Executive Assistant, VP, Procurement (Hybrid)

Contingent Worker Organization Administrative Assistant

This is a hybrid role with two days per week at Cisco's San Jose office.

This is a highly visible role in the Contingent Worker Organization (C-Worker), which is a function of the Global Procurement Services. Global Procurement Services provides expertise and digital platforms that allow Cisco employees to buy the goods and services needed to operate the company. C-Worker manages our global labor strategic partnerships and provides the operations and oversight to deliver exceptional value, quality, and experiences at every touch point while also keeping the company protected.

Your Impact

In this role, you will support a VP and Senior Director, performing a wide variety of advanced, diversified and confidential administrative duties requiring broad and comprehensive experience, skill, and knowledge of organization policies and procedures. Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including both internally within Cisco and externally with customers and partners. Manage calendars, organize and plan meetings, including putting together agendas, securing the location, and confirming all logistics. Exercise and maintain knowledge of global time zones and cultural/religious holidays in calendar and event management. Coordinate speaking engagements, including preparing the executive(s) for each engagement. Prepare travel briefings for international trips and large domestic events. Lead and mentor in Cisco's administrative community. As authorized, act as a proxy/advisor for correspondence and approvals. Participate and proactively develop relationships within Administrative/Executive Assistants network and other professional networks. Contributes to or plans events (team activities, company-wide workshops, offsites, and trainings) as needed. Support special projects and other administrative requirements as needed for the senior leadership team.

You will be extremely forward-thinking with a professional and approachable demeanor in all interactions; possess outstanding communication skills with all levels of staff, executives, customers, vendors; and good judgment.

• Calendar Management: Handles VP's calendar by prioritizing schedules and meetings. You may decide who gets on the principal's calendar, which meetings are attended, and who can attend in their place.

• Event Speaking Engagement Coordination: Handles a running list of VP's engagements and works closely with communications team to ensure content needs are understood and set in motion so VP is prepared for each engagement.

• Meeting Planning and Organization: Assists VP in planning and organizing meetings by being responsible for the assembling of the agenda, location, meeting technology based upon participant needs, and all other meeting logistics. May further prepare meeting briefing documents by taking and disseminating notes and formulating post meeting action item list.

• Travel Briefing Preparation: Build travel packs for international trips as well as large domestic events such as Cisco Live, etc. This work includes combining all event information in addition to coordinated logistics of travel and also customer/team asks.

• Correspondence/Approvals: Supports VP by acting as proxy for communications and approvals as authorized. Answers general questions as needed and refers routine matters to appropriate parties and follows up to ensure accurate completion. Takes the initiative to resolve issues within specified policies and guidelines and provides mentoring to administrative community members on problem solving. Figures out when executive action is required and supplies a recommendation where appropriate.

• Travel and Expense Management: Responsible for making in-depth global travel arrangements for VP. Carefully considers and decides the optimum travel arrangements and itinerary for calendared meetings while handling Cisco expenses. Works diligently to go above and beyond, working with the airlines directly to accommodate Global Services benefits for upgrades whenever they are available.

• Special Projects: Provides analytical support to assist executives on special projects. Research issues, analyzes problems, compiles data, and prepares reports.

• Large Corporate Events: Prepare and brief itinerary as well as accompany VP for large Corporate Events such as GSX, where EA's are used for executive support.

• Confidentiality: Candidate will deal professionally with sensitive and confidential matters and materials.

You have experience providing support at the VP level. You take initiative, can handle a full desk with ease and thrive in a lively environment. You have high-energy with a passion for thinking bigger and broader than the role itself. This position requires strong interpersonal skills, independent judgment, utmost integrity and ability to balance both strategic and tactical actions. You have outstanding attention to detail and the ability to handle confidential information. You enjoy a collaborative environment, are committed to improvement, solve problems and make decisions.

Minimum Qualifications

• 4+ years' experience in administrative environment. A minimum of 2 years of experience supporting a principal who was at the director level or above.

• Expert level knowledge of Windows desktop computer applications: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

• Experience in calendar management, planning meetings and coordinating travel.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to connect with all levels of Executive/Senior staff and clients.

Preferred Qualifications

• Past work experience in the high-tech industry is desired, prior Cisco experience preferred.

• Associates degree