Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer

Overview

Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer Jobs in Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa at GoMetro

Title: Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer

Company: GoMetro

Location: Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa

Durbanville / Bellville, Cape Town | Mornings Only or Full-Time

GoMetro is looking for an exceptional Executive Assistant to support their founder and CEO across a fast-moving portfolio of transport technology, electric mobility, infrastructure and asset-finance initiatives. This is not a conventional administrative role. We are looking for an experienced executive partner who can bring structure, judgement, calm execution and strong office discipline to a highly entrepreneurial environment.

The ideal candidate will have at least 10 years’ experience supporting a CEO, founder or other C-suite executive. This opportunity may be particularly well suited to a recently retired or semi-retired executive assistant who still has significant experience, energy and judgement to contribute, but would value greater flexibility.

The role can be structured as either:

• A mornings-only position; or
• A full-day executive assistant and office operations role.

The successful candidate should live in or close to Durbanville, Bellville or the surrounding northern suburbs of Cape Town.

About the Businesses

GoMetro is a transport technology company working across fleet management, logistics, telematics, electric vehicles and the electrification of commercial transport. It operates with customers, investors and partners in South Africa, the United Kingdom and other international markets. The CEO works across a number of business groups, managing multiple companies, projects, investors, customers, international partners and strategic initiatives. The environment is ambitious, intellectually demanding and constantly evolving. Priorities can move quickly, but the underlying objective is clear: turn complex opportunities into executable commercial outcomes. The Executive Assistant will play a central role in helping the CEO maintain focus, follow-through and control across both GoMetro and flx EV.

The Core Purpose of the Role

The role combines four important functions:

• Executive assistance to the CEO;
• Priority management and follow-through;
• Office and operational coordination; and
• Acting as an effective buffer between the CEO and the demands of a small, fast-moving organisation.

The Executive Assistant will help protect the CEO’s time, organise the flow of information and ensure that routine operational issues are resolved without unnecessarily distracting the CEO. This person must be able to determine what genuinely requires the CEO’s attention, what can be delegated, what can be handled independently and what can wait.

Key ResponsibilitiesExecutive and Diary Management

• Manage a complex diary involving local and international meetings, investors, customers, partners and internal leadership teams.
• Protect the CEO’s time and ensure that the diary reflects the real strategic priorities of the businesses.
• Coordinate meetings across different companies, projects and time zones.
• Manage travel arrangements, itineraries and associated logistics.
• Build sufficient space into the CEO’s schedule for focused work, preparation and decision-making.

Priorities and Follow-Through

• Maintain a clear and current view of the CEO’s key priorities, commitments, decisions and outstanding actions.
• Track follow-ups arising from meetings, emails, calls and informal discussions.
• Ensure that commitments do not disappear once a meeting has ended.
• Provide concise summaries of upcoming decisions, deadlines, risks and unresolved issues.
• Follow up with internal and external stakeholders to keep projects moving.
• Help translate the CEO’s ideas and decisions into organised next steps, owners and timelines.

Office Operations

• Support the effective day-to-day operation of a small and growing organisation.
• Coordinate office administration, suppliers, facilities, equipment, deliveries and practical requirements.
• Ensure that documents, records, agreements and correspondence are organised and easy to retrieve.
• Introduce practical systems and routines that improve reliability without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Coordinate selected company events, workshops, meetings and visitor arrangements.
• Assist with onboarding, internal administration and operational coordination where required.
• Identify small operational problems early and ensure that they are resolved before they become distractions or emergencies.
• Help create a professional, organised and welcoming office environment.

Acting as an Executive Buffer

• Serve as a trusted first point of contact for matters directed to the CEO.
• Manage access to the CEO professionally, firmly and diplomatically.
• Assess incoming requests and determine which matters require immediate attention.
• Resolve appropriate operational and administrative matters independently.
• Redirect questions and requests to the correct person within GoMetro or flx EV.
• Protect the CEO from unnecessary interruptions while ensuring that important issues are not missed.
• Maintain strong relationships with employees, board members, investors, customers and partners.
• Act with maturity and discretion when managing competing demands from senior stakeholders.

Communication and Stakeholder Coordination

• Draft and refine professional correspondence, meeting requests, follow-up messages and internal communications.
• Liaise confidently with board members, investors, senior executives, government stakeholders, clients and international partners.
• Coordinate information and communication across GoMetro, flx EV and related initiatives.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for matters requiring the CEO’s attention.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with complete discretion.
• Communicate comfortably with people from different professional, cultural and international backgrounds.

Practical Executive Support

• Assist with selected personal and logistical arrangements where these affect the CEO’s working schedule.
• Coordinate appointments, deliveries, document signing and other practical matters.
• Anticipate problems before they become urgent.
• Introduce reliable systems and routines that reduce administrative friction.
• Work closely with the CEO to create a disciplined and sustainable weekly operating rhythm.

Experience and Background

The ideal candidate will have:

• At least 15 years’ experience supporting a CEO, founder, managing director or other C-suite executive.
• Experience working in a complex corporate, professional-services, investment, engineering, technology or entrepreneurial environment.
• A strong track record of managing demanding diaries, confidential information, senior stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal business communication skills.
• Experience coordinating office operations within a small or medium-sized organisation.

Experience in one or more of the following environments would be a significant advantage:

• A major bank or financial institution;
• A large insurance company;
• A leading accounting, audit or professional-services firm;
• An investment, asset-finance or infrastructure business;
• A multinational company; or
• A technology, engineering or founder-led growth company.

Previous experience doing business in China, working with Chinese companies, supporting Chinese business relationships or coordinating travel and meetings in China would be an additional benefit.

Mandarin language skills are welcome but are not a requirement.

The Person We Are Looking For

You are likely to be someone who:

• Is highly organised without becoming bureaucratic.
• Has excellent judgement and understands the difference between urgency and importance.
• Is calm, mature and composed when priorities change.
• Is comfortable working with a CEO who thinks quickly, generates many ideas and operates across several interconnected initiatives.
• Can take incomplete information and turn it into an organised next step.
• Is confident enough to remind, challenge and redirect a senior executive respectfully.
• Can say “no”, “not now” or “this should go to someone else” in a professional and constructive manner.
• Enjoys creating order in a complex and fast-moving environment.
• Communicates clearly, concisely and professionally.
• Is discreet, dependable and exceptionally trustworthy.
• Is comfortable dealing with senior executives, investors, boards and international business partners.
• Can move easily between strategic matters and practical office requirements.
• Takes ownership rather than waiting for detailed instructions.
• Takes genuine satisfaction in helping an executive and an organisation operate at their best.

AI and Digital Skills Development

The successful candidate does not need to be an AI expert. However, they must be curious, adaptable and willing to learn new ways of working.

The successful candidate will receive training and practical support in:

• Artificial intelligence tools for executive assistance;
• Digital diary and task-management systems;
• AI-assisted document drafting and summarisation;
• Meeting transcription and action tracking;
• Digital filing and knowledge-management tools;
• Workflow automation; and
• Modern cloud-based productivity systems.

The objective is not to replace sound executive-assistant judgement with technology. It is to combine deep executive experience with modern digital tools so that the successful candidate can operate with greater speed, visibility and effectiveness.

What Success Looks Like

The CEO is better prepared, less distracted and able to spend more time on the decisions, relationships and commercial opportunities that materially advance GoMetro. Important commitments are followed through. Meetings have a clear purpose. Information can be found quickly. Key stakeholders receive timely responses. Office operations run reliably. Priorities remain visible, and fewer matters become last-minute emergencies. Employees and stakeholders know where to direct requests. The CEO is protected from unnecessary interruptions without becoming inaccessible. Most importantly, the Executive Assistant becomes a trusted operating partner who brings consistency, discipline and calm control to an ambitious, fast-moving business.