What does a senior executive assistant do?
A senior executive assistant is responsible for handling the administrative tasks of the company on behalf of the executive management, ensuring smooth business operations to support clients' needs and customers' demands. Senior executive assistants manage executive appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, sort documents, monitor business transactions, and coordinate with other employees to distribute internal communications. They also assist in scheduling press releases, media inquiries, and updating social media platforms. A senior executive assistant must be highly communicative and organizational to perform duties under strict deadlines and minimal supervision.
Senior executive assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior executive assistant resumes:
- Manage processes to nominate and elect board candidates at the annual meeting, and provide administrative support to CEO and CMO.
- Manage the SVP's calendar and independently scheduling/rescheduling meetings.
- Manage all administrative responsibilities of CMO including confidential materials and business communications with all levels of management.
- Update staff Medicare, medical, and personal records.
- Maintain and organize divisional SVP calendar and travel arrangements.
- Initiate administrative actions to quickly and effectively resolve finance and payroll challenges.
- Coordinate and execute SharePoint projects with engineers to including overseeing execution of SharePoint sites.
- Coordinate and execute all monetary deposits and payroll transfers for entire internal medicine clinic.
- Analyze SharePoint capabilities to introduce ideas for a company-wide communication and process improvement Intranet site.
- Research, prepare, and develop PowerPoint presentations and collateral sales materials for senior executives and sales representatives.
- Produce sales and cement company innovative reputation by developing PowerPoint customer presentations, board meeting presentations and customer product demos.
- Verify patient eligibility and confirm terms of insurance coverage and monitor appropriate handling of confidential files for patients and associates.
- Prepare monthly organizational charts for Sr. Management.
- Utilize QuickBooks for accounting and proper invoicing.
- Issue RFP packages, assemble bid analyses, and prepare letters of approval.
Senior executive assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Senior Executive Assistants are proficient in PowerPoint, Customer Service, and Work Ethic. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Executive Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- PowerPoint, 12%
Worked closely with Business Development team; coordinated all logistics, marketing materials and PowerPoint presentations for new business pitches.
- Customer Service, 5%
Reviewed administration procedures and made necessary changes directly resulting in increased customer service skills and professionalism in subordinates.
- Work Ethic, 5%
Received multiple letters from clients expressing their gratitude for my excellent work ethic, friendliness and professionalism.
- Administrative Tasks, 4%
Performed all administrative tasks including heavy calendar management, processed invoices for payment and prepared monthly travel/entertainment expense reports using Concur.
- SR, 4%
Interfaced extensively in the Rochester community with Monroe County leaders, area politicians and Sr. Level business executives
- Conference Calls, 4%
Provided efficient, professional and confidential day-to-day office operations and scheduling, including meetings, conference calls, and travel coordination.
"powerpoint," "customer service," and "work ethic" are among the most common skills that senior executive assistants use at work. You can find even more senior executive assistant responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior executive assistant to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Senior executive assistants often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "required excellent interpersonal and communication skills, ability to think strategically. "
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior executive assistant duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." According to a senior executive assistant resume, here's how senior executive assistants can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "contributed to organizational success through proper organization and securing of travel arrangements, meeting planning and scheduling appointments. "
Writing skills. senior executive assistants are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to senior executive assistant responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." A senior executive assistant resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "demonstrate good customer service/communicate effectively orally and in writing. "
The three companies that hire the most senior executive assistants are:
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Compare different senior executive assistants
Senior executive assistant vs. Executive coordinator
An executive coordinator is responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks for senior management to support business functions and operations. Executive coordinators act as a liaison between team members and the executives, sharing the employees' concerns and addressing their inquiries. They prepare company reports, monitor business and financial transactions, schedule appointments, and suggest project management procedures. An executive coordinator must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling data process systems and ensuring that the information and company details on the database are accurate.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior executive assistants and executive coordinator. For instance, senior executive assistant responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "sr." Whereas a executive coordinator is skilled in "expense reports," "proofreading," "payroll," and "facebook." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Executive coordinators earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $66,092. On the other hand, senior executive assistants are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $96,683.On average, executive coordinators reach similar levels of education than senior executive assistants. Executive coordinators are 3.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior executive assistant vs. Assistant executive director
An Assistant Executive Director helps the director in planning and monitoring the progress of the department. They ensure compliance with regulations and internal policies, participate in budgeting and monitoring expenses, and create reports and submit them to the director.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior executive assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "powerpoint," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "administrative tasks." Meanwhile, an assistant executive director has duties that require skills in areas such as "healthcare," "oversight," "nursing home," and "state regulations." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Assistant executive directors earn higher levels of education than senior executive assistants in general. They're 13.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior executive assistant vs. Executive assistant to chief executive officer
The primary role of executive assistants to the chief executive officer (CEO) is to provide support to the CEO. They serve as the first point of connection for both external and internal constituencies on all affairs related to the CEO. They also serve as a liaison to senior management teams and board of directors. They have varied roles and responsibilities, which include planning and coordinating the CEO's schedule, communicating directly with board members, foundation and others, and completing important aspects of deliverables.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior executive assistant resumes include skills like "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "sr," whereas an executive assistant to chief executive officer is more likely to list skills in "payroll," "google suite," "confidential nature," and "facebook. "
Executive assistant to chief executive officers make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $92,158. On the other hand, senior executive assistants are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $96,683.executive assistant to chief executive officers typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior executive assistants. Specifically, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior executive assistant vs. Assistant to executive vice president
Assistants to executive vice presidents are responsible for managing the day to day operation and administrative activities of the executive vice presidents. They have varied roles and responsibilities, which include organizing the workflow of the executive vice president, preparing for meetings, and monitoring schedule. They are also expected to respond to the electronic mail as per the VP's request, prepare papers and documents, and handle all aspects of the VP's vacation and travel. This position is essential in helping the VP manage and prioritize competing demands for attention and time.
Updated January 8, 2025
