Executive Assistant - APC

Essentia Protein Solutions · Ankeny

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Provide high-level administrative, organizational, and business support to APC senior leadership by managing executive priorities, coordinating communications, facilitating meetings and events, and ensuring efficient execution of business activities. This role serves as a trusted partner to APC leadership, exercising sound judgment, maintaining confidentiality, and proactively anticipating organizational and executive needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Executive Support & Calendar Management

• Manage complex executive calendars, schedules, and competing priorities to maximize leadership effectiveness.
• Coordinate meetings, appointments, and business activities while balancing changing priorities and deadlines.
• Anticipate executive needs and proactively resolve scheduling conflicts or administrative barriers.
• Manage incoming communications and correspondence, responding independently when appropriate and escalating matters requiring executive attention.
• Prepare executives for meetings by assembling agendas, briefing materials, reports, and background information.
• Monitor outstanding commitments and ensure timely follow-up on key action items and decisions.

Travel & Meeting Coordination

• Coordinate and manage domestic and international travel arrangements, including itineraries, accommodations, transportation, registrations, and supporting documentation.
• Organize executive, leadership team, customer, supplier, and special event meetings.
• Coordinate meeting logistics, agendas, facilities, catering, technology support, and associated materials.
• Support leadership team meetings, off-site sessions, and strategic planning events.
• Manage logistics and planning for customer visits and executive-level meetings.

Communication & Document Management

• Draft, edit, proofread, and format executive communications, presentations, reports, and correspondence.
• Prepare high-quality presentation materials and supporting documentation for leadership meetings.
• Manage confidential business records, contracts, and corporate documents.
• Ensure document accuracy, consistency, and professional presentation.
• Support preparation of leadership updates, announcements, and employee communications.

Business Operations & Project Coordination

• Coordinate special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of leadership.
• Track action items, deliverables, and project timelines.
• Assist in gathering information, preparing reports, and monitoring progress toward key objectives.
• Support cross-functional collaboration by coordinating follow-up activities and communications.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

• Serve as a primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders interacting with APC leadership.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with employees, customers, vendors, consultants, community partners, and other business contacts.
• Represent APC leadership professionally in all interactions.
• Facilitate communication and information flow between leadership and key stakeholders.

Administrative Operations

• Process expense reports, corporate card allocations, invoices, purchase requests, and other administrative transactions.
• Maintain office records, filing systems, and administrative processes.
• Coordinate office-related activities and support company events as needed.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, streamline workflows, and enhance administrative effectiveness.

SCOPE & IMPACT:

• Provides direct support to APC executive leadership and regularly handles highly sensitive, proprietary, and confidential business information.
• Plays a critical role in enabling executive effectiveness through proactive organization, prioritization, communication, and execution.
• Coordinates activities across multiple functions and departments, often serving as a central point of communication and follow-up.
• Influences organizational efficiency through effective management of executive priorities, meetings, projects, and communications.
• Exercises discretion, independent judgment, and initiative in managing responsibilities and determining appropriate courses of action.
• Serves as a trusted representative of APC leadership in interactions with employees, customers, suppliers, business partners, and community stakeholders.

KEY CAPABILITIES:

Strategic Partnership & Business Acumen

• Understands APC's business priorities and aligns support activities accordingly.
• Anticipates executive needs and proactively addresses issues before they become challenges.
• Demonstrates sound judgment when handling sensitive business matters.
• Understands the implications of business decisions and organizational priorities.

Communication & Influence

• Communicates professionally and effectively with executives, employees, customers, suppliers, and external stakeholders.
• Builds trust and credibility across all levels of the organization.
• Adapts communication style to diverse audiences and situations.
• Drafts clear, accurate, and professional correspondence and presentations.

Organization & Execution

• Effectively manages multiple priorities, competing deadlines, and frequent interruptions.
• Maintains exceptional attention to detail while balancing speed and accuracy.
• Coordinates complex schedules, travel arrangements, meetings, and events.
• Ensures timely completion of commitments and follow-up activities.

Initiative & Problem Solving

• Demonstrates resourcefulness and independent thinking when addressing challenges.
• Identifies potential conflicts, risks, or obstacles and recommends solutions.
• Exercises good judgment in determining matters requiring executive involvement.
• Continuously seeks opportunities to improve administrative processes and efficiency.

Relationship Management

• Establishes productive working relationships across departments and functions.
• Serves as a professional representative of APC leadership.
• Maintains discretion and professionalism when handling confidential matters.
• Creates positive experiences for internal and external stakeholders.

Adaptability & Resilience

• Remains effective in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Adjusts priorities based on evolving business needs.
• Demonstrates flexibility when supporting multiple leaders and initiatives.
• Maintains composure and professionalism under pressure.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Associate degree in Business Administration, Communications, or related field required.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible executive administrative support experience.
• Experience supporting senior leaders or executives in a corporate environment required.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating executive schedules, travel, meetings, communications, and projects.
• Experience working with confidential business information and sensitive matters required.

COGNITIVE & DECISION-MAKING REQUIREMENTS:

Prioritization & Independent Judgment

• Regularly evaluates competing requests, deadlines, and executive priorities to determine appropriate sequencing of work.
• Exercises discretion in managing calendars, responding to inquiries, and determining issues requiring executive escalation.
• Makes independent decisions regarding scheduling, meeting logistics, communications, and administrative matters within established guidelines.

Analytical Thinking

• Reviews information from multiple sources to identify inconsistencies, missing information, scheduling conflicts, or operational risks.
• Anticipates downstream impacts of decisions and actions.
• Interprets policies, procedures, and business requirements to support appropriate decision-making.

Problem Solving

• Identifies and resolves administrative, logistical, and coordination issues with limited supervision.
• Develops practical solutions to conflicting priorities and changing business needs.
• Responds effectively to unplanned situations requiring immediate action.

Attention to Detail & Information Processing

• Reviews documents, reports, presentations, and correspondence for completeness, accuracy, grammar, and consistency.
• Processes large volumes of information while maintaining confidentiality and accuracy.
• Monitors multiple workstreams and deadlines simultaneously.

Confidentiality & Discretion

• Routinely handles highly sensitive business, personnel, financial, strategic, and legal information.
• Exercises sound judgment regarding the disclosure, handling, and storage of confidential information.
• Maintains professional discretion in all interactions and communications.

Planning & Coordination

• Coordinates multiple activities occurring simultaneously across leaders, departments, and external stakeholders.
• Anticipates future administrative and operational needs.
• Balances short-term requests with long-term planning requirements.

Physical & Mental Requirements

Approximate:       8-Hour Day (may be longer during peak season)

Key:             Occasional         =       0% - 33%

                     Frequent             =       34% - 66%

                     Continuous        =       67% - 100%

                     N/A                      =       Not Applicable

Standing                   Occasional           

Sitting                          Frequent               

Walking                            Occasional                           

Bending/Kneeling/Crouching/Stooping                   Occasional       Reaching Above Shoulder                                                                        Occasional                           

Climbing (stairs, ladders, etc.)                                                                                Occasional                           

Working on Heights:

Unprotected Heights                                                                                N/A

Protected Heights                                                                                    N/A

Lifting Weights from 0 to 50 pounds                                                    Occasional

Push/Pull/Maneuver Equipment/Products/Materials Weighing from 0 to 50 pounds                                                                               Occasional

Being Around and/or Operating Moving Machinery/Equipment  N/A

Operating a Vehicle (as a part of your job)                                        Frequent

Read/Monitor Gauges on Various Equipment/Machinery              N/A

Hand Movements:

Recording Data                                                                            Occasional

Operating Office Equipment                                                      Occasional

Operating Computer                                                                   Occasional

Simple Grasping (right and left)                                               N/A

Firm Grasping (right and left)                                                   N/A

Fine Manipulating (right and left)                                            N/A

Foot Movements to Operate Foot Controls                           N/A

Good Vision, Corrected to Normal; or Ability to Access

        Required Information and to Perform Job Duties        Yes

Color Definition                                                                          Yes

Good Hearing, Corrected to Normal; or Ability to Communicate

        and/or Understand Required Information and to Perform

        Job Duties                                                                           Yes

Ability to be Mobile throughout Required Work Areas         Yes

Office                                                                                            Frequent

Multiple Locations                                                                     Occasional

Plant                                                                                             Occasional

Equipment/Maintenance or Repair Area                                N/A

Rough Terrain                                                                              N/A

Other                                                                                             N/A

Note:  This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of the job duties and requirements associated with this job and is intended to represent an accurate reflection of the current job.

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