Burkhead Electric is an electrical contractor based out of Pleasant Hill, Iowa serving the Greater Des Moines and surrounding areas. We specialize in residential, commercial and industrial electrical installation and design.

Industry: Construction
Company Size: 11-50 employees

Burkhead Electric

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Burkhead Electric and affiliated businesses are hiring an Executive Assistant to the Owner/CEO. This is a high‑trust execution role built to protect priorities, drive follow‑through, and prevent drift after decisions are made.

If you are looking for a comfortable administrative job, do not apply. If you take pride in precision, discretion, and making hard things run cleanly, keep reading.

**About The Work**

The CEO operates multiple entities, whose highest‑value responsibilities are large customer relationships, vision casting, and maintaining culture and standards. The problem this role solves is not a lack of effort — it is the growing cost of executive bandwidth being consumed by coordination, scheduling friction, and follow‑through.

We build systems because they create a repeatable customer experience without requiring constant reaction. When processes are accurate and followed, technicians are calm and confident, and customers experience clarity and trust.

Role Summary

This position supports the Owner/CEO directly and works alongside existing leaders. The goal is simple: make the CEO’s decisions and priorities land consistently, without the CEO becoming the bottleneck or the memory bank.

This is intentionally NOT a Chief of Staff or operations leadership role. The CEO retains ownership of vision, relationships, culture, and final decisions. Department leaders retain ownership of their lanes. This role provides leverage through calendar control, meeting discipline, tracking, and clean execution — not through authority.

What You Will Own (Phase 1)

You will own the mechanisms that prevent drift: calendar rules, meeting preparation, and follow‑through discipline.

- Own the CEO calendar end‑to‑end: protect focus time, sequence priorities, and apply agreed ‘no / not now’ rules.

- Prepare meetings: clarify purpose and desired outcomes, confirm the right attendees, distribute pre‑reads, and eliminate unnecessary meetings.

- Capture decisions and commitments: record owners and deadlines, track progress, and surface slippage early (visibility + escalation, not command).

- Maintain a single source of truth for CEO‑level priorities across businesses: what matters, what’s next, and what is blocked.

- Triage and route information: reduce interruptions, prevent reactive work from hijacking priorities, and ensure clean handoffs.

- Create “boring execution” through repeatable rhythms: the point is predictability, not heroics.

- No decision‑making authority on behalf of the CEO.

- No people management and no supervision over department leaders.

- No authority over hiring/firing, compensation, discipline, or performance actions.

- No financial approval authority or budget ownership.

- No ownership of company vision/values/culture narrative (you can help draft; the CEO owns the message).

- No direct leadership of the Operations Director or other leaders (this role works beside them, not above them).

- Operates without babysitting: self‑directed, reliable, and proactive.

- Calm under pressure: handles complexity and strong personalities without emotional volatility.

- Direct and clear: strong written communication and clean verbal updates.

- Discretion is automatic: trusted with sensitive information across multiple entities.

- Follow‑through is a strength: you close loops, you don’t create new ones.

- You enforce the CEO’s stated priorities even when it is uncomfortable.

- 5–10+ years supporting an owner/CEO or senior executive in a complex environment.

- Demonstrated executive calendar management at high standards.

- Proven system for tracking commitments, owners, and deadlines.

- Strong proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive/SharePoint) and comfort learning new tools.

- A bias toward structure: you naturally build checklists, templates, and rhythms that make execution repeatable.

- The CEO calendar reflects priorities (less reactive scheduling; focus blocks protected).

- Meetings are fewer, better prepared, and produce clear decisions.

- Commitments stop drifting: owners and deadlines are visible, and follow‑through happens without CEO chasing.

- The CEO is spending more time on customers, vision, and culture — and less time coordinating and remembering.

Authority Guardrails (Non‑Negotiable)

To protect clarity and prevent role drift, this position does NOT include the following:

Working Style Expectations

We are looking for a calm, precise operator who can enforce priorities without drama. You should be able to function with minimal direction, bring solutions (not just problems), and protect confidentiality without exception.

**Experience & Capabilities**

This role requires maturity and a proven track record. Typical indicators include:

What Success Looks Like (First 60–90 Days)

Compensation (Phased by Design)

Initial base salary range: $45,760 – $52,000, commensurate with experience and demonstrated capability. This is a phase‑one range based on Midwest market conditions and the non‑authority nature of the role.

This position is designed to grow only if value is proven. A scope and compensation review may occur after 6–12 months based on measurable reduction in CEO load, improved follow‑through, and sustained execution quality. Growth is earned by outcomes, not tenure.

How to Apply

Submit a cover letter, along with your resume, answering these three prompts in roughly 200-400 words:

- Describe a time you brought order to a messy, high‑pressure environment.

- How do you protect an executive’s calendar without becoming a gatekeeper tyrant?

- What system do you use to track commitments so nothing important drifts?

Generic applications will not be prioritized. We are looking for a professional who wants responsibility for execution quality and takes pride in making priorities real.

Executive Assistant – Office of the CEO

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