Senior Executive Assistant

Optima Living; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Optima Living is seeking a highly organized Senior Executive Assistant & Strategic Coordinator to support the Co-founders/ Principals and senior executives in a fast-paced setting. You will manage time, priorities and information flow, ensuring the leadership focuses on strategic priorities.

In this role, you will coordinate cross‑department initiatives, prepare analyses and recommendations, and lead Secretariat activities for Executive Team meetings, keeping agendas, decisions and deliverables

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.
• 10+ years of experience supporting senior executives in fast-paced environments.
• Experience coordinating governance, board meetings or executive calendars.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex, high-volume calendar across time zones, protecting preparation time.
• Prepare daily and weekly executive briefings highlighting priorities, decisions and deadlines.
• Draft, edit and coordinate professional communications on the executive's behalf.
• Prepare meeting briefs, background analyses and supporting documents.
• Oversee travel arrangements, itineraries and logistics for domestic and international trips.
• Attend meetings and produce concise minutes capturing decisions and action items.

Skills

Strategic planning

Calendar management

Communication

Stakeholder management

Travel coordination

Meeting facilitation

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration, communications, public administration or related field

Tools

Microsoft 365

Outlook

PowerPoint

Job description

About Optima Living

Founded in 2007 by two friends inspired by their families’ dementia journeys, Optima Living was created to provide a more home-like experience in seniors housing and care. What began as a personal mission has grown into one of Western Canada’s leading senior living and continuing care providers.

Today, Optima Living offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, Supportive Living, Long-Term Care, Brain Health, and Memory Care across Alberta and British Columbia. Our innovative approach includes Spark, Your Wellness, Your Way; our proprietary brain health and care model. As the only Top 10 Canadian senior living and care provider focused exclusively on Western Canada, we proudly serve more than 6,000 residents.

Guided by our North Star, Let us welcome you home™, we are committed to People, Place, and Community. With a resident-first philosophy and a focus on innovation, we are redefining aging with purpose creating communities where seniors live with dignity, connection, and joy.

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly organized and proactive Senior Executive Assistant & Strategic Coordinator to join our team as a trusted partner to the Co-founders/ Principals and senior executive team in a fast-paced, complex environment. The role extends the executive's capacity by managing time, information and priorities so that attention stays on what matters most.

Beyond high-level administrative support, the role coordinates the executive's key initiatives across departments, prepares analysis and recommendations that inform decisions, and runs the executive's operating rhythm. It also leads secretariat and coordination support for the Executive Team meetings by keeping agendas, decisions and deliverables on track through to completion.

Scope of Authority

Reporting to a Co-founder/Principal, this role supports, informs and coordinates executive’s decision-making. It does not hold decision-making authority, budget authority, or accountability for the outcomes of others' deliverables. Recommendations are prepared for the executive, and decisions rest with the executive or the appropriate accountable leader.

Within that scope, the incumbent is expected to exercise independent judgment on scheduling, prioritization, information flow and coordination, consulting the executive on matters of significant business impact.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Coordination and Decision Support

• Maintain a clear view of the executive's strategic priorities and ensure the calendar, commitments and incoming requests stay aligned with them; flag drift and recommend adjustments.
• Design and manage the executive's operating rhythm, including leadership meetings, planning check-ins, reporting cycles and decision timelines.
• Prepare options, analysis and recommendations for upcoming decisions, outlining relevant context, risks and trade-offs. Decision authority remains with the executive.
• Coordinate and monitor progress on the executive's priority initiatives across departments, identifying dependencies, blockers and emerging risks and bringing them forward early.
• Lead or coordinate defined special projects as assigned, owning the process, timeline and coordination, with approvals and outcomes resting with the executive or project sponsor.
• Gather input from leaders and stakeholders ahead of key meetings or decisions so the executive understands the range of positions and potential concerns.
• Synthesize reports, data and stakeholder input into concise summaries that highlight themes, implications and items needing attention.

Executive Support and Priority Management

• Manage a complex, high-volume calendar in line with strategic priorities, protecting preparation and thinking time and balancing operational demands, travel and agreed personal commitments.
• Anticipate scheduling and priority conflicts, assess urgency and business impact, and resolve them using independent judgement, consulting the executive on matters of significant impact.
• Oversee the coordination of meetings across multiple time zones, ensuring participants, locations, virtual links, catering, technology and materials are in place.
• Partner with the Event Manager to align executive and event schedules and logistics, resolving conflicts or changes promptly.
• Prepare daily and weekly executive briefings that highlight priorities, decisions required, risks, deadlines and follow-up items, not only the schedule.
• Manage incoming correspondence and requests, resolving or redirecting matters that do not require the executive's attention; draft, edit and coordinate professional communications on the executive's behalf.
• Prepare meeting briefs, background analysis, presentations, reports and supporting documents so the executive is fully informed and prepared.
• Track the executive's commitments, decisions, delegated tasks and deadlines, following up with owners discreetly and consistently to ensure completion.
• Oversee domestic and international travel arrangements, including itineraries, accommodation, transportation and contingency planning.
• Handle confidential and sensitive information with sound judgement, professionalism and discretion.
• Build effective working relationships with internal leaders, external partners and key stakeholders, serving as a trusted point of contact and representing the executive's priorities accurately without directing others' work.

Executive Team Secretariat and Coordination

• Develop meeting schedules and the annual Committee calendar with the Chair and key stakeholders, aligning cadence with planning and reporting cycles.
• Lead agenda planning: solicit items, clarify desired outcomes, advise the Chair on agenda structure and on how decisions are framed, and organise topics by priority.
• Ensure agendas, previous minutes, decision papers, presentations and pre-reading materials meet quality standards and are distributed within established timelines.
• Confirm presenters and attendees, record regrets, and ensure logistics and technology are ready.
• Attend meetings and produce concise, accurate minutes that capture decisions, approvals, key discussion points, risks and action items.
• Maintain the official record of agendas, minutes, decisions and supporting materials in accordance with document‑management and retention requirements.
• Maintain a centralized action‑item and decision tracker identifying each deliverable, accountable owner, due date, status, dependencies and escalation needs.
• Hold action owners to their commitments on behalf of the Committee between meetings, sending reminders, identifying overdue or at‑risk items, and escalating systemic or high‑risk delays to the Chair.
• Open each meeting cycle by reviewing outstanding actions and briefing the Chair on progress, risks, trends and items requiring attention.
• Analyse action‑item performance and Committee effectiveness over time, and recommend improvements to processes, templates, meeting cadence and reporting practices.

Qualifications and Experience

• Undergraduate degree in business administration, communications, public administration or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience supporting a senior executive in a complex, fast-paced organisation.
• Demonstrated experience managing a high‑volume calendar with competing priorities and frequent changes.
• Experience supporting executive, governance or board meetings, including agenda development, minute‑taking and action tracking.
• Experience coordinating projects or cross‑functional initiatives, including tracking dependencies, timelines and risks.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse information and prepare concise briefings, summaries and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Exceptional written communication, editing, proofreading and minute‑taking skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint and AI related collaboration tools.
• Experience handling confidential information and working with senior leaders and external stakeholders.
• Asset: project management training or certification.

Core Competencies

• Strategic awareness: Understands the executive's and organisation's priorities and connects day‑to‑day activity to them.
• Planning and prioritisation: Organises complex workloads, distinguishes urgent from important, and keeps critical commitments visible.
• Analysis and synthesis: Distils large volumes of information into clear insights, options and recommendations.
• Anticipation and judgement: Thinks ahead, identifies risks early, and acts appropriately with limited direction, knowing when to resolve and when to elevate.
• Influence without authority: Moves work forward across departments through credibility, clarity and relationships rather than positional authority.
• Attention to detail: Produces accurate, complete and polished work while managing multiple deadlines.
• Communication: Communicates clearly, diplomatically and professionally with varied audiences.
• Discretion and integrity: Handles sensitive matters with confidentiality, tact and sound judgement.
• Accountability and follow‑through: Takes ownership of processes, monitors progress and closes the loop on commitments.
• Adaptability and composure: Remains organised and solutions‑focused when priorities shift or pressure increases.
• Relationship management: Builds trust and works effectively across functions, seniority levels and external organisations