[Hiring] Executive Assistant @WaitWhat

About WaitWhat:

WaitWhat is creating the most valuable independent portfolio of premium content IP that elevates human potential — with a contrarian strategy to scale.

Downloaded more than 120 million times, WaitWhat’s media properties have defined new genres in the areas of business (Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman), wellness (Meditative Story) and creativity (Spark & Fire). In everything WaitWhat creates, it aims to share hard-won wisdom from the most iconic people of day, to newer voices, sparking curiosity and helping us live at the top of our potential.

Founded by June Cohen and Deron Triff — the former TED execs who launched TED Talks and led the media organization for a combined 17 years — WaitWhat’s approach to content is unique in the industry, with a passion for inventing new business models and building inventive partnerships. Learn more about WaitWhat >>

Description:

WaitWhat is looking for an organized, detail-oriented, and conscientious Executive Assistant to support our co-founders in a dynamic, creative, and high velocity environment. A great Executive Assistant is much more than just an assistant; you’re a logistical wizard; an operational sounding board; an intuitive people person; a trusted adviser. You must be able to work well independently in a fast-paced environment and project a sense of warmth and calm, even in the midst of chaos. Your organizational work will help all of us be better, happier, and more efficient — and this should give you a sense of gratification! You must also love startup culture, feel energized by team-oriented environments, and have an all-hands-on-deck attitude. You bring high EQ and empathy, and you won’t settle for anything but the highest level of professionalism, the utmost attention to detail and quality, and a bias towards action in everything you take on, big or small.

Responsibilities:

• Provide full EA (executive assistance) administrative, operational, meeting and event-based support, and personal administrative (PA) needs to the co-founders
• Daily and long-term calendar meeting management, including daily calendar review and meeting “Tetris,” daily AM and end-of-day briefings, key meeting preparation reminders and support (e.g. research or materials), agenda organization, and meeting location research and booking
• Ensure effective flow of meetings and use of time–confirm all meetings in advance, anticipate conflicts or needs and reprioritize continuously, follow up on requests so that nothing slips through the cracks
• Onsite meeting logistics, such as preparing and testing conference room and video conference setup, manage catering
• Travel logistics and itinerary management: travel planning, booking hotels and flights, including in serving advance travel onsite support where needed
• Monitor inbox and Slack after business hours and weekends for any requests or changes
• Serve as the point of contact for WaitWhat’s external relationship ecosystem, and any internal and external requests/questions
• Relationship and contact management, including timely updating of information
• Special assignments and projects, such as research on strategic topics, meeting locations with investors or partners, or event planning for company offsites and social events
• Synthesize information and track and share progress with co-founders on key tasks on a regular basis
• Handle vendor purchasing and expense or bill management
• Build strong relationships internally and have a pulse on each property’s needs, to help the co-founders support them well
• Additional general administrative duties

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum 5+ total years of related work experience in a professional working environment (e.g. investment, consulting, office management, legal, creative agency) or the hospitality industry (with front-of-house and back-of-house experience), with at least 3+ years administrative support for founders, C-level executives or comparable experience
• Experience in scheduling management
• A strong work ethic, positive attitude, and commitment to excellence
• Availability to work occasional nights and weekends depending on the demands of the business
• Ability to anticipate tasks that need to be taken without waiting for instruction
• Demonstrated organization, prioritization, and multi-tasking skills
• Ability to take initiative and act independently
• Exhibit good judgment, discretion, strong interpersonal skills, and an attention to detail
• Self-awareness and a desire to learn and develop in a “right-hand” role
• Mature personal and relationship skills
• Openness for frequent feedback and iterative mindset towards improvement
• Excellent writing and speaking ability
• Strong ability to synthesize multiple information sources, and articulate recommendations
• Very comfortable with the range of modern office software suites: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, G-Suite Office Products

Interested applicants must submit a thoughtful cover letter to be considered for this position.

Benefits

This is a full-time position with West Coast working hours and the option to work remotely. The ideal candidate is based in Los Angeles and able to join the LA team in-person 3 times per week in our satellite office. The salary range for this role is $100k - $120k. This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. Candidates with expectations outside of this range or experience outside of the requirements listed are still encouraged to apply as there may be other positions that could be a fit.

We offer a benefits package that’s generous and competitive with larger companies. Benefits include 3 weeks of company holiday (2 weeks in summer + one week between Christmas and New Years), 5 personal days, healthcare (PPO, vision and dental), short- and long-term disability, life insurance and 401(k). We work startup hours, but we also rest. We’re an anti-racist organization, committed to equity and diversity of all kinds — on our team, among our investors, and as represented on our media properties. Most importantly, we only hire extremely kind people.