Administrative Associate

About the Company Cérélia operates a state‑of‑the‑art commercial bakery and production facility in Whitehall, Ohio, a 150,000‑square‑foot plant that opened in September 2021 and serves as the U.S. manufacturing hub for the Jus‑Rol brand. Our Whitehall facility specializes in ready‑to‑bake chilled dough products—including pizza dough, pie crusts, puff pastry, and cookie dough—and continues to expand with new product lines to support national growth. Team members enjoy modern onsite amenities such as a fitness center and EV charging stations, all within a clean, innovative, and fast‑growing environment. While our Whitehall plant is new, Cérélia’s roots trace back to 1974, evolving from a France‑based bakery into an international leader in dough innovation. As we grow, our people grow with us—if you’re passionate about doing meaningful work with a company on the rise, we’d love to hear from you. Position Profile The Administrative Associate supports site operations by providing comprehensive, reliable, and timely administrative and operational assistance in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for scheduling and planning, travel arrangements, visitor coordination, data entry, transcription, expense processing, and customer communication management. Success in this position requires strong attention to detail, proactive follow‑through, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while supporting diverse stakeholders and maintaining production‑focused operations. Role Location & Work Schedule This Administrative Associate role is based fully onsite in Whitehall, Ohio. Core business hours are from 8:00 am–5:00 pm Mon–Friday. Primary Responsibilities Administrative & Operational Support Provide comprehensive administrative and operational support to ensure smooth, efficient, and professional daily site operations in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. Serve as a trusted administrative partner to site leadership, demonstrating strong executive presence, professionalism, and sound judgment, and supporting C‑suite interactions during site visits and through coordination with international administrative partners. Communicate confidently and professionally with site leaders, managers, employees, visitors, vendors, and external partners in person, by phone, email, and video. Prepare, distribute, and track meeting agendas, materials, minutes, and follow‑up actions while maintaining strict confidentiality of sensitive information. Scheduling, Meetings & Coordination Manage complex scheduling and calendar coordination for site leadership, proactively resolving conflicts and prioritizing operational needs. Coordinate leadership meetings, site visits, and cross‑functional discussions, ensuring logistics, materials, and follow‑through are completed accurately and on time. Act as a liaison between site leadership and internal teams to support clear communication and timely execution. Travel, Visitor & Event Support Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements, including itineraries, lodging, ground transportation, and policy compliance; manage changes as needed. Support onsite leadership visits and executive engagements by coordinating visitor access, security requirements, meeting space, and hospitality. Plan and support meetings, trainings, and events, including catering, room setup, materials, and headcount coordination. Data Management, Analysis & Reporting Perform accurate data entry, transcription, and record maintenance across systems and spreadsheets, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality . Follow up with internal and external stakeholders to obtain required or time‑sensitive information. Analyze administrative or operational data and prepare clear, professional PowerPoint presentations and summaries for leadership review based on requirements. Maintain organized and secure digital and physical filing systems; conduct quality checks to ensure accuracy and completeness. Expense, Invoice & Vendor Support Prepare, process, and reconcile expense reports and vendor invoices with accuracy and discretion. Verify purchase orders, receipts, and related financial documentation; elevate discrepancies appropriately. Workflow, Judgment & Compliance Prioritize multiple tasks and manage work through the full task lifecycle while consistently meeting deadlines. Apply sound judgment when handling confidential matters and resolving routine issues; elevate risks or concerns as appropriate. Adhere to company policies and procedures and support a respectful, inclusive, and professional multi‑cultural work environment. Perform other duties as assigned to support evolving business needs. Working Conditions Fully onsite role in a professional office environment with up to 24/6 operations; overtime may be required. Business casual and/or professional attire required. Minimum Qualifications Education and Experience High school diploma or equivalent required. 1–2 years of administrative support experience in a professional environment preferred; relevant education or training may substitute for experience. Technical and Administrative Skills Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) with strong keyboarding and typing skills; ability to quickly learn other administrative software and office technology. Experience with data entry, transcription, document organization, scheduling/calendar management, expense reporting, and invoice processing. Comfortable utilizing approved AI‑enabled tools and technologies to support administrative tasks such as data organization, document preparation, communication drafting, and reporting. Demonstrated interest in identifying opportunities to responsibly use AI to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and reduce manual work, while maintaining accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with company policies. Professional Competencies Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism. Strong organizational skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, and the ability to multitask and meet deadlines. Excellent verbal and written communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills. Sound judgment, problem‑solving skills, and understanding of when to elevate issues. Work Style and Attributes Self‑motivated, adaptable, and able to manage changing priorities in a fast‑paced environment. Calm and professional under tight deadlines. Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team. Positive attitude and commitment to timely, high‑quality work. Physical Requirements The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions. Ability to remain in a stationary position (sitting or standing) for extended periods while performing computer‑based tasks. Must be able to operate a computer and other office equipment, including keyboards, phones, and printers. Must be able to communicate effectively in person, via phone, and in written communication. Must be able to move within the office to access files, attend meetings, and interact with colleagues. May occasionally be required to lift and move items up to approximately 10–15 pounds (e.g., office supplies or documents). Requires visual acuity to view a computer screen and read documents with or without corrective lenses. Must be able to work in a food manufacturing environment where pork products, alcohol, gluten, dairy, and common allergens—including tree nuts and peanuts—are present. Core Competencies Drive High Performance: Establish clear accountability for outcomes, stay focused and disciplined in planning and execution, take initiatives to overcome challenges, celebrate wins and act with urgency to keep momentum. Collaborate: Works as One Team, builds relationships, makes commitments and follows through, active listener, supports and executes decisions when they are made. Innovate: Challenge the status quo by proactively identifying opportunities to improve, encourage sharing best practices, experiment, incorporate learning, act with speed and agility while accepting and learning from failure. Can-Do Attitude: Has a pragmatic view on reality while understanding challenges across the organization, connects with customers, factories, and stakeholders, acts like an owner by providing ready‑to‑go solutions. Independent: Ability to work independently while proactively updating senior management about challenges, opportunities, and progress. Learning Agility & Knowledge Retention: Demonstrates the ability to absorb and retain new information effectively, documents key processes, takes ownership of personal learning, and builds independence over time. Information Seeking: Actively researches and verifies information to ensure accuracy and completeness, resolves discrepancies, seeks relevant perspectives from internal and external sources to make well‑informed, data‑driven decisions. Flexibility: Adapts efficiently to changing priorities, environments, and stakeholders, maintains effectiveness, adjusts communication and working style to fit context while focusing on objectives. Self‑confidence: Willing to take on new challenges or assignments with confidence and enthusiasm, emphasizes positive aspects of difficult situations, sees every situation as a learning opportunity. #J-18808-Ljbffr