EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

For more than 115 years, Ferrara has created sugar confections that enable moments of sweetness, celebration, and connection for candy lovers of all generations. Today, the company is the #1 sugar confectioner in the United States. Ferrara boasts a passionate team of nearly 9,000 employees creating and delivering hundreds of products sold under 20 popular brands like Brach’s, NERDS, SweeTARTS, Laffy Taffy, and Trolli to more than 66 million U.S. households annually and popular Dori snacking products under brands such as Dori, Gomets, Pettiz, and Yogurte 100 in Brazil. Additionally, Jelly Belly, known world-wide for its confections, was acquired in November of 2023. Executive Assistant Job Location: Chicago Chicago Want to make an impact? We are seeking an experienced and highly organized Executive Assistant to support a member of our Senior Leadership Team (SLT). This role requires a proactive, detail-oriented individual who can handle multiple tasks simultaneously, manage complex calendars, and travel frequently across international locations to provide comprehensive administrative support. Ways you will make a difference Calendar Management: Efficiently manage and prioritize the Executive’s calendar, ensuring effective time management. Schedule and coordinate meetings, including managing all logistics such as time zones, virtual platforms, room reservations, and materials. Handle last-minute changes and urgent requests, ensuring smooth adjustments with minimal disruption. Global Travel Coordination: Organize extensive international and domestic travel arrangements, including flights, accommodations, transportation, and itineraries. Prepare detailed travel agendas, ensuring all necessary documents (e.g., visas, itineraries) are prepared in advance. Provide support during travel for last-minute changes or issues as they arise. Communication Management: Act as a liaison between the Executive and internal/external stakeholders. Screen, prioritize, and manage inbound communication (emails, etc.) for the Executive, ensuring timely responses and follow-ups. Draft, review, and manage correspondence on behalf of the Executive, ensuring professional and clear communication. Meeting & Event Planning: Organize and coordinate both virtual and in-person meetings, conferences, and events. Manage logistics for small to medium scale meetings, including venue selection, catering, and AV setup. Assist with the preparation and distribution of agendas, reports, and presentations for meetings. Project Support: Assist with the execution of special projects as assigned, often involving cross-functional teams. Track key deliverables and deadlines for projects involving the Executive, ensuring progress and on-time completion. Confidentiality and Professionalism: Handle sensitive information with the utmost discretion and maintain confidentiality at all times. Represent the Executive and company in a professional and positive manner, both internally and externally. Administrative Support: Manage administrative duties such as filing, office supply procurement, and document organization. Support the broader executive team with ad-hoc tasks as needed. Skills that will make you successful Exceptional organizational and time-management skills. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other productivity tools. Ability to work independently and take initiative. Flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and deadlines. Proficiency with virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams). Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interact effectively with all levels of the organization. Experiences that will support your success Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required. Minimum of 5-7 years of experience supporting senior executives in a fast-paced, global corporate environment, preferably within a CPG, retail, or similar industry. Extensive experience with complex calendar management and international travel coordination. Proven ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality. Ferrara’s success in industry-leading innovation has been driven by deep consumer insights, strong retailer co-creation and partnerships, and a dedication to diversity of thought, experience, and people. A privately held company, Ferrara has its global headquarters in Chicago and an operational network of more than 27 locations in North America, Brazil, and China that includes manufacturing, distribution, sales, and R&D facilities. Ferrara is a privately held Ferrero related company. Learn more at ... or .../company/ferrara-. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, employment decisions and opportunities at Ferrara will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital or civil union status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, military or veteran status, disability, handicap, genetic information, pregnancy (childbirth or related medical condition), or on any other basis prohibited by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training. #J-18808-Ljbffr