S

Executive Assistant

Somewhere

Fully Remote
📍 Global
🇿🇦 SA Friendly: 1.0/1.0

🇿🇦 Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants

This fully remote full time position at Somewhere is open to applicants from South Africa. The estimated monthly salary is R37,000 – R46,250 ZAR. This role is suited for senior-level professionals. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.

Job Description

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Role: Executive Assistant

Priority Location: Philippines or South Africa

Working Hours: Full-time, aligned to Malaysian business hours

Salary Range: $2,000 – $2,500 USD / month

Type of contract:Full-Time

Type of job:Remote

About the Company:

Our client is an entrepreneurial founder building a venture-house-style organization spanning multiple operating companies and offshore investments. The founder operates across several concurrent business lines, investments, and strategic initiatives, requiring a high-trust Executive Assistant who can bring structure, speed, and clarity to an otherwise fast-moving and complex environment.

This is a lean, high-performance setup where execution matters more than process. The EA will play a critical role in enabling the founder to stay focused on high-value decision-making by removing operational friction and managing day-to-day execution across both business and personal domains.

This role is not administrative in the traditional sense—it is a high-ownership execution role designed to protect the founder’s time, attention, and decision quality.

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly capable Executive Assistant to act as a trusted right-hand operator to the founder.

The EA will be responsible for ensuring that tasks are executed quickly, correctly, and independently—often with incomplete information and shifting priorities. The role requires strong judgment, initiative, and the ability to operate without hand-holding.

This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role where success is defined by outcomes, not activity. The EA will be expected to anticipate needs, remove bottlenecks, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

The founder operates at a fast pace, communicates directly, and expects strong execution standards. The ideal candidate is calm under pressure, resilient to direct feedback, and focused on solving problems rather than escalating them.

Core Responsibilities

1. Executive Protection & Gatekeeping
* Triage and manage inbound communication (email, messaging, calendar requests)
* Filter noise and prevent non-essential items from reaching the founder
* Maintain clear escalation rules for what requires founder input vs independent resolution
* Protect the founder’s time, focus, and energy from low-value demands
* Coordinate and manage internal/external communication flow
2. Calendar, Inbox & Priority Management
* Own full calendar management including scheduling, rescheduling, and prioritization
* Ensure meetings are intentional, relevant, and properly prepared
* Manage inbox triage, categorization, and response drafting where appropriate
* Track action items and ensure follow-through to completion
* Remove scheduling conflicts and enforce time protection principles
3. Travel & Logistics (End-to-End Ownership)
* Plan and book domestic and international travel (flights, hotels, transport)
* Manage complex itineraries across multiple time zones
* Handle visa coordination, documentation, and travel requirements
* Resolve travel disruptions quickly and independently
* Ensure all travel is efficient, cost-conscious, and friction-free
4. Personal & Operational Support
* Manage personal errands, appointments, and administrative tasks
* Coordinate household or property-related vendors and maintenance
* Source, vet, and manage external suppliers and contractors
* Obtain quotes, compare options, and execute decisions when appropriate
* Support ad-hoc personal projects requiring research or coordination
5. Execution & Follow-Through System
* Convert loose task lists into structured execution plans (owner, next step, deadline)
* Track all outstanding actions across business and personal domains
* Follow up relentlessly with external stakeholders until completion
* Maintain a “done / pending / waiting-on” system for full visibility
* Ensure accountability across vendors, partners, and service providers
6. Financial & Operational Administration
* Support basic expense tracking and reconciliation
* Organize receipts, reimbursements, and documentation
* Assist COO with operational coordination as needed
* Help track recurring obligations and administrative cycles
7. Systems & Operating Rhythm
* Maintain a simple but disciplined operating system (Notion or equivalent):
* Daily priorities dashboard
* Waiting-on / follow-up tracker
* Calendar of key dates and commitments
* Travel log and itinerary history
* Monthly recurring tasks and obligations
* Documented task history and completion tracking
* Support weekly founder preparation by ensuring inputs are gathered, decisions are clearly framed, and open loops are tracked.
8. Context & Relationship Management (Optional but Valuable)
* Maintain lightweight memory of key relationships and stakeholders
* Track prior interactions, preferences, and sensitivities
* Help prevent duplicated outreach or miscommunication
* Support continuity across conversation

Tips for South African Applicants

Timezone Advantage

South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.

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Salary in Context

At R37,000/month, this role is competitive with the average South African remote salary. The USD equivalent ($2,000/mo) benefits from the favourable exchange rate.

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Application Tips

Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.

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Load Shedding Preparedness

If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.

About Somewhere

Somewhere is a company in the Recruitment & Staffing industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 685 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs →