Executive Secretary

Simera Sense is a leading provider of Earth observation camera solutions for the global small satellite market. Committed to excellence and innovation, we deliver superior products and services to our worldwide customer base.

We are seeking a highly professional, proactive, and detail-oriented Executive Secretary to the CEO to provide comprehensive administrative and executive support to the Chief Executive Officer. In this pivotal role, you will manage the CEO's schedule, coordinate meetings and travel arrangements, handle confidential correspondence, prepare reports and presentations, and serve as a key liaison between the CEO and internal and external stakeholders. This position is ideally suited to a highly organized, discreet, and dependable individual with exceptional communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced executive environment.

Position Type: Fulltime

Remote Opportunity: No

Report To: CEO

Location: Somerset West, South Africa

Job Purpose:

Provides confidential, proactive coordination and administrative support to the CEO, facilitating strategic priorities, international stakeholder engagements and Board-related activities in support of the CEO and Company Secretary

Responsibilities:

Executive support and office coordination

• Manage the CEO’s office, diary, priorities, correspondence, travel, meetings, and follow-up activities.
• Screen requests, anticipate requirements and conflicts, and escalate urgent or strategically important matters.
• Handle confidential, commercially sensitive, governance-related, and personal information with discretion.

Diary and meeting management

• Manage the CEO’s complex international diary across countries, stakeholder groups, and time zones.
• Coordinate executive, customer, supplier, investor, industry, and Board-related meetings, resolving scheduling conflicts proactively.
• Confirm meeting objectives and logistics and prepare agendas, briefing packs, presentations, and supporting documentation.

Executive liaison and action coordination

• Serve as the administrative liaison between the CEO, Executive Committee, regional leaders, and functional teams.
• Coordinate information, approvals, reports, presentations, and decisions, communicating CEO instructions accurately.
• Record and track actions, responsibilities, deadlines, and dependencies, escalating overdue or high-risk matters.

External stakeholder engagement

• Coordinate the CEO’s engagements with customers, suppliers, partners, investors, industry organisations, government representatives, and other key stakeholders.
• Manage the administrative arrangements for external meetings, visits, conferences, exhibitions, and stakeholder events.
• Prepare stakeholder briefings, record commitments, and refer follow-up actions to the appropriate internal owners.

Board and governance administration support.

• Support the CEO and Company Secretary with Board and committee scheduling, liaison, logistics, documentation, and briefing arrangements.
• Coordinate Board submissions and deadlines, arrange Board-related engagements, and track CEO-owned actions.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and refer statutory, legal, governance, minute-taking, filing, and resolution matters to the Company Secretary or authorized specialist.

International travel and event coordination

• Plan and coordinate the CEO’s domestic and international travel, including transport, accommodation, meetings, access, and contingency arrangements with the Travel Coordinator.
• Arrange visas, invitation letters, itineraries, travel documentation, and related requirements through authorized channels.
• Liaise with international stakeholders and manage the CEO’s participation in conferences, exhibitions, panels, industry forums, and networking events.

Executive communication and document management

• Draft professional executive correspondence, invitations, meeting confirmations, introductions, acknowledgements, and follow-up communication.
• Adapt communication for different audiences and coordinate responses requiring input from multiple internal contributors.
• Maintain secure, organized records and apply confidentiality, access control, version control, data protection, and records-management requirements.

Internal coordination and continuous improvement

• Maintain an overview of the CEO’s strategic priorities, commitments, decisions, risks, and key deadlines.
• Coordinate internal communication and information flow across departments to support alignment and timely access to authorized documents.
• Improve systems, templates, and processes to support an efficient, responsive, and internationally professional CEO office.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced Diploma/bachelor’s degree in business administration, Corporate Governance, Law, Commerce or related field.

Required Experience:

Minimum experience:

• At least 8 years’ relevant experience providing executive-level support, preferably to a CEO, Managing Director, ExCo member, Board, or Governance Support role.
• Demonstrated experience working in a highly confidential, fast paced corporate environment.

Type of Experience Required

• Demonstrated experience managing complex executive diaries, international travel, senior-level meetings, and confidential correspondence.
• Experience engaging with Board members, customers, suppliers, investors, industry organisations, and senior external stakeholders.
• Experience working across multiple countries, cultures, and time zones.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Excellent written and verbal business communication skills in English.
• Working knowledge of an additional European or international business language, preferably French.
• Demonstrated experience preparing executive correspondence, briefing packs, presentations, agendas, meeting documentation, and action trackers.
• Exposure to Board and committee administration, corporate governance processes, and confidential Board documentation.
• Experience coordinating executive participation in international conferences, exhibitions, customer visits, or industry forums.
• Familiarity with document management, customer relationship management, Board portal, travel management, or workflow systems.

Recommendations:

• Experience working in an international technology, engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, or similarly complex business environment.
• Exposure to Board portals, governance, CRM, travel or workflow systems.
• Working knowledge of an additional European or international business language, preferably French.

Special requirement(s):

• Valid passport and willingness to travel domestically or internationally when required.
• Ability to work on-site in Somerset West and provide flexibility aligned to executive and international business demands.
• Strict adherence to confidentiality, information security, and delegated authority requirements.

What we offer:

• The opportunity to work in the fast-growing space industry.
• Niche global market for optical payloads for microsatellites.
• Cutting-edge technology at your fingertips
• A competitive salary
• A friendly working environment.

Ready to make an impact?

Apply now by submitting your CV and cover letter.