Executive Administrative Assistant

Petronex; Dubai; On-site; AED 201,000 - 312,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employment visa

Medical insurance

Annual flight allowance

Direct access to senior leadership

Job summary

Petronex, a Dubai-based energy trading firm, seeks an Executive Administrative Assistant to support senior leadership and run the office day-to-day across multiple time zones. This high-trust role blends executive support with office operations, corporate administration, and compliance, demanding discretion, precision, and ownership.

You will manage calendars, travel, visas, vendor relationships, HR administration, and document control while interfacing with banks, regulators, and international

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as an executive assistant, office manager, or senior administrator.
• Experience supporting C-suite or founders is preferred.
• Exposure to trading, energy, shipping, banking, or professional services is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive support to senior leadership with calendar, meetings, and travel across time zones.
• Own day-to-day office operations, facilities, budgets, and vendor contracts.
• Coordinate corporate administration, licensing, KYC, and compliance filings with service providers and authorities.
• Administer HR processes including onboarding/offboarding, contracts, visas, and payroll coordination.
• Coordinate with commercial, finance, and external partners; manage documents and filing systems.
• Organise events, meetings with partners, and ad hoc projects as assigned.

Skills

Executive support

Office management

Calendar management

Travel coordination

Budget tracking

Finance/document handling

Discretion

Stakeholder management

Communication

English proficiency

Tools

Microsoft Office

SharePoint / OneDrive

DocuSign

HR software

Job description

About the Role

A privately held energy trading and marketing firm based in Dubai is seeking a highly capable Executive Administrative Assistant to support its senior leadership and take ownership of the day-to-day running of the office. The firm operates in international crude oil markets, working with major trading counterparties, producers, banks, and government entities across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

This is a broad, high-trust role in a lean, entrepreneurial team. Beyond executive support, the successful candidate will function as the administrative backbone of the business — managing office operations, corporate administration, and compliance logistics with discretion, precision, and a strong sense of ownership.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Support

• Manage calendars, meetings, and travel itineraries across multiple time zones
• Coordinate visa applications, travel logistics, and accommodation for frequent international travel
• Support personal administrative matters for senior executives as required

Office Management & Facilities

• Take full ownership of daily office operations: facilities, supplies, equipment, and service contracts
• Manage relationships with landlords, suppliers, IT support providers, couriers, and other vendors, including contract negotiations and renewals
• Establish and maintain office policies, procedures, and administrative systems appropriate for a growing firm
• Manage the administrative budget, track office expenditure, and process invoices for approval

Corporate Administration & Compliance

• Manage free zone licensing, renewals, and compliance filings in coordination with corporate service providers and the free zone authority
• Maintain the corporate document register: licences, agreements, insurance policies, bank documentation, and statutory records
• Coordinate KYC and account documentation requests from banks, auditors, and counterparties

Human Resources Administration

• Administer the full employee lifecycle: employment contracts and offer letters, onboarding and offboarding, probation and end-of-service processing
• Manage employment visas, work permits, Emirates ID, and medical insurance enrolments and renewals in coordination with the free zone and PROs
• Maintain personnel files, leave and attendance records, and the HR policy handbook
• Support monthly payroll processing (including WPS submissions) in coordination with the finance function
• Coordinate recruitment logistics: posting roles, scheduling interviews, and managing candidate correspondence and reference checks
• Schedule performance reviews and maintain training and development records

Commercial & Stakeholder Coordination

• Act as first point of contact for visitors, counterparties, banks, auditors, and government entities
• Schedule and support meetings with international trading partners, including preparing agendas and taking minutes
• Maintain organised physical and digital filing systems for contracts, invoices, and shipping and banking documentation
• Assist the commercial and finance teams with document flows — contract execution, courier of originals, notarisation and attestation — and liaise with accountants and auditors during reporting cycles
• Track action items and follow up on deliverables across internal and external stakeholders
• Handle confidential commercial and financial information with absolute discretion

Events & Ad Hoc Support

• Organise business dinners, conference participation, and delegation visits
• Take on special projects and research tasks as assigned

Requirements

• 5+ years' experience as an executive assistant, office manager, or senior administrator, ideally supporting C-suite or founders
• Prior exposure to trading, energy, shipping, banking, or professional services environments strongly preferred

What We Offer

• Competitive tax-free salary commensurate with experience
• Employment visa, medical insurance, and annual flight allowance
• A broad, genuinely responsible role with direct access to senior leadership
• Exposure to international energy markets in a growing, entrepreneurial firm

Skills

Organisational & Execution

• Exceptional organisation and time management across competing priorities
• Strong attention to detail, particularly in documentation and data entry
• Ability to build and maintain administrative systems and processes from scratch
• Calendar, travel, and logistics coordination across multiple time zones
• Budget tracking, expense management, and invoice processing

Communication & Interpersonal

• Polished written and verbal communication in English (business correspondence, minutes, presentations)
• Arabic proficiency (spoken and written) — significant advantage
• Professional presence as first point of contact for banks, counterparties, and government entities
• Diplomacy and tact when managing senior stakeholders and gatekeeping executive time
• Clear, proactive communication — flags issues early, follows up without prompting

Technical & Systems

• Advanced Microsoft Office: Word (formal documents), Excel (trackers, budgets), PowerPoint, Outlook
• Document management platforms (SharePoint, OneDrive, or equivalent)
• Familiarity with UAE government and free zone portals (visa processing, licence renewals, WPS)
• Comfortable adopting new tools — expense systems, e-signature platforms (DocuSign or similar), HR software

Regulatory & Administrative Knowledge

• UAE free zone administration: licensing, renewals, compliance filings
• UAE labour and immigration processes: visas, Emirates ID, medical insurance, end-of-service
• KYC and banking documentation workflows
• Document legalisation processes: notarisation, attestation, courier of originals

Personal Attributes

• Absolute discretion and integrity with confidential commercial and financial information
• Self-starter comfortable working autonomously with minimal supervision
• Calm under pressure and adaptable to shifting commercial priorities
• Ownership mentality — treats the office as their own responsibility, not a task list
• Flexibility to respond outside standard hours when matters require