Executive Assistant

Pavago·Workable
South AfricaPosted Jul 9, 2026
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Executive Assistant (Executive Operations & Principal Support) – Remote

Executive Support | Executive Operations | Calendar Management | AI-First Workflows | Operations Coordination

Position Type: Full-Time, Remote
Working Hours: U.S. Business Hours

About the Role

At Pavago, we’re hiring on behalf of one of our clients for an Executive Assistant to serve as the trusted right hand to a Principal overseeing a diverse portfolio of businesses, investments, and personal commitments.

This is not a traditional Executive Assistant role. It’s a high-trust, high-autonomy position where you’ll operate as the operational hub between the Principal, executives, advisors, attorneys, partners, and key stakeholders.

You’ll protect the Principal’s time, manage critical communications, coordinate priorities, and ensure that both business and personal operations run seamlessly. Success in this role requires exceptional judgment, discretion, ownership, and the ability to anticipate needs before they arise.

If you’re proactive, highly organized, and thrive supporting senior executives in fast-paced environments, this role is built for you.

What You’ll Own

Executive Calendar & Time Management

  • Own the Principal’s calendar across multiple time zones.
  • Prioritize meetings, strategic work blocks, and personal commitments.
  • Protect executive time by filtering low-value meetings and recommending alternatives.
  • Coordinate meeting logistics and ensure schedules remain optimized.
  • Prepare agendas, briefing materials, and meeting context in advance.

Inbox & Executive Communications

  • Manage the Principal’s inbox and daily communications.
  • Prioritize incoming messages and respond on the Principal’s behalf when appropriate.
  • Draft professional, executive-level correspondence that reflects the Principal’s communication style.
  • Track open conversations and ensure no important communication goes unanswered.
  • Maintain a target of responding to external emails within 24 hours.

Executive Operations & Cross-Functional Coordination

  • Serve as the primary coordination point between the Principal and:
    • Leadership teams
    • Attorneys
    • Advisors
    • Investors
    • Business partners
  • Translate discussions into actionable tasks and follow-up plans.
  • Coordinate meetings, agendas, action items, and executive communications.
  • Ensure decisions are communicated and executed efficiently across teams.

Personal & Lifestyle Management

  • Coordinate domestic and international travel, including itineraries, accommodations, transportation, and contingency planning.
  • Manage personal appointments, events, and family logistics.
  • Coordinate vendors, residences, reservations, and special events.
  • Ensure personal commitments are handled proactively without requiring Principal involvement.

Task Management & Executive Follow-Through

  • Track every commitment made by and to the Principal.
  • Maintain centralized task management systems using tools such as:
    • Notion
    • ClickUp
    • Asana
  • Monitor deadlines, deliverables, and dependencies.
  • Provide weekly executive summaries highlighting:
    • Completed tasks
    • Outstanding priorities
    • Pending decisions
    • Upcoming commitments

Research, AI & Process Improvement

  • Prepare executive briefings for meetings, travel, and strategic initiatives.
  • Conduct research on companies, investment opportunities, vendors, and business topics.
  • Leverage AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent platforms for:
    • Research
    • Summarization
    • Drafting
    • SOP creation
    • Workflow automation
  • Continuously improve operational systems, documentation, and executive workflows.

Requirements

Must-Have Qualifications

Experience

  • 3–7 years of experience as an:
    • Executive Assistant
    • Chief of Staff
    • Executive Operations Specialist
    • Operations Manager
    • Executive Business Partner
  • Proven experience supporting founders, executives, or high-level principals.

Core Skills

  • Exceptional written and verbal English communication skills.
  • Strong executive-level writing and correspondence abilities.
  • Advanced proficiency with:
    • Google Workspace
    • Notion
    • ClickUp
    • Asana
    • Microsoft Office
  • Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities with speed and precision.

Non-Negotiable Requirements

  • Exceptional discretion and confidentiality.
  • Strong ownership mindset with proactive execution.
  • Experience managing complex executive calendars and inboxes.
  • Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Daily use of AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent to improve productivity and workflows.

Nice to Have

  • Experience supporting executives in:
    • Family Offices
    • Financial Services
    • Real Estate
    • Investment Firms
    • Luxury Businesses
  • Exposure to legal, financial, or investment-related operations.
  • Experience designing SOPs, operational frameworks, or internal systems.

What Makes You a Strong Fit

  • Highly organized and exceptionally detail-oriented.
  • Calm under pressure with excellent judgment.
  • Naturally proactive and solutions-focused.
  • Strong communicator who represents executives professionally.
  • Comfortable balancing business and personal executive support.
  • Passionate about improving systems and operational efficiency.
  • Maintains the highest level of confidentiality and professionalism.

What a Typical Day Looks Like

  • Review and prioritize the Principal’s inbox and calendar.
  • Coordinate executive meetings and prepare briefing materials.
  • Draft communications and manage follow-ups.
  • Track action items and ensure deadlines are met.
  • Coordinate travel, appointments, and personal logistics.
  • Conduct research and prepare executive summaries.
  • Improve workflows and leverage AI tools to streamline daily operations.

In short: You protect the Principal’s time, ensure flawless execution across business and personal priorities, and serve as the operational backbone that keeps everything running smoothly.

Key Metrics for Success (KPIs)

  • All external emails responded to within 24 hours.
  • 100% of executive commitments tracked and completed on time.
  • Principal fully prepared for every meeting and engagement.
  • Accurate execution of travel, scheduling, and personal logistics.
  • Strong cross-functional coordination and follow-through.
  • Continuous improvement of executive systems and workflows.

Why Join Us?

  • High-trust role with direct access to executive leadership.
  • Opportunity to become a true strategic partner to the Principal.
  • Significant ownership across executive operations and decision support.
  • AI-first work environment focused on operational excellence.
  • Fully remote position with long-term career growth.
  • Clear advancement opportunities into:
    • Chief of Staff
    • Executive Operations Lead
    • Director of Operations
    • Business Operations Manager

Interview Process

  1. Application Review
  2. Spark Hire Intro Video (3–5 minutes)
  3. Recruiter Interview
  4. Final Interview with the Principal
  5. Offer & Onboarding

What Happens After You Apply

Right after you apply, you’ll receive an email invitation from Spark Hire to record your Intro Video. This short, self-recorded video is the final step that completes your application and can be recorded whenever it’s convenient for you.

Instead of repeating yourself across multiple screening calls, you’ll introduce yourself once, and your video will be shared with the hiring team. This helps hiring managers evaluate your communication style early, making future interviews more meaningful and reducing unnecessary interview rounds.

Don’t overthink it—you can record your video as many times as you’d like before submitting it. Only your final submission will be reviewed.

Please keep an eye on both your inbox and spam folder for your Spark Hire invitation after submitting your application.

Apply Now

If you’re an exceptional Executive Assistant who thrives in high-trust environments, anticipates needs before they arise, and enjoys serving as the operational force behind executive success, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today and become an indispensable partner to a high-performing Principal.

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