Executive Assistant to the CFO & COO

Kaelo; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaelo, a leading South African health solutions company, seeks an Executive Assistant to support the CFO and COO. You will act as gatekeeper, strategist, and ultra-organized partner, managing complex calendars, briefing packs, and high-stakes communications in a regulated healthcare environment.

The role requires discretion, exceptional emotional intelligence, and the ability to switch context between financial and operational priorities.

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years of experience as an Executive Assistant to C-suite executives.
• Experience in medical insurance, healthcare or financial services is preferred.
• Strong discretion with confidential board-level information.
• Excellent calendar management and briefing-pack skills.

Responsibilities

• Dual-hat calendar optimization with CFO and COO blocks.
• Gatekeeping, inbox triage and meeting pre-briefings.
• Coordinate board decks, investor materials and regulatory timelines.
• Act as conduit between executive and diverse stakeholders.

Skills

Executive support

Strategic partner

Stakeholder management

Emotional intelligence

Discretion

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or related field

Tools

Outlook/Google Workspace

Slack/Teams

Asana or Monday.com

Excel

Job description

Company Description

Kaelo provides essential healthcare solutions ensuring the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of all South Africans towards lasting social change. Kaelo meets the Healthcare needs of Corporate and Retail clients across South Africa – products offerings include Medical Insurance, Medical Aid, Gap Insurance, Kaelo Money and employee assistance programmes.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly strategic, operationally sound, and financially literate Executive Assistant (EA) to support our dual-role CFO & COO. In this critical position, you will act as the ultimate gatekeeper, air-traffic controller, and strategic partner to a leader managing the entire financial health and operational execution of our medical insurance business.

Because this executive wears two high-stakes hats, you will be responsible for managing intense context-switching, safeguarding their cognitive load, and ensuring neither long-term financial strategy nor day-to-day operational excellence is compromised. The ideal candidate has deep experience in highly regulated environments, understands insurance fundamentals, and thrives in a fast-paced corporate setting.

Key Responsibilities

Calendar, Energy & Context Management

• Dual-Hat Calendar Optimization: Strategically architect the executive’s calendar by grouping tasks and meetings into distinct "CFO blocks" (audits, actuarial reviews, solvency) and "COO blocks" (claims operations, IT infrastructure, provider networks) to minimize decision fatigue.
• Meeting Pre-Briefing & Readiness: Ensure the executive is fully prepared for every meeting. You will curate briefing packs, clarify the context (Financial vs. Operational), define the required outcomes, and ensure relevant data is reviewed beforehand.
• Gatekeeping & Inbox Triaging: Act as a diplomatic but firm shield against "operational noise." Route routine claims, customer service, or vendor escalations to department heads, ensuring only critical systemic issues reach the executive.

Financial & Regulatory Administration (CFO Support)

• Regulatory Calendar Tracking: Take absolute ownership of strict, non-negotiable statutory filing windows, regulatory audit cycles, and annual product/plan restructuring deadlines.
• High-Stakes Deliverable Coordination: Assist in compiling and formatting board decks, investor relations materials, reinsurer briefs, and financial forecast models.
• Financial Literacy Execution: Comfortably handle sensitive financial documents (P&L statements, solvency margins, expense reports) with absolute discretion.

Operational Oversight & Governance (COO Support)

• Cross-Functional Tracking: Monitor progress on major operational milestones (e.g., system migrations, provider network negotiations, claims turnaround time targets) using project management tools.
• Stakeholder Bridge: Serve as a seamless professional conduit between the executive and diverse stakeholders, including actuarial consultants, corporate clients, hospital networks, and regulatory bodies.
• Process Optimization: Identify and implement ways to streamline the executive's office operations, internal communications, and sign-off workflows (e.g., DocuSign queues).

Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of 5–7+ years of experience as an Executive Assistant supporting C-suite executives. Experience in medical insurance, medical schemes, financial services, or healthcare logistics is highly preferred.
• Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with or an ability to rapidly learn medical insurance metrics and concepts (e.g., Claims/Loss Ratios, IBNR reserves, provider networks, statutory solvency).
• Technical Skills: Advanced mastery of calendar management tools (Outlook/Google Workspace), communication channels (Slack/Teams), and project tracking tools (Asana, Monday.com, or similar). High comfort level with Excel/Google Sheets is a plus.
• Discretion: A flawless track record of handling highly confidential board-level financial data and sensitive personnel information.
• Attributes: Exceptional emotional intelligence, a calm demeanor under high-pressure deadlines, strong assertive communication skills, and an innate ability to predict an executive's needs three steps ahead.

Working Conditions

• This role is typically office-based. Occasional extended hours may be required to support executive schedules.

Additional Information

Behavioural Competencies

• High integrity and confidentiality
• Proactive and solutions-driven
• Resilient and adaptable
• Professional and dependable
• Strong ownership and accountability
• Independent yet collaborative
• Professionally presented