Senior Executive Assistant to Global Managing Partner

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

Job summary

Kearney in Dubai is seeking a Senior Executive Assistant to the Global Managing Partner and Board Chair. You will provide critical administrative support, manage a global calendar, complex travel, and high-stakes meetings, while using AI to improve efficiency.

The role requires discretion, excellent English, and ability to coordinate across the Office of the Managing Partner. The position emphasizes end-to-end ownership, private and confidential handling of information, and collaboration with

Qualifications

• Requires a relevant degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 6+ years’ experience as an Executive Assistant to senior executives or board members.
• Experience in global, professional services or similar environment.
• Experience coordinating complex international travel and high-stakes meetings or events.
• Ability to draft and proofread polished correspondence, briefings, and materials for senior review.
• Hands-on use of practical AI applications for productivity and workflow improvement.

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead EA with end-to-end ownership; ensure continuity with a second EA in another time zone.
• Manage routine administration, expenses, invoices, payments, and records with accuracy and timeliness.
• Maintain calendars, travel, contacts, activities, meetings, events and priorities.
• Coordinate with Finance, HR, IT, Legal, Travel and other teams to keep processes moving.
• Provide support to the CoS and GMP with day-to-day direction; escalate as needed.
• Coordinate end-to-end preparation for leadership, client, global, and board meetings; manage agendas and minutes.
• Build professional relationships across the firm; manage the GMP’s mailbox and confidential information.

Skills

Executive support

Calendar management

Travel coordination

Stakeholder management

AI proficiency

Education

Bachelor degree

Tools

Microsoft 365 suite

Travel booking tools

Job description

Kearney, Senior Executive Assistant to Global Managing Partner & Board Chair (GMP)

About the job

As a Senior EA based in Kearney’s Dubai office, you will provide critical administrative support to the Global Managing Partner. This role combines exceptional executive administration with strategic judgment, proactive problem solving, and the ability to anticipate what the Global Managing Partner and Board Chair will need to stay prepared, on schedule, and ahead of commitments.

The EA will bring structure, pace, accuracy and discretion to a fast-moving global environment. This high-trust role requires excellent English communication, the ability to build natural rapport with people at all levels, and confident, practical use of AI to improve ways of working and create additional value.

Supporting the scheduling and logistics of the Board’s calendar, calls and in-person meetings is a core part of the role. They will coordinate complex logistics with precision, manage relationships effectively, identify risks and opportunities, and make practical suggestions to improve the GMP’s effectiveness.

The EA will work closely with other members of the extended Office of the Managing Partner, which includes the Chief of Staff (CoS), Associate Counsel, Director of Communications, and Global Head of Partnerships and Events; providing support where appropriate.

Key responsibilities

Executive Administration:

• Serve as the GMP’s lead EA and first point of contact with end-to-end ownership of the role. A second EA, based in another time zone, will provide out-of-hours coverage. Maintain clear, disciplined handovers to ensure continuity and avoid missed actions.
• Manage routine administration, expenses, credit-card reconciliations, invoices, payments, and related records accurately and on time.
• Maintain records and trackers of travel, contacts, activities, meetings, events, and key priorities.
• Liaise with Finance, HR, IT, Legal, Travel, and other support teams to keep processes moving.
• Work independently within agreed delegation limits on what may be committed or approved on the GMP’s behalf, escalating beyond those limits to the CoS.
• Provide administrative support to the CoS where required, with support to the GMP remaining the first priority.
• Work closely with the CoS, who will provide day-to-day functional direction and support, including quarterly touchpoints on performance expectations, feedback, and review.

Calendar and Travel Management:

• Build a working understanding of the GMP’s priorities, working style, and preferences, and apply it when deciding what reaches the calendar and in what order.
• Manage the GMP’s complex global calendar and act as a trusted gatekeeper, using sound judgment to prioritize requests, resolve conflicts and protect the GMP’s time. Balance competing priorities, internal commitments, client needs, time zones and essential preparation time.
• Own end-to-end business travel arrangements, coordinating through the firm’s travel team and booking tools. Ensure all logistics are accurate, practical, clearly communicated, and aligned with GMP preferences; with required documentation secured in advance.
• Prepare travel packs in a consistent standard format, ensuring that the itinerary, key contacts, locations, timings, documents, client and office background, and logistics are readily accessible.
• When the GMP visits a Kearney office or attends a firm event, coordinate with the local EA or events contact to ensure seamless on-site support and that all arrangements are in place.

Meetings, Events, and Board Logistics

• Coordinate end-to-end preparation for leadership, client, global, and board meetings, including agendas, papers, attendees, materials, rooms, technology, and actions or minutes as required.
• Work with relevant stakeholders to deliver well-organized, appropriate audience-investigators and events by anticipating risks, resolving issues discreetly, and ensuring all stakeholders are aligned.

Communication and Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted, professional relationships with clients, partners, board members, senior leaders, assistants, and colleagues across the firm.
• Proactively follow up on outstanding items on the GMP’s behalf, driving timely responses and resolving barriers to ensure commitments are progressed and closed.
• Manage the GMP’s mailbox by triaging and prioritizing messages; drafting, editing, and issuing professional correspondence and materials; routing items to the appropriate owner; and escalating sensitive matters to the CoS or Director of Communications where appropriate.
• Maintain accurate records of decisions, actions, deadlines, contacts, documents, and recurring commitments, providing timely reminders where needed.
• Handle highly confidential and sensitive information with absolute discretion, including Board, partner, personnel, and client matters.

AI-enabled ways of working

• Working fluently with the firm’s AI tools across research, drafting, scheduling, and workflow support, using available training and resources to stay current.
• Build and maintain agentic workflows that support the GMP’s day-to-day, including a daily report flagging items that require the GMP’s response, with draft replies prepared for review.
• Identify opportunities to use AI to improve preparation, prioritization, efficiency, and the quality of outputs; not simply to automate tasks.
• Use AI to support mailbox triage, retaining accountability for escalation decisions.
• Standardize recurring work through reusable templates and streamlined workflows; including travel packs and briefing templates; sharing best practice across the Office of the GMP

Measures of Success

Success in the role will be demonstrated by:

• The GMP being consistently well prepared and able to focus on the highest-value priorities.
• Complex travel, calendars, meetings, and board requirements delivered seamlessly.
• Stakeholders experiencing clear communication, strong coordination, and reliable follow-through.
• Issues being anticipated and resolved early, with practical solutions proactively implemented.
• Trusted relationships being maintained with clients, board members, senior leaders, and colleagues.
• More efficient executive-support processes through continuous improvement and AI.
• Accurate, polished correspondence, briefings, and meeting materials requiring minimal revision.
• GMP confidence that priorities, commitments, relationships, and needs are actively managed.

Who you are

After nearly 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections - between facts, figures, insights, strategies, tools, technologies and above all, people. That’s why, we look for proactive, positive, and flexible individuals who are always unapologetically their unique selves.

We want to hear from you if you:

• Have a relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent practical experience
• Have 6+ years’ experience as an Executive Assistant supporting senior executive, business leader, partner, board member, or equivalent role of comparable complexity.
• Have experience working in a global, professional service or comparable environment.
• Have experience coordinating complex international travel and high-stakes meetings or events.
• Have ability to draft and proofread polished correspondence, briefings, and meeting materials for a senior executive's review.
• Have hands-on use of practical AI applications for productivity and executive support, including building repeatable workflows and templates rather than one-off outputs.
• Have advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Teams, with the ability to quickly adopt new systems.
• Possess excellent written and spoken English, able to communicate appropriately with people at all levels. Clear, concise, and polished communication style.
• Are emotionally intelligent relationship- builder who creates rapport easily and works effectively across cultures.
• Are self-aware, open to feedback, and able to adapt their approach to different personalities and working styles
• Are highly responsive and reliable, work independently while collaborating effectively across a wider network of colleagues and support teams.
• Possess strong judgment, discretion, and accountability, taking ownership to resolve issues calmly and confidentially under pressure
• Are to connect information across the GMP's priorities and commitments and anticipate needs.
• Have exceptional organization, prioritization, time management skills, and attention to detail.
• Are adaptable, resilient, and able to manage changing priorities without losing sight of quality.

What we can offer you

Every day, our people work to be the difference for our clients, our communities, and our colleagues. Helping them to make an impact, they are sustained by a competitive remuneration package plus comprehensive benefits and perks, including but not limited to:

• Generous retirement/pension savings contributions
• Comprehensive medical insurance for employees and their families
• Structured and on-the-job learning and development opportunities
• Personalized opportunities to help you chart a unique career journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

Learn more at Kearney.com/careers.

Equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination

Kearney is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices.