EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Competition number: J0626-0410

Department: Executive Office

Status: Full-Time continuing

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (35 hours per week; occasional early mornings/ evenings)

Annual/hourly salary: $ 76,200 – $95,100 (position with benefits and pension plan)

Closing date: July 12, 2026

Anticipated start date: As soon as possible

 

Introducing the National Arts Centre

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams – the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety – and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

At the National Arts Centre, we believe the performing arts are vital to the human experience. A house of dreams for the Canadian performing arts, we work with artists and arts organizations from across this land to revitalize our sector.

 

Curious to learn more? Read our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, The Journey Ahead.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism and Accessibility

We are on a journey, committed to ensuring that equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples will guide our actions.

 

The NAC welcomes applications from candidates who can help us meet our vision, and contribute to the diversity of lived experiences, perspectives, and approaches. When you join the NAC, you will be part of an inclusive community working hard to dismantle barriers to employees’ well-being, access, potential, and success. The NAC actively seeks candidates who identify as women, Indigenous, Black, Persons of Colour (IBPoC), members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and people with disabilities. We encourage you to self-identify in the recruitment process.

 

Key activities:

Reporting to the Executive Office Manager and Corporate Secretary, the Executive Assistant is responsible for providing senior-level strategic coordination, executive support and operational management support to the President and CEO of the National Arts Centre and the Executive Office. The role’s primary focus is to enable the President and CEO to focus on the organization’s highest-impact priorities, by proactively supporting executive coordination, information flow, prioritization, partner management through follow-through on key initiatives and commitments, and with scheduling, logistics, preparation, and day-to-day executive operations.

Moving beyond traditional administrative support functions, the Executive Assistant operates in a high-trust, high-discretion environment, requiring sound judgment, professionalism, and the ability to manage sensitive information. The Executive Assistant coordinates information flow, supports executive readiness, and maintains consistent administrative standards. The role functions within clearly defined priorities and direction set by the Executive Office and Corporate Affairs leadership team.

 

This position requires a full-time, on-site presence at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa (five days per week). Given the operational needs of the Office of the President and CEO, consistent in-person presence is essential. Occasional work-from-home arrangements may be considered for personal reasons.

 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Executive Prioritization and Coordination

• Provide high-level executive administrative support to the President and CEO, including calendar management, meeting coordination, and logistical planning;

• Support executive readiness by coordinating briefing materials, agendas, and background materials;

• Guides the day-to-day schedules for the President CEO and is responsible for keeping them informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities and ensures appropriate follow-up actions are taken;

• Organize domestic and international travel and logistics, including itineraries, bookings, accommodations, and expense reporting;

• Act as a point of contact for internal and external contacts relating to Executive Office, ensuring professional and timely communication;

• Maintain an in-office presence aligned with the President & CEO’s schedule;

• Handle sensitive information, communications, and scheduling matters with a high degree of confidentiality and discretion.

Partner Engagement through Calendar & Scheduling Management

• Serve as a key coordination point for senior internal and external stakeholders interacting with the CEO Office;

• Support engagement and coordination with executive leadership team, partners and stakeholders;

• Manage and maintain a complex and dynamic executive calendar, balancing competing priorities, internal and external meetings, events, hosting and attending performances;

• Coordinate meeting logistics, including room bookings, virtual platforms, participant coordination, and materials preparation;

• Apply established priorities and protocols when scheduling and adjusting commitments; proactively identify and escalate conflicts or concerns to the Executive Office Manager and Corporate Secretary, as required.

Information & Correspondence Support

• Coordinate incoming requests, correspondence, and information flowing to the President and CEO;

• Draft routine correspondence and administrative responses on behalf of the Executive Office, escalating sensitive matters as appropriate;

• Document meeting minutes, records of decision and action items;

• Track follow-ups, confirmations, and administrative actions arising from meetings.

Executive Office Operations

• Support the Executive Office and Corporate Affairs team in maintaining consistent administrative workflows, standards, and documentation;

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of administrative systems and processes;

• Support travel reclamations, credit card reporting, and anything finance related, as needed;

• May provide administrative and logistical support for Board-related activities in coordination with the Corporate Secretary;

• Support protocol-sensitive President and CEO engagements involving government, donors, artists, and other contacts, following established NAC practices;

• Support budget administration within the Executive Office.

 

Required qualifications:

• Post-secondary degree in office administration, public administration, business administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience;

• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience at executive-level support in a complex, fast-paced organizational, political, governance, or public sector environment;

• Experience supporting senior executives, public office holders, and/or governance bodies;

• Experience managing calendars, travel, and executive documentation;

• Fluently bilingual in both official languages, English and French, written and spoken;

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;

• Demonstrated outstanding organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize workload, respond to shifting priorities in a fast-paced and evolving environment, while meeting deadlines;

• Service and customer-oriented mindset, a genuine collaborative and professional style and highly effective interpersonal skills.

• Strong attention to detail, organizational, prioritization, and time-management skills;

• High standards of discretion, professionalism, responsiveness, and judgment.

• Proven ability to manage sensitive information confidentially;

• Strong interpersonal skills and service orientation;

• Ability to collaborate effectively with people from different cultural/diverse backgrounds and proven commitment to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.

• Highly resourceful and solution focused team player, with ability to work independently and with limited oversight and guidance.

• Strong organizational awareness and political acuity;

• Strong proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Teams, Excel, Adobe, Teams, SharePoint, PowerPoint);

• Familiarity with document management and workflow tracking tools is an asset;

• Flexible and available to work within an irregular schedule, including occasional early mornings, evenings, and event-related hours.

 

Who can apply:

Persons residing in Canada and Canadian citizens residing abroad. Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

As part of NAC’s interview process, in-person interviews may be required. Please ensure to have the most up-to-date information on your résumé including your current email address.

 

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is committed to inclusive employee recruitment and selection. The NAC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. If you require accommodation during the selection process, please inform us as soon as possible and we will make every effort to fulfill your accommodation request.

 

The successful candidate will be required to provide the original or a certified true copy of their education credentials as appropriate, along with proof of a valid Background Check as a condition of employment.

While we appreciate all applications, only those selected for an interview will be contacted by us.

 

How to apply:

Please submit your cover letter and résumé online through the “Career Opportunities” section of our website at https://nac-cna.ca/en/careers.

CONNECT WITH US! LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram