The Motion Picture Association, Inc. (“MPA”) is seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Executive Assistant (“EA”) to provide high-level administrative support and project management duties for our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). This position will report to the Chief of Staff to the CEO and will be responsible for managing calendars and scheduling, booking domestic and international travel, completing expense reports, coordinating meetings, and handling confidential information and professional correspondence. The ideal candidate must be detail-oriented, high-energy, resourceful, and capable of multitasking.
The EA must be proactive, with the ability to maintain confidentiality, while navigating diverse responsibilities, including calendar management, communication coordination, and special projects.
Key Responsibilities
Scheduling & Planning:
- Manage all scheduling and calendaring for the CEO’s office which includes internal and external stakeholders and contacts.
- Assist in managing and prioritizing daily workflow around emerging issues, including preparing materials and written correspondence timely on behalf of the CEO.
- Plan and coordinate travel, travel itineraries, including international travel logistics, and meeting/event coordination support.
- Manage and coordinate CEO breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings with high-level industry executives, and local and foreign government officials, including comprehensive strategic interaction and follow-up with their offices and working with internal Government Affairs and Corporate Communications team members.
- Help coordinate and organize new employee meetings with the CEO, internal town hall meetings, post-board meetings dinners with internal executives, and other internal events while identifying and negotiating fees and contracts with outside catering services, restaurants, and meeting venues.
- Collaborate with other internal team members on designing and hosting the annual staff holiday party for the DC office.
Communication:
- Draft, process, file and maintain correspondence, messages, and other documentation with the highest caliber of written and oral communication skills.
- Screen and route telephone calls, and written correspondence with both internal staff, management, and external constituents.
- Prepare, submit, and track expense reports, maintain records, and coordinate approvals of reports with accounting.
- Prepare clear and well-written communications for a wide range of audiences within the MPA and outside recipients such as studio executives, governmental contacts, and other external contacts.
- Field and follow through on inquiries from external government and industry stakeholders.
- Liaise with internal legal counsel regarding contracts, invitations, and ethics/gifts rules for Members of Congress and domestic and government officials.
Relationship Management:
- Develop professional relationships with key internal and external contacts, including but not limited to executive assistants of studio board members, governmental staff offices, and other state government offices.
- Maintain and manage contact lists for departments, member studio representatives, and key external constituents.
- Procure annual board member assistant and senior team holiday gifts.
- Recruit and supervise summer interns for the CEO office.
- Staff the CEO at MPA as needed.
Education and Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Advanced degree preferred.
- Minimum of 12 years’ experience supporting C-suite executives, high-level government officials or a trade association CEO.
Core Skills and Abilities
- Operate with a keen sense of urgency for certain situations with evening and weekend hours.
- Demonstrate effective and trustworthy leadership, as responsibility for planning meetings and events, determining business requirements, and guiding teams to success are required.
- Ability to leverage resources to accomplish objectives effectively and to take initiative to improve office environment and operations as needed.
- Manage time efficiently to ensure all tasks/projects are completed by the deadline while resolving work conflicts to unburden the CEO.
- Resolve internal/external issues swiftly to bolster the organization’s resilience and adaptability, particularly regarding high-stakes events and dinners.
- Must possess exceptional verbal communication skills to ensure information and direction are conveyed across all levels.
- Experience in contract negotiations with various entities with analysis based on annual budgets.
- Must possess the highest level of work ethics and integrity with the ability to maintain confidential information; demonstrated level of discretion in handling privileged information.
- Proactive in anticipating business and administrative needs.
- Must possess strong administrative and organizational skills with the ability to be proactive in completing assignments and job responsibilities with minimal supervision.
- Must possess the ability to effectively interface with a variety of people with tact and diplomacy and work well under stressful situations.
- Must possess superior writing skills with the ability to write, edit, and manage correspondence at executive levels.
- Experience in managing a busy calendar, making domestic and international travel arrangements, and managing expense reports.
- Strong experience in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Ability to effectively interact with senior-level executives and their assistants professionally.
- Acute attention to accuracy, consistency and a high degree of quality in work.