Position Description
We are looking for a Personal Assistant to help the principal in overseeing and coordinating the activities of her family office, residences, and philanthropy. The principal and her family office are based in North Palm Beach, and she maintains residences in Osterville, Cape Cod; Boston; and North Palm Beach. The principal has other staff and associates, including family office employees, live-out housekeepers, caretakers for residences while vacant, and service vendors.
The family office employs an in-house Controller but outsources investments, banking, and back-office operations with a large private bank. The Personal Assistant will work closely with in-house Advisors and Trust Executors, as additional team members, that work directly with the principal and in-house Controller. Additionally, the family office has key relationships with a public accounting firm and a law firm.
The principal is looking for someone who is highly organized, adaptable, and detail-oriented with excellent time and people management skills. The Personal Assistant must have excellent communication, administration, and project management skills. The Personal Assistant must have strong technology skills in working with several technology solutions. The position requires the Personal Assistant to have adaptability and flexibility in working with various team schedules. All work efforts and behavior require courteous, discreet, honest, and utmost professionalism.
Location
The principal splits her time between Florida and Massachusetts. The other team members reside in various locations as part of an expanded team structure – New York, Boston, and Valencia Spain. The position requires effective remote or virtual office management and collaboration. Travel will be required (estimated less than 10% of total time worked) based on specific circumstances and pre-arranged scheduling. It is preferred that the Personal Assistant be based in Florida (West Palm Beach area) but not required.
Job Specifics
This is a full-time position, Monday through Friday. A flexible schedule will be required when the principal is traveling. This job may require some on-site presence, but virtual meetings may occur for residences out of state at the time. Candidate must be willing to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays when the principal is hosting events. The principal has instilled a strong service attitude among her staff and those who work for her. This full-time position represents the focal point for team coordination and communications and requires a highly motivated individual with excellent organization skills. Provide accurate and timely feedback to the principal and team members for process improvement ideas in driving better communication and collaboration efforts.
Primary Responsibilities
- Organize the principal’s personal and business calendars. Also take the lead in coordinating and managing team meetings.
- Be aware of all scheduled deadlines and monitor adherence.
- Plan business and social events.
- Liaison with maintenance and service providers, making sure they are scheduled properly and show up.
- Make travel arrangements (coordinate with NetJets when required) and manage travel logistics.
- Collect mail and respond to correspondence, including invitations. Coordinate mail collection and distribution with on-site administrator in FL residence.
- Handle document flow and maintain good filing system. Organize and maintain all records in a professional manner and in coordination with the principal, appropriate staff, and vendors.
- Maintain thorough inventory of household items, particularly valuables.
- Coordinate security protocols with appropriate specialists.
- Understand and be able to provide some technical support for communication systems including internet, TV, etc.
- Maintain key contacts list covering medical, communications and property.
- Run errands as needed and appropriate.
- Conduct research on issues related to residences, travel, and purchases.
- Coordinate or assist with special projects from time to time.
- Maintain a master Team Calendar and master Team Contact listing (withing the MS Office suite
- Attend periodic team or other strategic meetings and take minutes or notes and share with team following for review 3
- Assist with Healthcare tracking and services utilizing Healthcare provider gateways and solutions
- Coordination of vehicle maintenance and shipping logistics of specific vehicles between residences.
- Coordinate online ordering of goods or services through selected and approved vendors.
- Provide Holiday or Seasonal support services for Gifts, Cards, etc.
- Coordination with Property Management providers on various projects or daily maintenance activities (both FL and MA)
- Provide technology support to principal and team members on various solutions (i.e. email, Last Pass, WhatsApp, AirTable, Collaboration tools, MS Office suite of products, etc.)
- Liaison with Technology Support provider in addressing support issues, tracking, and resolution. Coordinate quarterly periodic business reviews on performance and open issues.
- Work closely with in-House Controller on all financial aspects (including credit card management and reconciliation, Mail and Invoicing, and Bank related documents) Update and administer To-Do lists with classified priorities. Work with Advisory team members to determine best process design for management and reporting.
Qualifications & Experience
- Direct experience as a Personal assistant in a family office or business enterprise.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in a business or non-profit organization setting.
- Proficiency with both Mac and PC, basic audio-visual equipment, phone systems, etc.; MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word) preferred. Provide support services to principal, as well as liaise with technology support team when required
- College degree preferred.
- Provide 2 references from prior employers.
Personal Attributes
- Be highly organized with ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Ability to prioritize.
- Tech savvy.
- Must be able to drive and maintain an excellent driving record.
- Excellent communicator – written and verbal.
- Self-motivated with ability to anticipate potential issues.
- Good follow-through skills with ability to make others do the same.
- Ability to act as good team player in dealing with family office staff and others employed by the principal. At the same time, know when to be assertive to get things done.
- Exceptional problem-solving and project management skills.
- Willingness to travel and work a flexible schedule at times.
- Adaptability – the ability to improvise on the job while continuing to grow and learn.
- Courteous, discreet, honest, and of responsible character with ability to properly handle confidential information.
- Be of good background and willing to submit to pre-employment background and security checks.