Executive Assistant to the CEO
8 days ago
Albuquerque
Job Description MJK Connections is partnering with Sunward Federal Credit Union on this brand new position! The Executive Assistant (EA) to the CEO is a high-trust, high-judgment role responsible for amplifying CEO effectiveness through proactive prioritization, executive preparation, meeting architecture, and disciplined follow-through. This role operates as an extension of the CEO's capacity, optimizing time allocation, ensuring decision-ready preparation, and driving accountability on what-who-by when commitments. The EA maintains deep working context of Sunward's strategic priorities, key initiatives, and stakeholder relationships to anticipate needs and reduce friction across the CEO's operating cadence. The role also serves as the primary owner of CEO meeting operations, board logistics/portal readiness, and executive-office coordination, aligning with Sunward's standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and values-based execution. Core Responsibilities CEO Time Strategy, Gatekeeping, and Prioritization • Own CEO calendar as a strategic asset: allocate time to highest-value decisions, protect strategy blocks, and build realistic transition/prep time., • Apply judgment on inbound requests: recommend accept/decline/delegate/async-summary based on CEO priorities and enterprise impact (not first-come, first-served)., • Run weekly schedule reviews with CEO; proactively rebalance to protect margin time and decision quality. Meeting Management, Decision-Ready Preparation, and Follow-Through • Own meeting operations for every meeting the CEO attends, regardless of scheduler, including readiness, materials, and precision in execution., • Build CEO briefing packets for key meetings: objectives, stakeholder context, relevant background, anticipated decision points, risks, and recommended posture., • Create and protect pre-meeting preparation time on the calendar and ensure materials are delivered in advance. Board & Governance Operations • Ensure board/committee materials are board-ready and delivered at least one week prior, including active follow-up with executives/stakeholders for outstanding content., • Maintain governance policies and documentation discipline: review cadence, version control, and reference integrity., • Own board portal operations: technology owner, packet consolidation, and volunteer viewability standards., • Capture board/committee follow-ups, assign appropriately, and ensure closure. Organizational Context, Intelligence, and Executive Office Coordination • Maintain a working understanding of Sunward's priorities, key initiatives, and stakeholder relationships to anticipate CEO information needs, especially ahead of decision cycles., • Serve as an informed liaison between the CEO office and Executives, ensuring requests are framed with context, deadlines, and clear expectations, consistent with professionalism standards., • Provide visibility to the CEO on organizational/ELT deliverables, risks, and decline; escalate patterns. Travel, External Commitments, and Executive Presence Support • Operate CEO travel as a managed workflow: travel blocks, logistics, itinerary distribution, space needs while traveling, and pre-travel prep time., • Maintain discipline on external board/organization commitments: ensure calendar accuracy, communicate travel 4+ weeks out, and support CEO routines. Requirements Required Competencies and Skills Aligned to proactive strategic executive support, this role requires: • Foresight and anticipation; initiative; autonomy, • Critical thinking and complex problem solving, • Advanced research, analysis, and briefing (ability to convert information into decision-ready synthesis), • High-trust communication: tact, diplomacy, negotiation, emotional intelligence, sound judgment, • Confidentiality and discretion, • Operational rigor: time management, workflow design, systems thinking, and high-detail execution quality Metrics should be tracked monthly/quarterly and reviewed with the CEO. CEO Time & Calendar Effectiveness • % of CEO week aligned to top priorities (target set with CEO), • Protected strategic thinking blocks achieved vs. planned, • Briefing packets delivered within agreed lead time (e.g., 24–72 hours depending on meeting tier), • W3 distribution timeliness (e.g., within 24 hours for key meetings), • Board/committee materials posted one week prior (on-time rate), • Minutes finalized within required timelines, • CEO satisfaction with readiness and decision-quality preparation, • Board/volunteer satisfaction with responsiveness and packet quality (qualitative + periodic survey)