Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer

About the organisation

The Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) is a Pan-African policy think tank that provides a forum for dialogue, information dissemination and networking aimed at addressing the short, medium and long term development challenges in Africa, Its work is underpinned by rigorous research on the different elements of 'Africanness' to shape policy and practice on governance, economic development and the evolution of African institutions.

Purpose of the Role

The Executive Assistant to the CEO will provide comprehensive executive, administrative, and coordination support to the Chief Executive Officer to ensure the effective management of the CEO's office and facilitate smooth operations across the organisation.

This position will play a dual role: supporting the CEO in all aspects of diary, communications, board, and stakeholder management, and providing programme and administrative support to the Alumni Engagement, Communications, Programmes, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research, and Learning (MEARL) teams. The role involves participation in programme planning, implementation, reporting, and donor coordination, as well as contributing to high-quality internal and external communication outputs.

The ideal candidate is proactive, detail-oriented, professional, and an excellent communicator with a strong command of English, writing, proofreading, and editing skills, and an ability to represent MINDS confidently and diplomatically.

Key Responsibilities

1. Executive Support to the CEO

• Manage the CEO's office email, ensuring prompt response and follow-up on all correspondence.
• Organise and maintain the CEO's calendar, including scheduling internal and external meetings, appointments, and travel.
• Prepare travel itineraries, arrange logistics, and manage travel-related accounts and reimbursements.
• Develop and maintain an up-to-date database of high-level partners, stakeholders, and institutional contacts.
• Support the CEO in managing communications, drafting correspondence, and preparing briefing notes, presentations, and reports.
• Assist the CEO with tracking reports, submissions, and follow-up actions from the MINDS team.
• Help disseminate organisational information and knowledge to internal and external audiences through translation, minute-taking, summarising, drafting, and editing.
• Assist the CEO in writing or commissioning articles, brief papers, and reports for both internal and external audiences, including summarising documents and drafting responses as directed.
• Develop and maintain an organised office management system, including electronic and physical filing of documents.
• Maintain and update a non-media contact database for stakeholders, partners, and collaborators.
• Assist with immigration, visa, and other administrative processes related to the CEO's travels and engagements.
• Support the CEO in ensuring organisational legal compliance requirements are met and documentation is up to date.
• Organise board meetings and follow up on board decisions, including managing forward plans, setting deadlines, preparing agendas, reports, and minutes, and monitoring action items.
• Serve as the liaison between the CEO's office and the Board, ensuring efficient communication and coordination.
• Liaise with the programme and administrative teams on reporting requirements and deadlines.
• Support the development and nurturing of strategic relationships and partnerships that advance MINDS' objectives.

2. Programme and Team Support

• Provide coordination and administrative support to the Alumni Engagement, Communications, Programmes, and MEARL teams in planning, implementing, and reporting on MINDS programmes.
• Support with MINDS scholarship programme team with screening applications and interviews.
• Assist with maintaining programme manuals, document templates, and databases.
• Maintain and update organisational databases, mailing lists, and document archives.
• Support monitoring and evaluation activities by contributing to data collection, reporting, and knowledge-sharing outputs.
• Provide logistical and communications support for events, workshops, and dialogues.

3. Communications and Documentation

• Proofread, edit, and quality-check internal and external documents for grammar, clarity, and consistency.
• Assist in formatting organisational reports, press releases, and donor correspondence.
• Help the CEO and programme teams disseminate research findings, reports, and outcomes to internal and external audiences.
• Represent MINDS professionally at meetings and events as required.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Communications, Development Studies, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in executive assistance, programme coordination, or office management roles.
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior leadership and managing high-level administrative functions.
• Proven experience in event coordination, document preparation, and stakeholder liaison.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong command of English grammar.
• Strong proofreading and editing skills, with attention to detail and presentation.
• Experience with donor reporting, programme documentation, and financial tracking preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and collaboration tools such as Teams or SharePoint.
• High degree of discretion and ability to handle confidential information.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Personal Attributes

• Highly organised, detail-oriented, and proactive.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Professional demeanour and strong sense of accountability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Adaptable, flexible, and capable of working under pressure.
• Passionate about African development, leadership, and institutional growth.

To apply, submit a CV and motivation letter with salary expectation to - stating 'MINDS Executive Assistant - CEO ' in the subject line.

Closing date: 19 November 2025

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

MINDS reserves the right not to appoint anyone for this position

For more about the Mandela Institute for Development Studies, refer to