Executive Assistant, Strategic Initiatives

DivcoWest; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits

401k match

Flexible vacation policy

Weekly lunch stipend

Job summary

DivcoWest seeks an Executive Assistant, Strategic Initiatives to serve as a proactive partner to the Chief People Officer, blending sophisticated executive support with project management across a broad portfolio of priorities.

Responsibilities include calendar management, end-to-end travel planning, meeting and offsite coordination, expense reporting, and ownership of project plans, KPI and budget tracking, and talent-related workstreams.

Qualifications

• 7-9 years of progressive experience in executive support or operations.
• Experience supporting a senior executive in a fast-paced environment with calendar, travel, and expense management.
• Strong project management and organizational capabilities for multiple workstreams.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an executive calendar with prioritized meetings and conflicts.
• Plan domestic travel end-to-end with itineraries and contingencies.
• Prepare and submit expense reports with supporting documentation.
• Coordinate meetings, offsites, and cross-functional sessions.
• Provide coverage for other EA team members as needed.
• Create briefs, agendas, and background materials for meetings.
• Track commitments, decisions, and timelines across projects and initiatives.
• Drive action items, owners, and timelines to completion.
• Support KPI management, budgeting, and talent-related initiatives.
• Contribute to planning processes and executive-ready materials.

Skills

Executive support

Project management

Calendar management

Travel planning

Budget tracking

KPI tracking

Communication

Discretion

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

PowerPoint

Excel

Word

Teams

Job description

Founded in 1993 by Stuart Shiff, DivcoWest, a DivCore Capital company, is a vertically integrated, real estate investment firm headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Cambridge, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Washington DC, Austin, and New York City. Known for long-standing relationships and experience across the risk-spectrum in innovation markets, DivcoWest combines entrepreneurial spirit with an institutional approach to commercial real estate.

Since inception, DivcoWest and its predecessor have acquired approximately 66.2 million square feet of commercial space – primarily throughout the United States. DivcoWest’s real estate portfolio currently includes existing and development properties in the office, R&D, lab, industrial, digital, retail, and multifamily spaces.

Summary

We are seeking an Executive Assistant, Strategic Initiatives, to serve as a highly proactive partner to the Chief People Officer. This role combines sophisticated executive support with project management, executive preparation, and operational follow-through across a broad portfolio of priorities. The Executive Assistant will create leverage for the executive by managing complex logistics, maintaining visibility across commitments, preparing decision-ready materials, and ensuring that important work moves from discussion to completion. This is a hands-on role. Core responsibilities include calendar management, end-to-end travel planning, meeting and offsite coordination, and expense reporting, as well as ownership of project plans, KPI and budget tracking, talent-related workstreams, executive briefings, and process improvement initiatives. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable handling detailed administrative execution and stepping back to identify what matters most, what is at risk, and what needs to happen next. This role requires 4 days in office at our San Francisco, CA location. This position is not eligible for immigration support or sponsorship now or in the future. The ideal candidate has exceptional executive function, sound judgment, and a strong instinct for anticipation. This person is strategic, organized, discreet, and relentlessly reliable, with the ability to bring structure to ambiguity, synthesize information quickly, and manage multiple moving workstreams without losing sight of priorities or details.

Responsibilities

• Executive Support Own and actively manage a complex executive calendar, including scheduling, prioritization and conflict resolution. Understand the purpose and relative importance of meetings so calendar decisions reflect business priorities rather than simply accommodating requests in the order received.
• Plan and coordinate domestic travel from end to end, including flights, hotels, ground transportation, reservations, detailed itineraries, meeting agendas, and contingency planning.
• Prepare and submit accurate, timely expense reports; maintain receipts and supporting documentation; and resolve discrepancies or reimbursement issues.
• Coordinate internal and external meetings, working sessions, and offsites, including participant schedules, locations, materials, technology, catering, and follow-up logistics.
• Provide coverage for other Executive Assistant team members during vacations and other absences, as needed.
• Executive Readiness & Operating Management Provide a concise daily and weekly briefing that highlights upcoming meetings, deadlines, decisions, outstanding commitments, schedule changes, and items requiring executive attention.
• Review the calendar in advance and determine what context, materials, background reading, or stakeholder information is needed for the executive to enter each meeting fully prepared.
• Create meeting briefs, read-aheads, agendas, talking points, decision summaries, and other materials that allow the executive to quickly understand the purpose, history, participants, and desired outcome of a discussion.
• Maintain a reliable system for tracking commitments, decisions, delegated work, follow-ups, and due dates across meetings and workstreams.
• Translate discussions into clear action items, owners, and timelines, and drive follow-through until matters are resolved or formally reprioritized.
• Strategic Initiatives & Project Management Manage executive-sponsored projects and special initiatives from definition through completion, creating practical workplans, milestones, trackers, and status updates.
• Coordinate and maintain visibility across key priorities, including KPI development and progress tracking, department budget management, talent tracking and assessment, and company offsites.
• Partner with project owners and cross-functional stakeholders to clarify deliverables, establish realistic timelines, identify dependencies, and keep work moving.
• Support annual and quarterly planning processes, including organizing input, documenting decisions, tracking commitments, and preparing progress updates.
• Take ownership of additional projects in which the Chief People Officer is involved, flexing between project leadership, coordination, analysis, and hands-on execution based on the needs of the work.

Qualifications

• Required 7-9 years of progressively responsible experience in executive support, executive operations, project or program management, operations, or a related role.
• Demonstrated experience supporting a senior executive in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment, with ownership of calendaring, travel planning, meeting preparation, and expense management.
• Exceptional project management and organizational capability, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines, stakeholders, and details simultaneously.
• Strong executive-function skills: anticipation, prioritization, working memory, sequencing follow-through, and the ability to maintain a clear view of many moving pieces.
• Excellent written communication and document-production skills, with experience creating polished presentations, reports, briefing materials, and executive summaries.
• Ability to synthesize incomplete or complex information, identify what is most important, and develop a practical recommendation or next step.
• High degree of discretion, judgment, and professionalism when handling confidential, sensitive, or high-stakes information.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Teams, along with comfort learning new technology and productivity tools.
• Ability to work in the San Francisco office four days per week and to provide occasional support outside standard business hours when travel, time zones, or urgent priorities require it.
• Preferred Experience in real estate, investment management, financial services, professional services, or another sophisticated, relationship-driven environment.
• Experience supporting KPI management, budgeting, talent planning, organizational initiatives, leadership meetings, or executive offsites.
• Experience evaluating or implementing technology platforms, process improvements, automation, or AI-enabled workflows.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Core Competencies

• Strategic, proactive organizer who creates order, momentum, and clarity.
• Exceptional executive function and ability to anticipate around corners.
• Strong judgment in determining priorities, sequencing work, and escalating issues.
• High ownership, accountability, and follow-through; closes loops without repeated prompting.
• Ability to move fluidly between strategic context and detailed execution.
• Concise, polished written communicator with strong synthesis skills.
• Composed, adaptable, and resourceful in a fast-moving environment.
• High EQ and strong interpersonal judgment with executives and cross-functional partners.
• Meticulous attention to detail without losing sight of the broader objective.
• Discreet and trusted handler of confidential information.
• Service-oriented, low-ego team player who takes pride in making others more effective.
• Curious, technology-forward, and motivated to improve how work gets done.

The person in this position must be able to:

• Remain in a stationary position for 75% of the time working on a computer and attending in-person or virtual meetings.
• Occasionally move about the office to access meeting rooms, files, office technology, and other work areas.
• Travel occasionally for company meetings, offsites, or other business needs.

Compensation

Compensation $120,000 - $130,000 Annual bonus opportunity

Benefits

• Full benefits
• 401k match
• Flexible vacation policy
• Weekly lunch stipend

Divco West Services, LLC ("Company") complies with all applicable U.S. immigration laws and regulations. The Company does not provide employer support or sponsorship for any immigration-related employment benefit for this role. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for employer support or sponsorship now or in the future. This includes having the legal right to work in the United States without the need for the Company support or sponsorship for any immigration-related employment authorization (e.g., H-1B, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, TN, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, F-1 CPT, etc.) now or in the future.

Divco West Services, LLC, an equal opportunity employer, is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. The Company recruits, hires, trains, promotes, pays, and administers all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), sex stereotyping (including assumptions about a person’s appearance or behavior, gender roles, gender expression, or gender identity), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law. We interpret these protected statuses broadly to include both the actual status and also any perceptions and assumptions made regarding these statuses. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Please review our company Privacy Policy regarding the use of any personal information you provide us at: https://www.divcowest.com/privacy-policy/ This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, testing, screening, hiring, selection for training, upgrading, transfer, demotion, layoff, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment. This policy and the law prohibit employment discrimination against any employee or applicant on the basis of any legally protected status outlined above.