Personal Executive Assistant to VP of Governance and Regulation at Sasol

Job description

In line with Sasol’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, we actively encourage and welcome persons with disabilities to apply

The main purpose for the job is:

• To provide a day-to-day operational personal assistant and secretarial/administration function to the Vice President and acts as the manager's first point of contact with people from both inside and outside the organisation. Co-ordinates business functions of the unit that include personnel administration, office co-ordination and budget monitoring and management. To ensure effective e-mail and diary management, administration management (including financial administration, project-related admin support) for the Vice President.
• Accountable for the effective utilisation and deployment of senior executives / manager/s time and schedule.
• To co-ordinate office activities and perform clerical functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls and scheduling meetings in addition to providing effective technical support in Board preparation and presentations and in support of the on-going operations of the office. Usually privy to sensitive and confidential information. To be a strong, skilled and discreet confidante to the VP and to be trustworthy and empowered to take decisions within the scope of the job, as well as to manage the personal affairs of the manager.
• To support the VP in the achievement towards reaching the company's strategic goals and objectives.
• Has excellent and effective meeting planning skills.
• Excellent planner and coordinator with good time management and information flow and travel planning skills.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience required:

• Grade 12 with 9 years’ experience                        

• Relevant Certificate (2 year) with 7 years relevant experience

• Relevant Diploma (3 year) with 6 years relevant experience

• Relevant degree or Higher National Diploma (3-4 year) with 5 years relevant experience

• 1-2 years SAP (PS7) knowledge and experience
• Experience with preparing Board Packs

Core Elements of the Job:

Planning and co-ordination of meetings

• Effectively manages the diary/calendar of the Vice President (e.g., scheduling of meetings as agreed).
• Effectively manages diaries, by ensuring the availability of key stakeholders and helps the VP's to co-ordinate critical meetings within the required timelines.
• Effectively manages the daily operations of the VP. Responds to all meeting invitations received and ensures proper consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
• Proactively anticipates and responds to diary clashes and resolves conflicts. Books meeting rooms and organises access and parking for visitors.
• Arranges catering and refreshments for agreed meetings.
• Monitors the email in-boxes for the Vice President and provides necessary support based on the action that is required (e.g., urgent requests to be sent; queries handed-over to relevant member of the team; meeting deadlines for submissions; complaints or escalations).
• Receives and screens visitors and telephone calls, takes messages, schedules appointments for VP and/or management staff and provides information to callers.
• Performs a full range of secretarial assignments, such as composing and typing routine letters, memoranda, reports and minutes of meetings, preparing of the Board Pack (compiling all submissions from VPs).
• Project a professional company image through in-person and phone interaction.
• Assists in the drafting of the agendas for internal and external meetings and ensures timely distribution to meeting attendees before the meetings take place.
• Plans and organises events such as conferences, annual events, monthly committee meetings and weekly team meetings.
• Creates, transcribes, and distributes meeting agendas and minutes.
•  Prioritizes and negotiates organizational needs regarding meetings, timeframes, and deadlines.
• Attends meetings, takes minutes and meeting notes.

Administration Support

• Works independently to manage and plan projects and executes on deliverables within timelines.
• Proofreads and corrects prepared materials for correct grammar, format, completeness. Provides an efficient and responsive administrative, organisational, and logistical service to the VP.
• Assists VP by helping him/her to manage and prioritise his/her time and ensures that a high level of service is maintained.
• Plan and organise the workload and the initiative to resolve issues quickly in an appropriate manner and has to cope with changing set of priorities and needs to be flexible and adaptable. Prepares and maintains office records, reports and correspondence.
• Utilizes, reconciles and manipulates data for management reports from different internal and external sources.
• Applies an understanding of the information in order to extrapolate key data. Organises and stores paperwork, documents and computer based information.
• Stores and files documents for easy future access. Maintains hard copy and electronic filing system.
• Keeps abreast of technological changes and masters new technology.
• Compose, type and distribute meeting notes, routine correspondence and minutes. Photocopies and prints documents as and when requested.

Travel Management

• Identifies and schedules appropriate venue, travel and accommodation arrangements, locally and internationally for the VP.
• Manages the logistics of all venue, travel and accommodation requirements.
• Makes arrangements for passports, international visas, international drivers’ licenses, car hire, international roaming facilities, foreign currency allowances, if and when required.

Stakeholder management and communication

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with internal and external customers through oral and written communications.
• Keeps informed on industry developments. Adapts the content, style and medium of communication to ensure appropriateness and to maximize understanding and impact among a wide range of audiences.
• Assists other PAs on systems or processes, if needed.
• Effectively responds to internal stakeholder queries in a timely manner. Manages a number of requests and situations at one time.

Cost awareness and control

• Monitors cost and expenditure and provides report to the VP.
• Prepares and maintains VP's expense report. Orders and maintains stationery and equipment timeously and keeps records thereof.
• Controls stock of stationery and office supplies. 
•  Provides recommendations on improvement opportunities in the administrative functions (e.g. ways to save costs, increase efficiency, save time etc.).
• Monitors budget activities and analyses trends.
• Assists with managing and maintaining budgets.
• Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work