Executive Assistant

ABOUT KARDION

Kardion is a cardiovascular medical device company developing next-generation mechanical circulatory support technology, with dual headquarters in Irvine, California and Stuttgart, Germany. Every moment matters. Our team is building toward a future where circulatory support gives patients and clinicians more time, more options, and more certainty.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Assistant supports Kardion's Executive Leadership Team as we prepare for FDA approval and U.S. launch of our heart pump system. You will manage calendars and meetings, build polished presentations, plan leadership meetings, offsites, and events, and track projects and action items so our leaders can stay focused on the business. This role suits someone who is organized, works well without direction, balances requests from several leaders with ease, and takes pride in clear, professional work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage calendars and scheduling for the CEO and executive team across U.S. and German time zones, including early-morning calls with our Stuttgart team.
• Act as the team's shared point of contact for scheduling and meeting logistics, balance competing requests fairly, and take conflicts to the CEO.
• Protect time for leaders' most important work, and prepare agendas and materials ahead of meetings.
• Build, format, and proofread PowerPoint presentations for the CEO and executive team, turning rough notes and data into clear, polished slides.
• Coordinate executive team meetings, monthly reviews, quarterly planning sessions, and offsites: schedule them, draft agendas for the CEO's review, gather materials from presenters, take notes, and track action items to completion.
• Plan all-hands meetings and leadership events from start to finish, including offsites and leadership dinners: venues, vendors, budgets, invitations, and day-of logistics.
• Support projects for the CEO and executive team by tracking deliverables, deadlines, and status, and keeping people on schedule.
• Schedule investor, partner, and visitor meetings, and coordinate guest visits to the Irvine office.
• Arrange domestic and international travel for the executive team and process expenses accurately and on time.
• Route documents for signature for Kardion, Inc. and Kardion GmbH with Finance and Legal.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 7+ years of executive assistant experience, including supporting a CEO or other C-suite executive and supporting several executives at once.
• Advanced PowerPoint skills and a strong eye for clear, well-designed slides.
• Excellent calendar management and prioritization skills, including across time zones.
• Sound judgment about what to handle and what to escalate, and comfort pushing back politely on senior leaders.
• Experience planning meetings and events from start to finish, including venues, vendors, and budgets.
• Strong project coordination skills; able to track many moving pieces and follow through.
• Clear, professional written communication.
• Proven discretion with confidential information.
• Advanced Microsoft 365 skills (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel); experience with DocuSign and expense tools.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced startup with changing priorities.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent experience.

Preferred

• Medical device, life sciences, or healthcare experience.
• Venture- or private equity-backed company experience.
• German language skills or experience working with European teams.

ENVIRONMENT

• Office: On-site in Irvine, CA.
• Hours: This is a non-exempt role with overtime paid as required by California law. Expect occasional early-morning calls with Germany and after-hours needs.
• Travel: Occasional, including Stuttgart, Germany when needed.

PHYSICAL AND LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Physical abilities: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear for up to 8 hours per day. The employee regularly lifts and carries up to 10 pounds and occasionally up to 20 pounds. Duties involve daily keyboard and computer use and require close vision. These demands are representative of those needed to perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Language abilities: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with colleagues in the US and Germany.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary range for this role is 125,000-145,000. Final pay depends on job-related skills, experience, and location. This role may be eligible for equity and an annual incentive bonus, plus Kardion's benefits package.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Kardion is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Kardion will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.