Executive Assistant (US Field)

Life Unlimited. At Smith+Nephew we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living.  

Role Purpose

At Smith+Nephew, we are driven by our purpose of Life Unlimited helping restore people’s bodies and their self-belief. The Executive Assistant plays a critical role in enabling this purpose by acting as a highly proactive, trusted partner to a senior executive.

This role goes beyond traditional administrative support. The Executive Assistant operates as an extension of the leader, enabling focus on strategic priorities, supporting effective decision-making, and ensuring seamless execution in a fast-paced, global, matrixed environment.

What will you be doing?

Executive Partnership & Proactive Enablement

• Act as a trusted partner and advisor to the executive, anticipating needs, proactively identifying risks, and addressing issues before they escalate.

• Exercise strong judgment to manage competing priorities, stakeholder requests, and executive access.

Strategic Time & Priority Management

• Own end-to-end calendar and time strategy, ensuring the executive’s time is aligned to business priorities and enterprise outcomes.

• Proactively identify conflicts, inefficiencies, and trade-offs; recommend solutions that optimize impact.

• Prepare the executive with briefings, context, and key insights ahead of critical meetings and decisions.

Meeting, Rhythm & Decision Support

• Enable effective leadership forums, including agenda planning, pre-reads, and follow-up to ensure outcomes and accountability.

• Track decisions, actions, and commitments to ensure execution and closure.

• Support core business rhythms such as leadership meetings, operating cadence, offsites, planning cycles, and talent discussions.

Stakeholder & Communication Management

• Serve as a professional and reliable point of contact for senior internal and external stakeholders, representing the executive with credibility and discretion.

• Draft and manage executive communications, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with Smith+Nephew values and priorities.

• Handle highly confidential and sensitive information with integrity, discretion, and sound judgment.

Business & Operational Support

• Partner cross-functionally with HR, Finance, Legal, Communications, and other teams to enable efficient execution of executive priorities.

• Support preparation for key enterprise activities, such as talent reviews, business reviews, and leadership communications.

• Continuously identify opportunities to improve processes, ways of working, and executive effectiveness.

• Book and coordinate all travel including completing expenses report.

Leadership & Role Modelling

• Act as a role model for Smith+Nephew behaviours, demonstrating collaboration, accountability, and inclusion.

• Provide informal mentoring or guidance to Executive Assistants, contributing to continuous improvement and capability uplift across the EA community.

What will you need to be successful?

• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence through judgment, credibility, and trust

• Exceptional organizational skills with a proactive, anticipatory mindset

• Ability to operate independently in a complex, fast-paced, and matrixed global environment

• High levels of resilience, adaptability, and attention to detail

• Discretion and integrity in handling sensitive business and people matters

Technical & Business Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to synthesize information and provide concise executive-level insights

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams

• Experience supporting senior leaders in a regulated or highly complex organization preferred.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent experience.

• Significant experience supporting senior leaders at VP level and above.

• Proven track record of operating as a proactive executive partner, not solely an administrative support role.

• Experience navigating confidentiality, ambiguity, and competing priorities.

• Ability to travel infrequently for team or other meetings.

**This position is not offering any type of visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future**