Cover Executive Assistant

McKinsey & Company, Inc.; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Dedicated Cover Executive Assistant to join their vibrant London team. This role offers the chance to provide seamless support to senior executives, ensuring efficient management of complex diaries and travel arrangements. You'll thrive in a dynamic environment that values your contributions and fosters continuous learning. As part of a diverse global community, you will have the opportunity to enhance your skills while building a strong professional network. If you're proactive, organized, and ready to make a significant impact, this is the perfect opportunity to accelerate your career.

Benefits

Comprehensive Benefits Package

Medical Coverage

Dental Coverage

Mental Health Support

Vision Coverage

Qualifications

• Several years' experience in a senior role within a dynamic environment.
• Strong organizational skills and experience managing complex diaries.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex diaries and travel arrangements for senior executives.
• Develop strong relationships with partners and colleagues quickly.

Skills

Organizational Skills

Time Management

Communication Skills

Problem-Solving

Relationship Building

Discretion and Integrity

Flexibility and Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Secretarial Qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Your Growth

Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you’ll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

When you join us, you will have:

• Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• World-class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package, which includes medical, dental, mental health, and vision coverage for you, your spouse/partner, and children.

Your Impact

We are looking for a Dedicated Cover Executive Assistant to join our London based team. The role of the Dedicated Cover Executive Assistant (DC) is to provide seamless desk cover for Executive Assistants (EAs), who primarily support Partners within this large professional services organization, during the times when EAs are out of the office for holiday, illness, events, etc.

Our Fixed Desk and Dedicated Cover EAs report day-to-day operational issues to an EA Team Leader, who is also a sounding board and confidant. All EAs are managed by the EA Manager. The DC role will be part of the Dedicated Cover EA Community, as well as an integral part of the wider EA group.

This is an exciting role within the EA team, offering a wide range of variety and opportunities to build your network whilst gaining knowledge of the firm. Some EAs providing 'Dedicated Cover' will remain in this role long term whereas others will move to a fixed desk role (often working with Partners where they provided cover) as the DC team is used as our internal recruiting pool.

Primary responsibilities:

• Complex diary management across multiple time zones at a senior level
• Planning and management of complex travel arrangements and itineraries, for very busy diaries, with an awareness of Partners' priorities
• Prioritizing and navigating a busy inbox, responding in a timely manner
• Producing and proof-reading high-quality correspondence, documents, packs and presentations, when required
• Screening and dealing with calls and correspondence proactively, responsibly and professionally with an awareness of Partners' priorities
• Developing strong relationships quickly with Partners, EA colleagues and other firm members
• Liaising with clients, teams and other contacts effectively and efficiently
• Working with EAs in a collaborative ‘cluster’ team environment
• Providing detailed and clear handover notes, to ensure Partner cover/support remains seamless at all times
• Monitoring Partners' emails and responding as appropriate
• Ad hoc project work, client events, internal conferences, depending on Partners' needs
• Additional administrative responsibilities, which may include filing, maintaining records, expenses, timesheets and contact databases
• Pushing self-development by identifying and pursuing self-defined development goals, attending relevant training and addressing any identified development areas

Your qualifications and skills

• Several years' experience working at a senior level in a professional, dynamic environment
• Bachelor's degree and/or secretarial qualification preferred
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Proven organizational skills, with extensive experience of working with complex diaries at a senior level
• Ability to handle multiple deadlines with excellent time management and a real instinct for prioritization
• Capacity to switch between detailed work and the bigger picture in order to anticipate Partners’ needs
• Initiative, showing a proactive, solutions-orientated approach; logical problem-solving without instruction, thinking out of the box with an ownership mindset
• Ability to develop relationships quickly, with people at all levels, from a variety of backgrounds
• Positive attitude with a willingness to provide the highest levels of internal and external client service
• Trustworthiness, discretion and personal integrity, maintaining confidentiality at all times
• Strong team spirit with a positive influence on others, demonstrating the ability to work seamlessly with other EAs and consultants in a supportive and collaborative team environment
• Emotional maturity, with an ability to empathize with both Partners and EA colleagues
• Ability to identify and resolve issues before conflict arises
• Exceptional flexibility, tolerance of ambiguity, and adaptability to constantly changing environments, shifting priorities and differing personalities
• Highly effective communication skills, with the ability to tailor one’s style to suit audience. Ability to frame and articulate ideas well, and listen actively
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• Level-headedness and resilience: the ability to handle a high workload, working accurately and effectively under pressure, whilst remaining calm and composed
• Eagerness to learn, collaborate and share knowledge and expertise across teams and regions