Executive Assistant
Morningstar
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Morningstar is seeking an Executive Assistant to provide high-touch administrative support to the CEO and manage Board-related activities. You will streamline calendars, coordinate multi-time-zone meetings, and handle sensitive information with discretion in a fast-paced environment.
You will also oversee travel logistics, event support for leadership, and strategic project coordination with senior leaders and external partners, ensuring smooth operations and effective execution.
Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience as an Executive Assistant supporting senior executives in a global organization.
- Experience supporting Board of Directors activities and materials.
- Ability to manage confidential information with sound judgment.
Responsibilities
- Manage the CEO's calendar end-to-end with priorities and prep.
- Coordinate meetings across multiple time zones with agendas and follow-up actions.
- Plan and execute complex domestic and international travel.
- Support Board meeting logistics and materials.
- Assist on CEO-level special projects and confidential initiatives.
Skills
Tools
Job description
The Corporate team unites a variety of functions at Morningstar — including design, marketing, finance, quality, human resources, corporate communications, legal, compliance, strategic planning, and technology — to ensure our business runs smoothly. Each function plays a critical role in supporting the company's infrastructure, day-to-day operations, and long-term strategic initiatives. These teams do not operate in silos. They work in close coordination with one another and with the rest of the firm to keep Morningstar's infrastructure sound and its strategic direction clear. When a business decision needs a legal read, a financial model, a communications plan, and an operational owner — all at the same time — Corporate is where that coordination happens.
The Executive Assistant will provide exceptional, high-touch administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer and manage key Board of Directors-related activities. This role is essential to enabling the CEO's focus on strategic leadership, external engagement, and organizational priorities.
Your work enables the CEO and leadership team to operate effectively. You bring order to competing priorities, anticipate needs, coordinate key activities, and ensure the right people and information come together at the right time. From managing the rhythm of the CEO's office to supporting leadership events and strategic planning efforts, you help create the conditions for strong decisions and effective execution
The ideal candidate is resourceful, proactive, and highly self-directed, with the ability to think critically, act independently, and consistently demonstrate strong judgment. They operate with a high degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and composure in a fast-paced environment. You will work closely with senior leaders, Board members, and external partners. The situations you navigate will not always come with a clear playbook. What they will always require is sound judgment, steady composure, and the ability to act with confidence when the answer is not obvious.
Location: This role is based at our global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Regardless of office, there is an expectation of four days per week in the office. Morningstar operates a flexible in-office model in which employees select their preferred remote workday.
- § Manage the CEO's calendar end-to-end: set priorities, resolve conflicts, protect focus time, and ensure every commitment has a clear purpose and the right preparation behind it
- § Coordinate meetings and engagements across multiple time zones, including briefing materials, agendas, and follow-up actions
- § Anticipate what the CEO will need next — information, context, logistics, or a decision — and move ahead of it
- § Process executive-level expenses in Concur accurately and on time, and flag any anomalies for review
- § Plan and manage complex domestic and international travel: flights, accommodation, ground transport, visas, and contingency options
- § Build detailed itineraries that account for time zones, schedule changes, and business priorities
- § Serve as the real-time point of contact when travel is in motion, resolving issues before they become disruptions
- § Coordinate Board meeting logistics: scheduling, materials preparation, room setup, and follow-up documentation
- § Manage communications between the CEO and Board members with accuracy and appropriate discretion
- § Maintain organized records of Board-related materials, resolutions, and correspondence
- § Support CEO-level special projects and confidential initiatives from planning through execution
- § Serve as a professional, informed first point of contact for internal leaders and external partners on behalf of the CEO
- § Identify recurring inefficiencies and propose improvements to how the office operates
- § 7+ years of experience as an Executive Assistant supporting senior executives — VP level or above — in a complex, global organization. The environments you have worked in required you to manage competing demands, operate with significant autonomy, and hold yourself to a high standard without close supervision.
- § A track record of working in organizations where the stakes are real: where a missed commitment, a scheduling error, or a confidentiality lapse has genuine consequences. You have operated in that environment and performed well in it.
- § Experience supporting Board of Directors activities, including coordinating board meetings and materials, managing sensitive and confidential information, and partnering with senior leaders to ensure seamless execution of board-related processes.
- § Demonstrated experience managing high-volume, high-conflict executive calendars. You do not just fill time slots — you make active decisions about what belongs on the schedule, what does not, and how to sequence commitments to protect the executive's focus and energy.
- § Comfort with ambiguity: when two priorities conflict and there is no obvious answer, you have a process for working through it and the confidence to act on your judgment.
- § Experience planning and executing complex domestic and international travel: multi-leg flights, accommodation, ground transport, visa requirements, and contingency options. You build itineraries that anticipate what could go wrong, not just what should go right.
- § Comfort managing travel in real time — when flights change, meetings shift, or plans fall apart — and resolving issues quickly without escalating unnecessarily.
- § Proficiency with productivity, scheduling, and collaboration tools used in a global executive environment.
- § Hands-on experience with Concur or an equivalent expense management platform. You process expenses accurately, maintain organized records, and flag anomalies without being prompted.
- § A consistent record of handling sensitive and confidential information — personnel matters, strategic discussions, Board-related materials — with appropriate discretion. You understand that confidentiality is not a rule you follow when reminded. It is a standard you hold yourself to at all times.
- § Proven judgment in ambiguous or fast-moving situations. You can distinguish between a decision that is yours to make, one that needs to be escalated, and one that requires more information before moving forward. That distinction matters enormously in this role.
You have worked with a principal whose schedule, relationships, and decisions carry firm-wide weight. You understand what that environment demands and have performed well in it.
You know how Board meetings are structured, what documentation they require, and how to handle Board-related materials and correspondence with appropriate care. You do not need to learn the basics on the job.
You have coordinated across regions — scheduling across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, managing international travel logistics, and working with colleagues and stakeholders in multiple countries simultaneously.
You are familiar with the standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and accuracy that a regulated environment requires. You understand why those standards exist and hold yourself to them.
- § Builds trust with internal and external stakeholders by representing the CEO's office with consistency, professionalism, and clear communication
- § Coordinates across functions, time zones, and seniority levels to move work forward — knowing when to communicate directly, when to escalate, and when to connect the right people
- § Understands Morningstar's mission and how the CEO's priorities connect to it; uses that understanding to make better decisions about how the CEO's time and attention are directed
- § Adapts quickly when priorities shift; keeps operations stable and the CEO's schedule functional even as circumstances change
- § Identifies problems before they elevate and proposes practical solutions without waiting to be directed
- § Models discretion, integrity, and sound judgment in every interaction — setting a consistent standard for how the CEO's office operates
- § Continuously improves how the executive office functions — refining processes for scheduling, travel, Board support, and correspondence to raise quality and reduce friction
- § Delivers on commitments accurately and on time, managing a complex and shifting workload without losing precision
- § Measures success by the CEO's ability to focus on what matters most; works proactively to remove anything that gets in the way of that
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Physical Health
Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
Emotional Health
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Social Health
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
$81,325.00-119,275.00
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
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