Location: Bukuru, Plateau
Purpose of the Job
- The Executive Assistant to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) is a high-trust position responsible for providing comprehensive executive-level management support at the apex of NESCO’s corporate structure, ensuring the MD/CEO’s office runs efficiently and enabling him/her to focus on strategic priorities.
- The role provides high-level strategic, administrative, and operational support to the MD/CEO, facilitating effective leadership across the Company’s power generation, distribution, and support service functions.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
The Executive Assistant shall therefore be responsible, but not limited, the following:
Strategic & Administrative Support:
- Manage the MD/CEO’s complex and dynamic calendar, ensuring optimal prioritisation of meetings, travel, and engagements, pre-empting conflicts, and optimising the use of executive time.
- Prepare briefing packs, background research, and reports ahead of the MD/CEO’s meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
- Track progress of corporate strategy implementation, key projects, and initiatives on behalf of the MD/CEO, including plant capacity expansions, grid modernisation projects, and regulatory compliance milestones, ensuring deadlines are met.
- Draft correspondence, speeches, presentations, memos, policy documents, and Board reports for the MD/CEO.
- Manage confidential files, contracts, and legal/strategic documents securely within a structured filing and document management system.
- Review and analyse business plans, compile Management Information System (MIS) reports, and prepare executive dashboards tracking strategic progress against corporate objectives.
Budgeting, Planning & Reporting:
- Support the collation and analysis of departmental and corporate budgets before MD/CEO review.
- Track implementation of operational plans and escalate deviations to the MD/CEO.
- Maintain dashboards and trackers for KPIs, budgets, and project execution for timely MD/CEO decision-making, including KPIs across power generation plants, transmission networks, and distribution grid operations.
Stakeholder & Community / Department Liaison:
- Serve as the primary bridge between the MD/CEO’s Office and Heads of Departments across both technical & support functions, driving alignment and accountability while ensuring timely follow-up on action items & decisions.
- Organise and coordinate the MD/CEO’s engagements with the Board, investors, regulators (e.g., PSERC, NERC, NEMSA), government ministries, host communities, and other stakeholders.
- Manage correspondence, briefings, and follow-up actions for external stakeholder engagements on behalf of the MD/CEO.
- Track and maintain relationships with strategic partners, host communities, and media representatives.
- Coordinate with the Company Secretary’s office to ensure the MD/CEO is fully prepared for statutory obligations, board meetings, and Annual General Meetings.
Executive Operations & Administration:
- Arrange comprehensive local and international travel logistics, including flight bookings, hotel accommodations, visa processing, ground transportation, and detailed itineraries.
- Coordinate executive committee and board meetings; draft meeting agendas, compile board packs and briefing notes, and record accurate minutes of meetings with clear action item tracking.
- Serve as the MD/CEO’s liaison with departmental heads, ensuring timely follow-up on action items and decisions from leadership and board meetings.
- Assist in managing internal communications from the MD/CEO’s office to staff, promoting professionalism, teamwork, and NESCO’s values.
- Coordinate the MD’s representation at events and ensure smooth logistics.
People & Culture Support:
- Coordinate with HR to monitor training, succession planning, and performance management initiatives that the MD/CEO champions.
- Assist in managing internal communications from the MD/CEO’s office to staff, promoting professionalism, teamwork, and NESCO’s values.
Governance, Risk & Compliance Support:
- Monitor compliance with Board directives and escalate pending action items.
- Support the MD/CEO in ensuring audit recommendations, compliance reports, and risk reviews are followed up with relevant departments.
- Assist in reviewing key agreements and contracts before MD/CEO approval to ensure completeness.
- Maintain awareness of relevant regulatory changes (e.g., PSERC, NERC orders, MYTO tariff reviews, metering regulations) and brief the MD/CEO accordingly.
- Assist the MD/CEO in identifying and mitigating organisational risks, flagging compliance gaps, safety concerns, or regulatory infractions within the utility value chain.
General Support:
- Stay abreast of industry and regulatory developments and prepare intelligence briefs for the MD/CEO.
- Perform other tasks as assigned by the MD/CEO.
Key Performance Index
- Schedule Efficiency: Minimal calendar conflicts; 95%+ appointment adherence.
- Reporting Accuracy: Timely, error-free generation of weekly and monthly executive dashboards and MIS reports.
- Action Item Tracking: 100% follow-through on action items assigned to departmental heads during leadership and board meetings.
- Correspondence Turnaround: All executive correspondence processed and dispatched within agreed timelines, with zero material errors.
- Stakeholder Satisfaction: Positive feedback from internal department heads and external partners on responsiveness and professionalism.
- Confidentiality: Zero instances of unauthorised disclosure of sensitive corporate or personnel information.
Minimum Educational & Professional Qualifications, Experience and Knowledge
- First degree (B.Eng/B.Sc/B.A/H.N.D) in Engineering, Business Administration, Public Administration, Secretarial Studies, Economics, Law, or any relevant discipline from a recognised institution.
- A postgraduate qualification (MBA, MSc, or equivalent) in a relevant field is an added advantage.
- Professional certification in Executive Administration, Project Management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2), or Business Analysis is desirable.
- Minimum of five (5) to eight (8) years of progressive and demonstrable experience in an executive support, business management, or consulting role, with at least five (5) years reporting directly to a CEO, Managing Director, or equivalent C-Suite executive.
- Those currently working as an Executive Assistant or in a similar role supporting a CEO/Managing Director or equivalent C-Suite executive will have a strong added advantage.
- Experience within the energy, power, or utility sector is a strong advantage.
- Familiarity with the Nigerian power sector value chain (generation, transmission, distribution) and its regulatory frameworks (NERC, MYTO, NBET, etc.) will be highly regarded.
Required Technical Skills:
- Microsoft Office Proficiency: Advanced command of Word, Excel (pivot tables, data models), PowerPoint, and Outlook. Proficiency in MS Teams and SharePoint is an advantage. ERP systems and business intelligence tools experience is desirable.
- Data Analysis: Ability to collect, interpret, and present data from multiple business units; proficiency in preparing executive dashboards, KPI trackers, trend analyses, and variance reports.
- Research: Skilled in qualitative and quantitative research; ability to synthesise regulatory, market, and operational intelligence into concise executive briefs.
- Project Management: Ability to coordinate and monitor cross-functional projects; understanding of project lifecycles, milestone tracking, and resource coordination.
- Business Writing: Impeccable written communication skills; ability to draft professional correspondence, board papers, speeches, reports, and proposals independently.
Attributes and Competencies:
- Strong organisational and multitasking skills with meticulous attention to detail.
- High emotional intelligence, discretion, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion at all times.
- Analytical and problem-solving ability with strong critical-thinking capabilities.
- Strong stakeholder management and diplomacy skills.
- Resilient, proactive, self-motivated, and adaptable under pressure.
- Excellent communication, writing, and presentation skills.
- Sound understanding of corporate governance, boardroom protocols, and executive etiquette.
- Unimpeachable personal integrity and professional ethics.
Working Conditions
- The role operates primarily within the NESCO Head Office environment with occasional travel to operational sites, regulatory offices, and stakeholder locations.
- The Executive Assistant may be required to work outside normal business hours in response to executive schedule demands, board activities, or operational emergencies. The position requires the highest level of confidentiality at all times.