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. You will manage calendars and meetings, build polished presentations, coordinate leadership meetings and company 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, operates well in high-stake, takes pride in clear, professional work and has fun while doing it.

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.
• 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.
• Prepare executive team meetings, monthly reviews, quarterly planning sessions, and offsites, including agendas, logistics, notes, and action items, and follow up with owners.
• Plan all-hands meetings, leadership events, and company celebrations across Irvine and Stuttgart.
• 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 travel for the executive team, including trips to Stuttgart, and process expenses accurately and on time.
• Route documents for signature for Kardion, Inc. and Kardion GmbH with Finance and Legal.
• Serve as the Irvine office point person for visitors, supplies, and vendors until we hire a dedicated office coordinator.
• 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 small leadership sessions to company-wide gatherings.
• 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 (PPT, Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel).
• 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.

Environment

• Office: On-site in Irvine, CA.
• Hours: This is a non-exempt role with overtime paid as required by California law.
• Travel: 0-5%, 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.