Executive Assistant

Arada; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Arada is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to support a senior executive in a fast-paced, confidential environment in Dubai. You will manage calendars, coordinate complex meetings, plan travel, and work with senior leadership and external partners to ensure timely, high-quality administrative outputs.

The role requires strong Microsoft 365 skills, AI productivity tool experience, excellent communication, and the ability to anticipate needs while maintaining strict confidentiality.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years' experience as an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, or senior administrative professional supporting C-suite or senior executives.
• Experience supporting CEO, C-suite executive, Group Executive, Board, or senior leadership team is strongly preferred.
• Experience in a complex corporate environment with governance, confidential information, and business-critical activities.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365 apps (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OneNote, SharePoint) and AI productivity tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage the executive calendar end-to-end, prioritising meetings, conflicts, and focus time.
• Coordinate complex internal and external meetings including board sessions and strategic discussions.
• Use AI tools to summarise meetings, extract action items, and draft routine communications.
• Prepare agendas, briefing packs, presentations, minutes, trackers, and follow-up communications.
• Act as a professional first point of contact for senior leaders, board members, external partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Manage confidential correspondence, documents, approvals, travel, expenses, and workflows.
• Leverage AI-enabled calendar, email, task management, transcription, and productivity tools to streamline processes.
• Support leadership in using AI tools for productivity, including talking points and data organisation.
• Track deliverables across multiple workstreams and escalate risks and dependencies.

Skills

Strategic prioritisation

Digital and AI fluency

High discretion

Stakeholder management

Planning and follow-through

Business judgement

Attention to detail

Adaptability and composure

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft 365

AI productivity tools

Job description

Role Purpose

Highly organised and proactive Executive Assistant with extensive experience supporting senior executives in fast-paced, confidential, and deadline-driven environments. Skilled in executive calendar management, senior leadership coordination, travel planning, meeting preparation, stakeholder management, and cross-functional support, with strong proficiency in AI tools and digital productivity platforms to improve speed, accuracy, and workflow efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the executive’s calendar end-to-end, prioritising meetings, resolving conflicts, protecting focus time, and ensuring alignment with key business priorities.
• Coordinate complex internal and external meetings, including senior leadership meetings, board-related sessions, strategic discussions, external stakeholder engagements, and business reviews.
• Use approved AI tools to summarise meetings, extract action items, draft routine communications, organise information, and improve the speed and quality of administrative outputs.
• Prepare agendas, briefing packs, presentations, minutes, action trackers, and follow-up communications with accuracy, discretion, and attention to deadlines.
• Act as a professional first point of contact for senior leaders, board members, external partners, advisors, and internal stakeholders.
• Manage confidential correspondence, documents, approvals, travel, expenses, purchase requests, and administrative workflows.
• Leverage AI-enabled calendar, email, task management, transcription, and productivity tools to streamline recurring processes and improve executive efficiency.
• Support the executive in using AI tools for leadership productivity, including summarising long documents, preparing talking points, comparing information, organising data, and identifying follow-up actions.
• Track key deliverables and commitments across multiple business workstreams, proactively escalating risks, delays, and dependencies where required.
• Support the coordination of key business and governance calendars, ensuring important milestones, meetings, deadlines, and deliverables are effectively planned and tracked.
• Maintain highly organised digital filing systems, ensuring documents are accurate, version-controlled, easy to retrieve, and managed in line with confidentiality requirements.
• Use strong judgement to filter requests, anticipate needs, and ensure the executive is fully prepared for meetings, decisions, and stakeholder engagements.
• Provide wider administrative and coordination support to the executive’s leadership network as required.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Minimum 7–10 years’ experience as an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, or senior administrative professional supporting C-suite or senior executives.
• Experience supporting a CEO, C-suite executive, Group Executive, Board, or senior leadership team is strongly preferred.
• Experience working in a complex corporate environment with exposure to senior-level stakeholder management, confidential information, governance, and business-critical activities.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OneNote, SharePoint, and approved AI productivity tools such as Microsoft Copilot or equivalent.
• Experience with travel booking, expense management, and digital workflow systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage highly sensitive and confidential information with discretion, integrity, and sound judgement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft polished correspondence and engage confidently with senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Strategic prioritisation: Understands executive priorities and manages time, information, and commitments accordingly.
• Digital and AI fluency: Confidently adopts new tools, writes effective prompts, and uses technology to improve productivity without compromising quality or confidentiality.
• High discretion: Handles sensitive business, people, governance, and strategic information with absolute professionalism.
• Stakeholder management: Builds trusted relationships across senior leadership, internal teams, external partners, and support functions.
• Planning and follow-through: Tracks actions, deadlines, and dependencies with discipline and proactive communication.
• Business judgement: Knows when to elevate, when to act independently, and how to represent the executive’s office appropriately.
• Attention to detail: Produces accurate, well-structured, and high-quality outputs under time pressure.
• Adaptability and composure: Remains calm, organised, and solutions-focused when managing competing priorities and last-minute changes.

Other Requirements

• Valid UAE driving licence.
• Willingness to work in a fast-paced, highly confidential executive environment.
• Flexibility to manage changing priorities and occasional schedule adjustments as required.