Senior Executive Assistant Salary- Who is Senior Executive Assistant?

Senior Executive Assistant Salary

Suppose you want to meet with the executives of the company. How will you set up a meeting with them? Here comes the role of Senior Executive Assistant. They act as liaisons between company clients and the executives by scheduling the necessary meetings. To handle this crucial role, Senior Executive Assistant gets a pleasant salary. Let’s know about Senior Executive Assistant Salary.

The Senior Executive Assistant role is a high-earning job. You will earn an hourly wage of $34.00 (approx.) per hour that adds to the salary of $70,729 per year in the United States. The average salary of a Senior Executive Assistant is not fixed and depends on many factors such as experience, training, duties, location, etc. For example, you can earn an average salary of $83,988 in New York. 

Let’s understand more about the job and salary of Senior Executive Assistant. 

Senior Executive Assistant 

Senior Executive Assistant performs various administrative roles to support top-level executives and members of senior management. The work of senior executive assistants goes beyond the tasks of the executive assistant as they perform administrative and organizational functions. Due to this, Senior Executive Assistant works in a large organization and often assists the CEO. 

Duties of Senior Executive Assistant 

  • Manage schedules and calendars for the CEO or senior manager. 
  • Attend meetings with the CEO or executive and give summaries of action items.
  • Act as a liaison between clients and executives, as Senior Executive Assistant schedule company clients meetings with the senior executives.
  • Make travel arrangements for the boss, which include checking particulars of flights, and accommodation. 
  • Act as the liaison between staff, executive, senior manager, and the CEO for company updates, planning, projects, and well-being of employees.
  • Handle day-to-day activities by formulating a balance between meetings requests and other important tasks. 
  • Generate numerous reports like spreadsheets and charts. 
  • Formulate Departmental status reports and update the database. 
  • Ensure effective utilization of available resources. 
  • Oversee the functioning of executive assistants, secretaries, and other lower-level personnel. 
  • Provide training to Junior level Staff for the smooth completion of everyday tasks. 
  • Need to identify conflicts and implement solutions.  
  • Establish a relationship with staff members for better efficiency and effective responsiveness in the ongoing projects.
  • Manage phone calls and ensure email inbox management, event coordination, file management, expense management, etc. 
  • Might be responsible for developing financial reports. 
  • Sometimes performs functions of accounting and human resources.  

Salary of Senior Executive Assistant 

Senior Executive Assistants are responsible for handling primary roles in the administrative work. All the responsibility implies a decent amount of salary that matches your role in the industry. For example, Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO will earn more than the other executive assistant working in the same field. 

The salary of a Senior Executive Assistant depends on various factors like location, duties, education, experience, skills, the type of industry, and job title. 

As per ziprecruiter.com, a Senior Executive Assistant get an average salary of around $70,729 per year or $34.00 per hour in the United States. The lower 25% earn an average salary of $56,000, and the upper 75% get $81,000 per year. The average salary of Senior Executive Assistants vastly varies with the advancement in position, and you can get a salary of around $95,500 to $1,05,500 per year. 

Top 10 Highest Salary Paying Cities/States for Senior Executive Assistant 

Location plays a vital role in estimating the average salary of Senior Executive Assistants. Along with it, consider the city with a lower cost of living. If you want to get a higher salary as a Senior Executive Assistant, you can apply to the jobs posted in one of the top-paying cities:- 

City Salary Hourly Wage 
New York City, New York $83,988$40.38
Palo Alto, California $82,690$39.75
San Mateo, California $82,302$39.57
Juneau, Alaska $80,062$38.49
Boston, Massachusetts $80,010$38.47
Berkeley, California $79,162$38.06
Santa Monica, California $79,050$38.00
Daly City, California $78,939$37.95
Quincy, Massachusetts $78,849$37.91
Renton, Washington $78,712$37.84

How to become a Senior Executive Assistant 

Senior Executive Assistant is a crucial part of an organization. They perform numerous tasks that support high-level managers and senior managers. It includes schedule management and administrative work like preparing notes for meetings and liaising between company clients, staff members, other executives, and the CEO. As a Senior Executive Manager, you have to schedule meetings, prepare presentations and take notes on the executive’s behalf. 

Performing all these tasks is not an easy job. You need to acquire the necessary education, experience and possess some skills. Here are the steps to become a Senior Executive Assistant:- 

Step 1: Get Education 

Although there are no fixed educational criteria for Senior Executive Assistants, potential recruiters look for candidates with bachelor’s degrees. You can acquire a bachelor’s in management, business, business administration, or associate degree. Other than that, you can get a postsecondary certification in a secretarial program. 

Step 2: Obtain Certain Certifications 

Apart from graduation or post-graduation, you can choose from numerous certifications offered to train you in the executive assistant role. All the courses concentrated on specific aspects of the job like: 

  • Computer Course: It aims to enhance your IT knowledge in operating Microsoft Office, Excel, Google Suite, etc. This course depicts your understanding and efficiency of handling computer software for future employers. 
  • Certified Administrative Professional: International Association of Administrative Professionals offers this course to guide individuals about administrative work. 
  • Project Management Course: Management is a big part of the Senior Executive Assistant job. So this course will guide you about the fundamentals of management. 

Step 3: Gain Experience 

Senior Executive Assistant is not an entry-level job. It requires 4-10 years of experience as Executive Assistant, Administrative Assistant, or Assistant to Executive Vice President. Many companies offer internships to students pursuing bachelor’s degrees and wish to gain experience as junior-level executive assistants. 

To get into the position of Senior Executive Assistant, you can start by applying for entry-level jobs. The most common roles include Office Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Receptionist, etc. 

Step 4: Sharpen your Skills 

Senior Executive Assistants need to possess some basic skills that make them reliable for the job. To advance to this position, you must sharpen the following skills: 

  1. Verbal and Written Communication Skills

Verbal and written communication skills are crucial for effective executive assistants. You need to depict professionalism in your speech and written reports, and memos to clients, executives, and business partners. For example, an executive assistant should know how to write, format, and check business letters. 

Senior Executive Assistants act as a gatekeeper between clients, employees, and the top-level executives. Also, they need to give direction and training to assistants and staff members. So they should speak calmly and respectfully with staff and top-level executives. 

  1. Organizational Skills 

Organizational Skills are one of the essential skills for Senior Executive Assistants. Senior-level executive assistants need to coordinate between numerous tasks and lots of information. Any small mistakes lead to missing deadlines, skipping precious details. With proper Organizational skills, you can effectively manage crucial projects, reduce travel expenses, and organize events. 

  1. Tech Savvy 

It doesn’t matter whether your boss loves the latest technology or operates classic devices. You need to advance yourself with technology.  A tech-savvy Senior Executive Assistant retrieves passwords linked to the mobile number if the boss had not used it for a long time. 

Senior Executive Assistants should effortlessly operate primary software like Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel), Google Suite, etc. Also, you have to type faster, get acquainted with the latest software, manage emails, perform internet research and operate new devices. 

  1. Adaptability 

Changes are a part of business, especially if you want to grow your business. Similarly, the role of Senior Executive Assistant varies every day. They need to be flexible and adaptable enough to implement changes even in mid-task. A great executive assistant should keep a positive attitude and adapt new approaches for the betterment of the organization. Along with adapting to the changes, they have to convince the coworkers to accommodate the changes. 

  1. Interpersonal Skills 

A Senior Executive Assistant needs to interact with many people inside and outside the organization through phone calls, digitally or, in person.  It becomes crucial to possess interpersonal skills to develop a relationship with many people. Building a bond with staff help to manage and train staff members properly. 

Also, having a positive relationship with the executives will make you a reliable person. You should be able to identify when to act professionally and when to lighten the mood. You have to maintain a professional boundary but remain a trustworthy person.

  1. Discretion 

A Senior Executive Assistant has to handle sensitive and confidential information of the organization. It becomes crucial to maintain discretion in their conversation and actions that prevents to leak of sensitive matters in group discussions with staff members or leave sensitive documents and computer screens open for others. 

Being a senior executive assistant, you would get exposed to sensitive information like upcoming projects, future decisions, companies trading secrets, or even personal matters of the top executive. It serves as your duty to protect that information and handle the situation wisely. 

  1. Problem Solving Skills 

Problem Solving is a big part of Senior Executive Assistants’ job. The top-level executives rely on executive assistants to find instant solutions to maintain the working of the organization. It includes internal matters like disputes between the staff, finding new supplies, arranging travel tickets, etc. 

  1. Leadership Skills 

Senior Executive Assistants oversee and manage the working of executive assistants, administrative assistants, other staff members. Leadership Skills help Senior Executive Assistant to give instructions, enhance the ability to carry initiative and be accountable to results. 

Step 5: Make Your Way Up 

Getting a Senior Executive Assistant job is not easy. You need to constantly learn, adapt to change, and make your way up to that position. Take as many opportunities as possible, including the role of assistants, executive assistants, secretaries, and administrative assistants. Also, build networks and relationships by connecting with the right people on social media, attending events and conferences.

Conclusion 

The job of Senior Executive Assistant is for responsible individuals who can identify and work as per the company’s needs. If you have strong knowledge of office management, possess the required skills, have prior experience, and are ready to work hard, you can become a Senior Executive Assistant. It may take some years, but once you become a Senior Executive Assistant, you will earn a good salary. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: What is the Career Outlook of Executive Assistants? 

According to zippa.com, the employment of Executive Assistants will decline by 7% between 2018-2028. It will produce around 276,700 jobs in the United States. 

Q: What is the highest salary of a Senior Executive Assistant in the United States? 

With the experience and appropriate location, a Senior Executive Assistant can earn the highest salary of $1,05,500 per year. 

Senior Executive Assistant Salary- Who is Senior Executive Assistant?

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