide Full Calendar Support.

• Gatekeeper: Leaders will only come to you for scheduling meetings with CDO, whose schedule is back-to-back.
• Priority Alignment: Work with four Operations support staff to align on priority meetings each week, presenting them to Jeff together on Tuesdays.
• Schedule Adjustment: Role is to shift and adjust CDOs schedule as needed for urgent cross-functional meetings and to keep up with CEO meetings that shift.
• Categorization: Labels will be created on Gmail Calendar for Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly meetings, plus recurring CEO meetings, to help you schedule properly.
• Proactive Management: communicate when meetings are running long or to get CDO to his next meeting when running late.

Administrative & Inbox Support

• Travel Arrangements: Update flights if things shift and arrange any travel needs to other locations.
• Design Agendas: Update Excel Agendas for recurring Design Reviews by adding agendas the day before the review so attendees can review beforehand.
• Minimal Note Taking: Take Notes at Weekly Leader Staff meeting and Monthly Full Leader Staff Meeting, brief notes and will have a Deck to work off of that is already set up, send notes to Leaders for recap after meeting
• Contact Coordination: work with Travel, Events, Catering, Office of the CEO, Facilities