Executive Assistant

COMPANY BACKGROUND:
MORE THAN 1000 BOUTIQUES, 11 VILLAGES, 8 COUNTRIES AND 2 CONTINENTS. ALL IN JUST OVER 20 YEARS. HERE’S OUR STORY

It is a story of how we transformed ourselves from a real estate company into one of the world’s most inventive retailers, creating experiences that delight almost 40 million guests every year. Each of the 11 Villages in The Bicester Collection was created with its own unique narrative reflected in its design and architecture, making them a collection of unique destinations, located in Europe’s and China’s most important luxury and fashion markets. Each Village is home to a distinctive curation of international fashion and lifestyle brands, together with celebrated designers unique to the respective regions. Our guests come from all over the world. They seek out originality, unparalleled levels of service, an emotional connection and - most importantly - fun. Our job is to engage their five senses and ensure their experience exceeds expectation. We want them not only to discover us and shop with us, but to talk about us and return to us. Our vision is to be the best shopping experience destination in the world

It is a story of entrepreneurial spirit. We never stand still. That’s why and how we achieve double digit growth year on year. Our “secret sauce”? Four different perspectives working together to deliver the magic: real estate, retail, hospitality and curation of experience. When we combine the sense of place, the product, the guest services and the emotional connections, we deliver our brand promise: ‘Something extraordinary every day ’ for our guests, brand partners and colleagues.

It is a story of a family. Ours is made up of 1,200 colleagues of over 45 nationalities with diverse backgrounds, ages, experience and leadership styles. Our infectious enthusiasm and the fact that every colleague is an entrepreneur at heart is in our DNA and forms the foundation of our culture, which values invention, innovation and risk taking. We do not (and never will) have a head office. Instead, we have a decentralised and matrixed organisation and we challenge ourselves every day to think global and act local.

Our five Values (Authenticity, Critical Thinking, Innovation, Passion and Vision) are the glue that binds us together and allows us to look ahead. Our five Guiding Principles (‘Experience is everything’, ‘Double digit growth’, ‘Joined-up thinking’, ‘Differentiation adds value’ and ‘Keep improving and raising the bar) help us both prioritise and retain the sense of spirited restlessness that keeps us innovating in order to anticipate the needs of our guests and our brands.

Simply put: It is a story of extraordinary people doing extraordinary things, together.

Step into the story and help us write the next extraordinary chapter.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Executive Assistant provides efficient and confidential day-to-day support to one or two Directors and supports the coordination with any external consultants who carry out activities related to the reference activities. This role provides a proactive service to ensure efficient administration and secretarial support to the business and (sometimes) personal schedules.

Schedule Management:

- Managing the flow of meeting invitations, prioritising, dealing with frequent changes
- Extensive management of the diary (via Outlook) including scheduling all meetings, engagements, conference calls, travel, conferences
- Having awareness of working across time zones (Europe, China, the US)
- Developing an understanding of who is who in the business and which meetings take precedence over others/which are more urgent
- Issuing meeting invitations on behalf of colleagues. Co-ordinate with other Assistants to find a mutually convenient time.
- Booking meeting rooms, organising refreshments as required.
- Checking key meetings coming up to ensure they have maximum attendance, reschedule if necessary
- Submitting monthly credit card expenses
- Submitting monthly time sheets
- Take telephone messages and respond to queries promptly, texting and notifying when required.
- Liaise with all departments and Villages across Europe as and when required.

Travel:

- Planning travel ahead to ensure cost efficiency and to maximise the benefit by planning additional meetings during the trip
- Manage all travel arrangements and logistics, including booking flights, hotels, local transfers, restaurants and hotels in conjunction with the in-house Travel Facilitators and local Office Managers in the Villages.
- Ensuring every relevant detail is in the required schedule
- Approving or questioning travel request forms as submitted by the Travel Desk

Other
- Adhoc project work as required
- Coordinating events and meetings as required
- Maintaining departmental budget to minimise overspend

ABOUT YOU
- Educated to degree level.
- Formal secretarial/office administrative qualifications and sound understanding of office procedur