Executive Operations Administrator

POSITION OVERVIEW

Title: Executive Operations Administrator

Company: Octave

Reports to: CEO

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid - Midtown)

ABOUT OCTAVE

Octave is an innovative investment firm founded by Jeremy Giffon, with a focus on navigating special situations within the private markets. Specializing in the technology sector, Octave advises, invests in, and acquires businesses facing complex, unique, or challenging circumstances that require a creative, flexible, and unconstrained partner. The firm leverages its deep industry expertise, strategic insights, and an agile investment approach to unlock value in situations where traditional solutions may fall short. By taking a hands-on, tailored approach, Octave works closely with its portfolio companies to drive growth, operational improvements, and long-term success, ultimately helping businesses overcome obstacles and realize their full potential.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to provide high-level administrative and personal support to the founder of this new investment firm. This is a unique opportunity to be a key member of a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment.

This role involves a mix of high-level executive support, operational tasks, personal assistance, and event coordination, requiring someone who is organized, proactive, and capable of managing both professional and personal tasks with discretion and efficiency. The ability to thrive in a dynamic startup environment is crucial, as is a flexible, solutions-oriented mindset.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Executive Operations Administrator responsibilities will encompass four primary areas:

• Calendar Management: Strategically manage the executive's calendar, ensuring all meetings, travel, and tasks are efficiently planned and coordinated.
• Email Management: Serve as the first point of contact for all inboxes (LinkedIn, Twitter, Email), prioritizing by importance, addressing routine inquiries, and escalating matters that require immediate attention.
• Meeting Coordination: Scheduling and organizing meetings, sending invites, tracking RSVPs, and ensuring the CEO has the relevant materials for each meeting. Proactively suggest who the CEO should meet with based on previous meetings and experience. Follow up on meeting action items and ensure commitments are tracked and addressed.
• Scheduling Optimization: Identifying and resolving scheduling conflicts, finding creative solutions to optimize the CEO’s time. Ability to challenge the CEO when meetings may not be of a high priority and the ability to respectfully decline or cancel meetings on his behalf.
• Daily Briefings: Create daily briefs that include pertinent information on the day’s schedule, including background context and responses to veto as well as summarized inbound messages, responses, and tasks needing approval.
• Geographically Organized: Ensure meetings and appointments are within reasonable distances maximizing the CEO’s time by reducing commute whenever possible. Create a database of meeting, coffee and dinner locations that will create the most efficient use of travel time.
• Meeting Follow Up: Handle call and meeting follow-up to ensure commitments are tracked and addressed.

• Travel Arrangements: Proactively plan and organize domestic and international travel, including booking flights, hotels, detailed ground transportation, and dining reservations, ensuring CEO’s requirements are always met.
• Off-Site Meetings: Make reservations, calling ahead with payment arrangements, when possible, for all travel, restaurants, etc. Organize and coordinate events such as business dinners, board meetings, and company retreats.
• Expense Management: Overseeing travel-related expenses and reimbursement processes, ensuring every item is accounted for and within budget.
• Event Logistics: Managing logistics for client dinners, company events, and other functions, including coordinating RSVPs, catering, vendors, contracts, venues, and full event details.

• Errands and Appointments: Helping manage personal tasks for the CEO, including coordinating service providers, research, scheduling and annual tasks.
• Annual Support: Assist with tracking and preparing end of year documentation and liaising with service providers to ensure accurate and timely delivery.
• Commitments: Keep track of personal commitments, ensuring nothing is missed and all tasks are completed efficiently.
• Confidentiality: Handling sensitive personal matters with discretion and maintaining a high level of confidentiality.

• CRM Creation and Maintenance: Categorize inbound messages and meetings for easy reference; track meetings and relationships with detailed notes on each contact and how they can be helpful in the future.
• Document Preparation: Preparing materials and presentations for meetings and other business-related activities.
• Expense Reporting: Handling expense reports and reimbursement processes, ensuring all details are correct and submitted in a timely manner.
• Ad-hoc Tasks: Supporting the CEO with miscellaneous tasks and projects to improve productivity.
• Written Communications: Manage written communications such as handwritten thank you notes, holiday cards, and gifts for work relationships as well as create a database for tracking.
• Office Protocols: Setting up and managing office systems and procedures to ensure the office functions smoothly. Create annual, monthly and weekly audits of CEO’s calendars to ensure maximum productivity and down time.

• Experience: 6+ years as an executive and/or personal assistant supporting a CEO, preferably in a startup environment; experience in tech and/or finance industries a plus.
• Organizational Skills: Strong ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and create solutions for competing demands.
• Effective Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for liaising with stakeholders, potential clients, executives internally and externally as well as vendors.
• Proactive Problem Solving: Anticipates challenges and addresses them before they escalate; develops solutions without waiting for explicit direction.
• Initiative: Takes ownership of tasks and projects, ensuring timely and high-quality completion.
• Resourcefulness: Uses available tools, knowledge, and networks; knows how to independently research, learn, or acquire the resources needed to complete work.
• Technology Proficiency: Advanced comfort with Apple/Mac-based tools, including Calendar, Mail, and Notes.
• Flexibility: Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and work autonomously while staying in close communication with the CEO.
• Confidentiality: A strong sense of discretion and ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
• Additional Experience: Experience in setting up an office and creating operational processes preferred.

COMPENSATION

$105,000 - 115,000+ with benefits package

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

We know that innovation thrives on teams where diverse points of view come together to solve hard problems. As such, we explicitly seek people that bring diverse life experiences, diverse educational backgrounds, diverse cultures, and diverse work experiences. Please be prepared to share with us how your perspective will bring something unique and valuable to our team.