Executive Assistant
Somewhere
🇿🇦 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 R18,500 – R27,750 ZAR. This role is suited for mid-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
Role: Executive Assistant
Priority Location: Any
Working Hours: 9AM - 5PM (Mon - Fri) EST
Salary Range: $1,000 - $1,500 USD ($) per month
(The final offer is at the client’s discretion and depends on the candidate’s interview result, skills, and experience.)
Type of contract:Independent Contractor
Type of job:RemoteKey Responsibilities:Lead Intake & Inbound CommunicationHandle a high volume of back-to-back phone inquiries from prospective renters, answering questions confidently, assessing needs, and guiding qualified leads toward property tours.Monitor and triage incoming digital leads, responding promptly to high-intent inquiries and turning the inbox into an organized, well-managed lead channel.Lead Qualification & Apartment MatchingGather key prospect criteria—including budget, move-in timeline, desired neighborhood, and bedroom requirements—to efficiently qualify leads.Maintain deep, up-to-date knowledge of all available rental listings to quickly match prospective renters with ideal properties and alternative options.Connect qualified prospects with suitable inventory, presenting available units clearly to convert initial interest into confirmed viewings.Tour Scheduling & Lead RetentionManage calendars and coordinate tour availability, ensuring prospects have all necessary details while minimizing scheduling back-and-forth.Re-engage promising prospects, follow up on pending inquiries as relevant inventory becomes available, and close out inactive leads to keep the pipeline moving.Escalation & Broker SupportResolve routine operational and inventory questions independently, quickly escalating complex negotiations, sensitive issues, or high-value opportunities to the lead broker with full context.Qualifications & Skills:Required2–4+ years of relevant professional experience.Excellent written and verbal English.Strong telephone presence and confidence handling live conversations.Experience working in a high-volume customer-facing, administrative, sales support, lead management, or executive support environment.Comfortable handling a significant number of inbound calls and emails each day.Strong organizational and prioritization skills.Ability to quickly learn products, services, or—in this case—rental inventory.Ability to manage multiple conversations and priorities simultaneously.Strong attention to detail.Excellent follow-up habits.Ability to work independently in a remote environment.Sound judgment regarding when to handle something independently and when to escalate.Reliable internet connection and professional remote working environment suitable for frequent calls.Strongly PreferredPrevious background in residential real estate, property rentals/leasing, property management, leasing coordination, or real estate administration (including real estate VA or EA roles).Direct NYC rental market experience is a strong plus.Key Personal Attributes:Proactive- The EA should not wait for the Senior Agent to tell them which inquiry needs a response. They should actively manage the incoming workload and keep things moving.Direct & Confident- The client specifically values a direct communication style. The candidate should be comfortable getting to the point, asking the necessary questions, and guiding conversations toward an outcome.Resourceful- Not every question will have an immediately obvious answer. The EA should first attempt to find the answer using available information before escalating unnecessarily.Fast-Paced- This is a high-volume rental environment. Someone who prefers a slow, predictable administrative workload may struggle in this position.Organized- Calls, emails, property availability, renter requirements, follow-ups, and appointments will all be moving simultaneously. Strong personal organization is essential.Personable- The EA should enjoy working with people and be capable of building quick rapport over the phone.Resilient- Not every renter will be patient, organized, or easy to communicate with. The successful candidate should remain professional and composed.Commercially Aware- Although this isn't positioned as a traditional sales role, the EA should recognize that every quality inbound inquiry represents a potential transaction. Their job is to help move appropriate prospects forward.What Success Looks Like:The clearest measure of success will be a significant reduction in the amount of time the senior broker personally spends handling routine inbound inquiries.Within the first few months, the EA should be able to:Independently manage the majority of incoming rental calls.Take ownership of routine rental-related emails.Understand the senior broker’s inventory well enough to recommend appropriate properties.Efficiently qualify prospective renters.Schedule qualified apartment tours.Follow up with promising prospects.Escalate only the conversations that genuinely require the senior broker’s expertise.Keep inbound leads organized and prevent opportunities from slipping through the
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.
Salary in Context
At R18,500/month, this role is on par with the average South African remote salary. The USD equivalent ($1,000/mo) benefits from the favourable exchange rate.
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.
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 828 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs →