Executive Assistant to CEO

Job Description

Job Description

BKM Capital Partners is a growing firm, and we are looking for a highly capable, forward-thinking professional who wants to grow with us. Located in our Newport Beach, California office, the Executive Assistant to the CEO will serve as a trusted strategic partner to both the CEO and CFO, providing high-level executive support across business priorities, communications, scheduling, travel, projects, and key stakeholder relationships. This role is critical to the effectiveness of our executive leadership and the continued growth of the firm.

The Executive Assistant must thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, mission-driven, and results-oriented environment. The ideal individual anticipates needs before they arise, plans several steps ahead, exercises sound judgment, and takes ownership of action items and deliverables through completion. This person will combine exceptional administrative discipline with strong business acumen, discretion, responsiveness, and the ability to independently manage complex priorities, confidential matters, and projects from conception through execution.

This role is 100% in-office due to the collaborative nature of this role.

The Job Essentials:

Key responsibilities include the following:

Executive Partnership, Anticipation and Follow-Through

• Serve as a trusted extension of the CEO and CFO by developing a deep understanding of their priorities, preferences, communication styles, and business objectives.
• Anticipate upcoming needs, risks, decisions, and required materials; plan several steps ahead and proactively address issues before they become obstacles.
• Take ownership of executive action items and deliverables by documenting commitments, assigning or confirming responsible parties, establishing timelines, and driving follow-through to completion.
• Maintain a comprehensive view of executive priorities, deadlines, meetings, travel, and strategic initiatives to ensure time and attention remain aligned with the highest-value business needs.
• Prepare the CEO and CFO for meetings and decisions by gathering background information, confirming objectives, coordinating materials, and identifying outstanding questions or dependencies.
• Use sound judgment to determine when to act independently, when to escalate, and how to appropriately represent the CEO and CFO with internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to improve executive workflows, communication, organization, and decision-making, and implement practical solutions with minimal direction.

Calendar and Schedule Management

• Manage highly complex and fluid calendars for the CEO and CFO, strategically prioritizing appointments, meetings, conferences, and engagements based on business objectives, urgency, and executive preferences.
• Anticipate and resolve scheduling conflicts proactively, protecting focus time and creating sufficient preparation, travel, and transition time between commitments.
• Plan, coordinate, and actively manage the CEO’s and CFO’s schedules, ensuring commitments are followed, respected, and adjusted when business priorities change.
• Ensure the CEO and CFO are fully prepared for each meeting with agendas, background information, talking points, decision items, and supporting materials; confirm internal attendees deliver promised materials in advance.
• Schedule prospective investor calls and set up Zoom meetings as needed.

Travel Coordination

• Coordinate complex travel arrangements for the CEO & CFO, including booking flights, accommodations, and transportation.
• Ensure all travel plans align with the CEO’s & CFO’s preferences and business priorities.
• Prepare detailed travel itineraries and monitor travel plans for any changes or delays.

Communication and Correspondence

• Communicates directly with management team and staff, as needed, on matters related to the executive leader’s initiatives.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external communications with the office of the CEO.
• Manage the CEO’s inbox, including responding to messages, drafting emails, organizing the inbox and highlighting priority emails.
• Draft and prepare correspondence, presentations, and reports for executive meetings and other purposes.
• Act as a liaison between the CEO and internal/external contacts as necessary.
• Attend executive and leadership meetings as requested; capture clear decisions, action items, owners, and deadlines; distribute follow-up communications and drive next steps through completion.
• Be available and responsive to emails, texts, and calls after hours and on weekends, as needed.
• Maintain confidentiality and discretion in all personal and professional matters.

Project Management, Support and Coordination

• Assist with planning and coordinating investor events or meetings.
• Execute special projects and initiatives with skillful oversight and support.
• Support the Executive Leadership Team in ad-hoc special projects, including overseeing the creation of pitch decks and presentations.
• Proactively anticipate and track critical dates, events, milestones, dependencies, and deadlines across executive priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Prioritize competing needs, respond with urgency and sound judgment, and follow through on projects and commitments to successful completion, often under significant deadline pressure.
• Assist the CEO in managing projects, research initiatives, and strategic planning.
• Manage executive follow-up with staff and cross-functional partners, respectfully holding stakeholders accountable for agreed-upon action items, timelines, and deliverables.
• Execute special or continuous research and data analysis tasks, compiling and analyzing data to prepare reports and recommendations.
• Generate and distribute department status reports and maintain indicators.
• Identify areas of improvement and make actionable recommendations.

Support Tasks

• Assist the CEO with a variety of personal tasks to optimize their daily schedule, including picking up breakfast, and daily lunch orders.
• Proactively order lunch when the CEO holds lengthy all-day meetings with leadership team or BKM visitors.
• Coordinate and manage personal appointments and commitments to ensure efficient time management, including:
  • Personal travel planning
  • Travel research & building personal itineraries
  • Maintaining personal spreadsheets (health trackers, taxes, etc.)
  • Placing personal orders (home or himself)
  • Support family members as things come up (flights, car insurance, CLEAR/TSA, etc.)
  • Paying personal bills and bills that come up for personal homes
  • Coordinating with wife's PA and property manager on personal homes
  • Pull updated calendar for personal home and coordinate/schedule maintenance vendors as needed
• Compile, review, track, and reconcile expense reports as related to the CEO’s & CFO’s activities, ensuring compliance with company policies.
• Organize digital and printed documents, maintaining files, records, and databases in an organized manner.
• Support the CEO in ad-hoc special projects, including the oversight of pitch decks and presentations.
• Coordinate activities between departments and outside parties. Contact company personnel at all organizational levels to gather information on behalf of the CEO.
• Provide support for additional tasks that enhance the CEO’s personal effectiveness.

Stakeholder and Relationship Management

• Build and nurture relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including executives, clients, partners, and board members.
• Researches, prioritizes, and follows up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the executive leaders.
• Work closely and effectively with the CEO and CFO to keep them well-informed of upcoming commitments, responsibilities, risks, and unresolved matters, following up appropriately.

Competencies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Executive presence, confidence, and tact to manage boundaries, redirect conversations, interrupt when appropriate, and keep executives on schedule
• Demonstrates proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability
• High EQ with the ability to form relationships within the company to create better results on deliverables
• Exceptional collaborator and influencer – ability to engage with multiple stakeholders (CEO, Directors, staff, vendors) and quickly build relationships needed to accomplish goals and objectives
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Forward-looking and anticipatory thinker who identifies needs, opportunities, and risks early and proposes practical solutions
• Strong business acumen and commitment to developing a deep understanding of BKM’s business, leadership priorities, and opportunities for improvement

The Qualifiers:

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred
• Five to ten years of progressive experience supporting C-suite executives, preferably including direct support to a CEO and/or CFO in commercial real estate, investment management, finance, legal, or another fast-paced professional environment
• Intermediate knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat Pro)
• Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio)
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Outlook calendaring, including complex scheduling across multiple executives and stakeholders

The Perks

• Competitive Pay, Bonus Eligible
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short & Long Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Etc.
• Paid Time Off
• 401k Plan + Company Match
• Professional Development Resources
• Fun Work Vibe (Indoor basketball/gym, creative office space, team-building events, company training opportunities, and much more!)