Personal Assistant to the Founder & CEO

Worldwide Zoo Consultants is a global leader in the creation, development and management of a wide variety of specialized animal facilities and projects. From Zoological Parks, Public Aquariums and Animal Sanctuaries, to living museums and immersive animal-based education centres

Position Summary

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE (with occasional travel) | Reports to: Founder & CEO | Full-time, on-site.

This is not a standard admin job. Our Founder & CEO is stepping back from day-to-day operations so he can focus on growing the business: strategy, clients, partnerships and new projects.

You will make that possible. You will run his day, protect his time, and keep him briefed on everything happening across the company. You will follow up with every department so he doesn't have to chase them himself. You will be his gatekeeper, his organiser and his eyes and ears.

We need someone disciplined and firm who doesn't let things slip. You must be fully trusted, discreet and respectful, and you must believe in the CEO's vision and help carry it out. The role will grow as you prove yourself.

Key Responsibilities

1. Gatekeeper and Time Management:

• Own and manage the CEO's calendar, meetings, calls and priorities.
• Screen all requests for the CEO's time. Decide what reaches him, what goes to the right department, and what can wait.
• Protect time set aside for business development and strategy, and keep operational issues away from it unless they truly need the CEO.
• Be the first point of contact for staff, clients, suppliers and partners trying to reach the CEO.

1. Following Up With Departments:

• Work daily with the Projects, Finance, HR, Operations and site teams to track the actions, deadlines and decisions the CEO has set.
• Follow up with department heads and site staff yourself, so the CEO no longer has to chase or catch up.
• Keep a live tracker of CEO actions, approvals and open items, and push them through to completion.
• Escalate to the CEO only what needs his decision, with a clear summary and a recommendation where possible.
• Help hand day-to-day operational matters to the senior management team as the CEO steps back.

1. Briefing and Communications:

• Prepare a short daily briefing for the CEO: priorities, meetings, deadlines, risks and decisions needed.
• Prepare a weekly summary of project, finance and team status, based on what departments report.
• Prepare briefing notes before meetings, calls and trips.
• Draft, proofread and manage emails, letters and documents for the CEO, using WZC templates.
• Attend meetings when asked, take minutes, and track the actions that come out of them.

1. Personal and Executive Support:

• Manage the CEO's personal affairs with full confidentiality, including appointments, bills, household and family matters, and personal errands.
• Plan and book all travel: flights, hotels, visas, transport and full itineraries.
• Manage expense claims, receipts and personal admin.
• Keep personal matters fully separate from company systems.

1. Organisation and Records:

• Keep the CEO's files, contracts, approvals and correspondence organised in SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
• Make sure documents sent to the CEO for review or signature are complete, correct and on time.
• Keep track of renewals, licences, visas and other key dates.

Qualifications & Requirements

• At least 3–5 years as a Personal Assistant or Executive Assistant to a CEO, founder or business owner.
• Experience supporting a busy executive across both business and personal matters.
• Experience in a growing company, consultancy, project-based business or family office is a strong advantage.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Arabic is an advantage.
• Strong with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint). Experience with Asana or similar project tools is an advantage.
• An interest in animals, wildlife or conservation is a plus but not essential.

Skills / Abilities

• Disciplined and strict: you hold people to deadlines and don't let things drop.
• Loyal and discreet: you handle sensitive business and personal information with full confidentiality.
• Respectful and professional: you represent the CEO well with staff, clients and partners.
• Proactive: you deal with problems before they reach the CEO.
• Aligned with the vision: you understand where the CEO is taking the business and help him get there.
• Ambitious: you want to grow with the CEO and the company over the long term.
• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail, and able to summarise what matters clearly and quickly.