Office Operations and Executive Assistant

Acumen is seeking an Associate with at least two years of experience in office administration or as an executive assistant to join the Strategic Initiatives team. This role is in London and office management requires relatively consistent presence (4 days in person). 

About Acumen

Acumen’s mission is to solve problems of poverty and build a world based on dignity. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services help vulnerable and low-income people transform their own lives. To date, Acumen has positively impacted 500+ million lives by investing $155M in 167 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investment isn’t just about capital; we’ve been investing in leadership for years, supporting emerging leaders in their own countries and engaging them in extended collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building.

About Strategic Initiatives

Strategic Initiatives is currently dedicated to Hardest to Reach, an initiative working to bring clean energy to some of the “hardest to reach” countries in Africa. We will bolster markets and provide capital to off-grid companies enabling clean energy access.

About the role

Acumen is seeking a dynamic individual for a hybrid role encompassing Office Administrator (60%) and Executive Assistant (40%) responsibilities. Reporting to the Chief of Strategic Initiatives (CSI) in London, this role requires a proactive, organized individual with a talent for multitasking and a commitment to our mission.

Accountabilities:

Office Administration (60%):

• Optimize new office set up. including booths, standing desks, chairs and white boards etc
• Ensure adherence to UK Health and Safety requirements (office chairs, foot-support, monitor set up, glare etc) and any building specific stipulations.
• Coordinate with property manager and vendors on security, lights, electrical, HVAC, cleaning; source new vendors as needed.
• Be present (in person) to coordinate services and receive deliveries
• Maintain Kitchen and office supply inventory, scheduling and organizing deliveries
• Collaborating with NY office manager, maintain current office budgets with a current tally on incoming costs, track and submit all vendor and office invoices, follow up to make sure no payments fall through the cracks
• Receive and distribute inbound mail and packages to appropriate people; manage accounts with couriers
• Attend any building trainings; collaborate with Legal team to maintain updated business continuity plans
• Take inbound office requests from London colleagues for facilities, supplies, and travel
• Handle visitor registration for individuals and group visits; facilitate Global staff visits (building passes, keys, bookings within and outside of Somerset house)
• Greet visitors
• Receive incoming calls to the London office, screen for sales calls
• Ensure seamless technology support by liaising effectively with Acumen’s managed IT service provider
• Collaborate with other office administrators and assist managed IT service provider with org-wide IT projects, implementations and administration.
• Facilitate conference room bookings (keeping overall team bookings within 2 hours max across European functional teams)
• Liaise with Talent in US regarding UK specific policies, insurance arrangements, pension arrangements, bank holidays
• Manage employee requests through task-management platform for the US and UK Teams

Executive Assistant (40%):

• Manage, arrange and ensure seamless run of CSI’s daily schedule, juggling multiple, simultaneous requests across multiple time zones
• Arrange domestic and international travel, ensuring clear communication of preferences and timely provision of comprehensive travel packs.
• Prepare and track expense reports in timely manner following travel; review and advise on expense reports for CSI’s direct reports, following Travel & Expense Policy
• Maintain discretion with sensitive information and ensure efficient record-keeping and documentation management.

Skills and Qualifications:

• minimum of 2 years of experience in office administration or as an executive assistant.
• Good organizational skills, good planning skills, good project management skills
• Good customer service skills: What is needed? How can I help?
• Good budgeting skills
• Good stakeholder management skills and coordinating stakeholders toward a shared outcome
• Can take initiative independently, can follow through, can deliver on a deadline
• Ability to pay vendors in a timely and coordinated fashion sharing transparency with Finance
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment, adapt to changing situations, and manage multiple priorities
• Experience using technology; Mastery of Microsoft Office applications including G-Suite, Outlook, Excel, and Word. Ability to learn new applications, such as Slack, Netsuite or equivalent software
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Solutions focused, problem solver
• Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen values
• Permanent work authorization in the United Kingdom

Deadline to apply

Apply as early as possible as applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis. 

#LI-ACU1

Read Full Description