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Pearson

Specialist, Administrative Support

Posted Yesterday
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In-Office
Durham, NC
Senior level
In-Office
Durham, NC
Senior level
Provide executive administrative and office management support for a distributed leadership team: manage calendars and travel (including international/visa coordination), maintain financial trackers and POs, coordinate meetings and onsite events, draft communications, handle confidential information, support small projects and vendor/facilities coordination, and improve administrative workflows and reporting.
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Executive Assistant / Office Manager Job Summary 

We are seeking an organized and proactive Executive Administrative Assistant and Office Manager to join our organization in the Durham, NC office. This Executive Assistant provides support to a group of individuals by handling correspondence, managing calendars and appointments, arranging conferences, making travel arrangements, and providing other administrative tasks. A strong administrative assistant candidate will excel at organization, management of multiple peoples' time and expectations, juggling shifting priorities, have a self-starter attitude, and getting things done before others recognize the need. In addition, this role requires solid financial acumen including comfort working with budgets, purchase orders, and basic financial reporting and strong spreadsheet skills (e.g., Excel/Google Sheets) to track spend, reconcile information, and produce clear summaries. 

Executive Assistant Duties and Responsibilities 

 

Support a team of executives with administrative tasks, especially management of calendars. Leaders are across the US, thus time zone management must be flexible. In office hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30am to 5pm ET. 
 
Plan and schedule meetings, presentations, other office-related events, and travel arrangements; send reminders regarding upcoming appointments. 
 
Welcome onsite visitors to our office for executive meetings. 
 
Maintain trackers in Excel/Google Sheets (e.g., spend logs, vendor lists, action items) and provide timely, accurate status updates. 

Coordinate and support office engagement events and onsite meetings (e.g., team events, hosted lunches, and celebrations), including managing catering requests, collecting dietary requirements, coordinating delivery logistics, and overseeing event setup/cleanup in partnership with vendors. 

Serve as a key point of contact for the executives, triaging inbound requests, exercising sound judgment on prioritization, and ensuring timely follow-through. 

Increase meeting effectiveness by coordinating agendas and pre-reads, capturing action items and decisions, and tracking follow-ups to completion. 

Manage end-to-end travel planning and logistics, including itinerary coordination, policy-compliant booking, and rapid adjustments when plans change. This includes international travel coordination for visas, UK Travel Applications, etc. 

Provide light project coordination support for cross-functional initiatives (e.g., onboarding/offboarding logistics, office initiatives), including timelines, status tracking, and risk/issue escalation. 

Continuously improve administrative and office processes by creating and maintaining templates, checklists, and repeatable workflows. 

Draft, edit, and format internal communications and materials on behalf of the executives, ensuring clarity, professionalism, and appropriate tone. 

Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism. 

Coordinate with facilities/building management and office vendors to support a well-functioning office environment, including issue resolution and service requests. 
 
Run basic reports for adherence to office policies and support periodic reporting needs (e.g., headcount, office utilization, and expense summaries) 

Management and tracking of purchase orders, invoices, and contract signature processes; maintain accurate logs, support invoice/PO matching, and help monitor spend against budget 

 

 

Administrative Assistant Requirements and Qualifications 

 

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required. Associate degree in Business Administration preferred. 

5+ years of executive administrative, secretarial, or office experience 

Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office (strong Excel skills preferred) and/or Google Workspace 

Demonstrated ability to build and maintain spreadsheets for tracking and reporting (e.g., formulas/functions, basic charts, pivot tables, and lookups such as VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP) 

Financial acumen and attention to detail comfortable with budget tracking, expense categorization, reconciliations, and supporting purchase order/invoice workflows 

Strong verbal and written communication skills 
 

Demonstrated professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment when handling confidential information 

Experience coordinating complex calendars, meetings, and travel arrangements, including working across time zones 

Ability to manage small projects and improve processes through strong organization, follow-through, and clear status communication 

Experience supporting office events and catering coordination, including vendor management and handling last-minute changes 

Comfortable with routinely shifting demands 

High degree of attention to detail 

 

Pearson Chicago, Illinois, USA Office

50 NW Point Blvd, Chicago, United States, 60007

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