Senior Executive Assistant

Origin Private Office; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Origin Private Office is seeking a Senior Executive Assistant to manage a single, dedicated global concierge mandate for an ultra-high-net-worth family with a Dubai base. This full-time role requires owning outcomes end to end across property, events, procurement and daily household management, with visibility of all activity for Origin leadership.

You will coordinate across markets, liaise with principals and family office representatives, and oversee budgeting, vendor management and travel

Qualifications

• Seven or more years in private client services, UHNW household or family office operations, luxury hospitality management, private aviation or yachting, or a comparable service environment, with at least three years in a role carrying direct client ownership.
• Demonstrable ownership of outcomes, not tasks, and experience delivering end-to-end projects.

Responsibilities

• Act as the family’s dedicated day-to-day point of contact across all workstreams and jurisdictions.
• Build and maintain a trusted relationship with Principals and their family office representative.
• Anticipate requirements and resolve issues before they reach the Principals.
• Maintain a live view of open requests, owners, deadlines and dependencies.
• Escalate to Head of Concierge and Managing Partner as needed.
• Coordinate property searches, viewings, and completion logistics for acquisitions.
• Plan and coordinate family and household events end to end, including venue sourcing and vendor management.
• Source and manage furniture, furnishings and vehicles in line with preferences.
• Coordinate art, valuables, and luxurious goods logistics and authentication as required.
• Oversee day-to-day lifestyle support and travel planning across global footprint.

Skills

Client ownership

Multistream coordination

Vendor negotiation

Discretion & judgment

English fluency

Budget & utilisation reporting

Job description

About Origin Private Office

Origin Private Office is a globally positioned boutique advisory firm specialising in ultra-prime real estate and private client services. Operating across the Middle East, Europe and Asia, Origin provides brokerage, development consultancy, luxury project marketing, private wealth strategy and concierge services for UHNW individuals and family offices. Through Origin Concierge, the firm delivers highly personalised lifestyle and operational support for international clients, often assisting with relocations, property acquisitions, household establishment and ongoing private client requirements. Origin does not operate a membership call centre. Every mandate is resourced with a named, dedicated Executive Assistant and direct partner oversight. The ratio of clients to manager is the service.

Role Overview

Origin is appointing a Senior Executive Assistant to hold a single, dedicated global concierge mandate for an ultra-high-net-worth family with a primary residence in Dubai and a broadening international footprint. You will be the family’s day-to-day point of contact and the single point of accountability for delivery, with a full 40 hours per week dedicated to this one client. You will not be splitting attention across a portfolio of accounts. The mandate spans four priority workstreams alongside continuous household and lifestyle support: property search and acquisition; event management; the acquisition of furniture, furnishings and vehicles; and the sourcing of art, artefacts, luxury goods and valuables. Scope is global rather than limited to Dubai, delivered through Origin’s own team and a network of trusted local partners. This is an execution role, not a coordination role. You are expected to own outcomes end to end, keep a household of moving parts under control, and give both the family and Origin leadership complete visibility of where effort is going.

Core Responsibilities

CLIENT RELATIONSHIP AND SINGLE POINT OF ACCOUNTABILITY

• Act as the family’s dedicated day-to-day point of contact across all workstreams and jurisdictions
• Build and hold a trusted working relationship with the Principals and their family office representative
• Anticipate requirements ahead of being asked and resolve issues before they reach the Principals
• Maintain a live view of open requests, owners, deadlines and dependencies at all times
• Escalate promptly and appropriately to the Head of Concierge and Managing Partner

PROPERTY SEARCH AND ACQUISITION

• Run residential property searches and shortlists in line with the family’s brief, in any market
• Coordinate market benchmarking, viewings and viewing itineraries
• Support negotiation and coordinate agents, lawyers, valuers and other advisers through to completion
• Manage completion logistics and move-in readiness

EVENT MANAGEMENT

• Plan and coordinate family and household events end to end, wherever they take place
• Source venues, brief and manage vendors, and control budgets against approved spend
• Manage guest lists, invitations and logistics
• Provide on-site coordination on the day and handle post-event wrap-up and vendor settlement

FURNITURE, FURNISHINGS AND VEHICLES

• Source and specify furniture and furnishings in line with the family’s preferences and any appointed designer’s scheme
• Negotiate with suppliers and manage orders, delivery, installation and snagging
• Coordinate vehicle sourcing, purchase, registration and insurance

ART, ARTEFACTS, LUXURY GOODS AND VALUABLES

• Liaise with galleries, dealers, auction houses and specialist vendors globally
• Coordinate purchase, payment, packing, transport and installation logistics
• Introduce and coordinate independent authentication, valuation, insurance and restoration specialists as required

DAY-TO-DAY LIFESTYLE AND HOUSEHOLD CONCIERGE

• Source, coordinate and manage household vendors and service providers, and resolve issues as they arise
• Support travel and lifestyle logistics across the family’s global footprint
• Handle memberships, dining, ticketing and social introductions
• Work alongside the existing household team, including the embedded Senior Personal Assistant, private chef and driver, ensuring clear division of responsibilities and no duplication
• Manage household and personal purchases made on the family’s behalf, with accurate records for monthly invoicing

COMMERCIAL DISCIPLINE, UTILISATION AND REPORTING

Record time accurately against the mandate’s monthly man-hours allowance

Prepare the monthly utilisation summary and activity report for the family office and Origin leadership

Track the cumulative banked or over-utilised position and flag it before it reaches the agreed cap

Identify scope broadening as it emerges and raise it early with the Head of Concierge rather than absorbing it silently

Identify work that falls outside the retainer, including recruitment, renovation and fit-out, so it can be scoped and quoted separately

Maintain clean records of third-party costs and approvals, and obtain prior approval for material expenditure

Working Hours and Availability

The role is based in Dubai and is full time, with an estimated 40 hours per week to this mandate. Core hours will be agreed with the Head of Concierge and the family office. Reasonable responsiveness outside core hours is expected, including early mornings and evenings, given the family’s international footprint and the time zones in which suppliers and advisers operate. Origin manages this through planning and rota discipline rather than by expecting permanent availability. Travel is limited. Occasional regional travel may be required by exception and will be paid for by Origin.

Candidate Requirements

ESSENTIAL

• Seven or more years in private client services, UHNW household or family office operations, luxury hospitality management, private aviation or yachting, or a comparable service environment, with at least three years in a role carrying direct client ownership
• Demonstrable ownership of outcomes, not tasks. You have run projects with a budget, a deadline and a demanding principal, and you carried them to completion
• Multi-workstream capability. Comfortable holding property, events, procurement and daily household matters at the same time without dropping threads
• Vendor and supplier command. You can source, brief, negotiate with and hold to account suppliers at the luxury end of the market
• Commercial literacy. Comfortable with budgets, quotations, timesheets and utilisation reporting, and able to have a candid conversation about scope
• Exceptional discretion and judgment. Comfortable holding confidential information and operating with a low profile
• Composure under pressure. Calm, precise and unflappable when priorities change late and expectations are high
• Written and verbal fluency in English to a standard suitable for correspondence with principals, advisers and counterparties
• Existing right to work in the UAE or eligibility for sponsorship under the prevailing Employment Pass framework
• Work schedule flexibility to ensure the client can be attended to as needed.

PREFERRED

• An established Dubai vendor and service provider network across property, hospitality, private members’ clubs, specialist trades and luxury retail
• Prior exposure to Dubai residential property transactions, whether from a private client, agency or family office seat
• Experience supporting South Asian or internationally mobile families, and cultural fluency across markets
• Experience sourcing or coordinating art, collectables or high-value goods, including auction house process
• Event management experience at private residence scale