Executive Assistant

The Opportunity:

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals. With capabilities spanning Private Capital & Currency, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture. We are proud of our employee-owned culture, built on collaboration and shared success, empowering our professionals to develop meaningful relationships, pursue growth opportunities and make a lasting impact for our clients and communities. Mesirow has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business multiple times and is one of Barron’s Top 100 RIA firms.

Based at our Chicago Headquarters, the Executive Assistant role provides vital, high-level support to a key senior C-Suite Executive and Board Member. The position demands exceptional attention to detail, absolute discretion with confidential matters, sound independent judgment, and the ability to seamlessly manage competing priorities and complex administrative operations.

Responsibilities:

• Provide overall executive administrative support while anticipating and being proactive to the needs of the senior executive.
• Serve as a polished extension of the executive office, exercising sound judgment and gravitas when interacting with senior leaders, employees, clients, and key external partners.
• Draft and manage executive correspondence, including writing and editing professional emails, drafting internal memos, and preparing key communications on behalf of the senior executive and the leadership team.
• Design and refine presentation materials, utilizing PowerPoint to build clean, high-impact slide decks, executive summaries, and meeting collateral.
• Coordinate travel arrangements including air, hotel, transportation for both domestic and international travel as needed.
• Manage a complex and busy calendar which includes scheduling meetings, notifying meeting participants of schedule changes, and prioritizing meetings.
• Create meeting invitations in MS Outlook that include all relevant information, i.e., agenda, attendees, room information, prep material, and video conferencing requirements.
• Responsible for the coordination and planning of firmwide events, including town halls and the annual stockholders meeting.
• Effective at navigating the internal organization (formal and informal structures) and acts as a liaison among key internal stakeholders, clients, and all external contacts; understands which issues are urgent and prioritizes in order of importance. 
• Play an active role in firmwide projects and strategic initiatives as requested. 
• Assist on the implementation of corporate business-wide policies and procedures.
• Answer and respond to phone calls, communicate messages and information.
• Prepare expense reports and documentation in a timely manner.
• Coordinate webcasts, video and telephone conferences as needed.
• Completion of any reasonable projects or tasks, as requested.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• A min. of 10 years as an executive assistant supporting senior level company executives, preferably within the financial services sector. The qualified individual must demonstrate a distinguished track record of managing high-level engagements and delicate stakeholder relationships, consistently exhibiting the utmost personal discretion and professional integrity.
• Experience in executive level calendar management, meeting management, time management, strategic planning of tasks, complex travel management, expense processing, phone management, client handling and event planning.
• Excellent attention to detail. Ability to handle heavy demands efficiently, meet deadlines and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced knowledge across the Microsoft suite of office products combined with a strong aptitude for learning new skills, systems and processes.
• Experience analyzing and resolving office administrative and procedural issues.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to complete tasks with superior accuracy.
• Polished written and verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to complete tasks on own initiative, be a self-starter, and work with autonomy.
• Positive and approachable demeanor.
• Effective at navigating the breadth of the firm to ensure the achievement of tasks and responsibilities.
• Willingness to take on additional duties and responsibilities overtime and develop in role.

In accordance with the Illinois Pay Transparency Law, the anticipated hiring base salary for the role will be between $90,000 and $110,000 per year. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, also provides the opportunity for a bonus and the Mesirow benefit program.

EOE