Job post: looking for a great Executive Assistant
Hi! This is Simone and Stefano. We are just about to launch a new VC firm in Europe, and we are looking for an amazing executive assistant.
Fully remote, flexible working hours
We accept, we even actively look for, a fully remote position.
Perhaps you just bought a country house in a small town in Southern France; or you might need to assist an old parent or relative in your home town; or you want to be in your house for long periods of time, perhaps because you have some personal difficulty that prevents you from seeking jobs elsewhere. You need to be remote, and most companies aren’t ready to fully understand your situation. Maybe if you’re a really good software engineer. Otherwise, good luck. Or, keep reading!
We are also open to considering flexible working hours. Tell us why you need it, and we will discuss it with you.
So, we need a great, amazing executive assistant. You might not have any experience in a role like this, but if you’re good at organizing and coordinating people and things, and you have good people skills, and you are able to handle multitasking well, you might just have what it takes.
But really, what’s an executive assistant? What’s the job like?
What it’s like to be an executive assistant
Someone that helps the General Partners, and the rest of the team, organize things properly. Calendar invites, coordination between parties, logistics, miscellaneous tasks. And if you happen to have a lot of time to kill every few weeks, we can find other tasks that you can help us with. It might be tedious at times, yes, but it’s also a way to learn how a Venture Capital firm really works.
Exaggerations of the role include Andy in the movie “The Devil wears Prada”, Pepper Pots in Iron man, or Peggy Olson in the tv series Mad Men. The super-duper one is Donna Paulsen in another tv series: Suits.
Most of these characters are fictional, and many of the things they do are quite impossible feats in real life. They’re too perfect, and trying to be too perfect is sometimes the enemy of your success. Nevertheless, you get the idea. Behind a great manager there’s always a great assistant.
An effective executive assistant can have more than a “meh” impact on how a firm works and operates. No, seriously: it’s an important position, and it needs to be covered by someone with a strong ability to execute, coordinate, and a thirst to learn.
Who are we?
We are not ready to announce our name, or to launch officially, but we are close enough that it’s time for us to start recruiting for a few key roles, including this one. A venture capital, or VC, firm, usually launches a fund and runs it for about ten years. You can expect this job to last for at least a decade, possibly more if the firm launches additional funds.
Our VC firm includes two General Partners, or GPs (think of these as the “founders” of the firm), and a few others that we are actively recruiting as we speak. We are experienced entrepreneurs and investors, who have lived and worked pretty much everywhere in the world, with a significant proven B2B market experience and an unrivaled understanding of regulatory evolutions.
We collectively invested in more than one hundred companies, some of which have been really successful. We think we have what it takes to run a great VC firm, despite there’s tons of good competition out there, and the game is going to be harder than ever.
Generative vs Extractive companies
We also think that a good VC firm should invest and support “generative” companies, not “extractive” ones. No, we are not a foundation, or a not-for-profit company. We are doing this to make money. Our investors (called LPs) also want us to make money. But we believe that there’s money to be made while simultaneously investing in companies that can make the world a better place. Yes, you’ve heard this everywhere. Our only proof will be our portfolio, and our actions. We can’t promise it; we can only show it to you once we’ve done it.
Now, let’s try to give you more specific details about this position.
This is what you will do
• Help oversee progress for key projects in the team
• Assist the team in managing their calendar, schedule, calls, meetings, travels, etc
• Taking minutes for key meetings where required
• Help with end to end T&A (Time & Action) organization and management
• Manage administrative tasks that may be required
This is what you will need
• Live in the European Union and be able to work in a EU country (we need you in a time zone that is close to us (CET), and we need to be able to hire you or to find an easy way to pay you for your work). If you’re really, really exceptional, we might consider other options. We are not in a position to be able to sponsor a work visa for you.
• Experienced in working with a team of high performing people, in a fast-operating environment
• Understanding the varying levels of involvement required for different teams operations
• Exceptional organization and time management skills, great at multitasking
• Communicate well, great interpersonal skills
• Can handle diverse workloads & unpredictable schedules.
• Possess a very generalist culture and skillset
• Extreme transparency, candor, work ethic & proactivity
• Measure success in outcomes, not efforts to get there
• A great eye for detail
• Anticipate critical issues, helping identify areas that need focus
• Represent the team via email and on other channels.
• You must feel comfortable working remotely via telecommuting. We will be working closely via video calls and other online collaboration tools. But we’ll have great in-person team retreats, if you will want and be able to attend these.
• Very high proficiency of the English language — native speaker, or close to native.
Bonus points if
• You have experience working in a demanding and fast-paced environment
• You have a strong knowledge of the venture investment business
• You speak additional languages, in particular Italian.
Why work with us
• Do something with purpose, in a uniquely positioned venture firm, with an exceptional team!
• Fast moving, challenging and unique business problems
• International operating environment and flat hierarchy
• Great career development opportunities in a growing context
• Competitive salary
• Flexible working hours, unlimited discretionary leave, casual work attire
• We are nice people. Yes, really.
If you want to apply…
We need you to write a 3 to 4 page document describing why we should hire you (it can be a story, a list, a matrix, a drawing — try to impress us, but also try to communicate enough that we’d want to talk to you), and send it to us at neweuropeanvc@gmail.com, together with a well written resume (it should be clear and concise, not long and difficult to read — if necessary, write it from scratch, even if you have one ready). Please, please, please: use “Job application #02” in the subject line. Thanks!
Money!
You can expect €45k to €55k gross pay, depending on seniority, expertise, etc.
We promise that we will respond to everyone applying, but if we don’t like what we see, the answer will be very short, and blunt. Sorry about that in advance. Don’t despair. Most likely we failed to understand your potential. You will find something else, somewhere else.
If this is not for you, but you think you know someone who would be perfect for the job, send this to him/her/them.
Thanks!
