Executive Assistant I - Essential Utilities

Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, employs people in a variety of roles within our eight-state footprint, ranging from field workers and customer service representatives who are on the front lines working with customers, to scientists and engineers who help ensure we’re delivering reliable water and wastewater services to our communities.  If you’re looking for a rewarding career helping improve our environment and protect our natural resources, we encourage you to join our team!

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc. delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Operating as the Aqua (water and wastewater services) and the Peoples and Delta (natural gas) brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. We are committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status - including a competitive and comprehensive benefits package as well as a commitment to career growth opportunities.

We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

Our company is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S. 

Summary:

We have a great opportunity for an Executive Assistant. The Executive Assistant provides administrative support to the State President - Aqua Texas and office staff. Collects, reviews and analyzes confidential data and prepares reports. Schedules and coordinates meetings. The Executive Assistant provides executive level secretarial and administrative support to 3 Teams in the Aqua Organization - Vice President, Aqua Engineering; Vice President, Chief Environmental, Safety, and Sustainability Officer; and Director, TX Planning and Engineering.  This role is requiring high levels of trust, accuracy, organization, and confidentiality. The successful incumbent will be responsible for, with minimum supervision, support functions, including department budgeting, checking, and tracking bills, providing variance analysis, and high level of accounts payable support and invoice payments across all Teams.

Essential Duties:

• Operate a personal computer utilizing office applications software (including SAP, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database applications) to perform a variety of typing and statistical assignments.  Expected to be familiar with all aspects of this software and proficient in the main functional capabilities.  No additional instructions or training should be required.
• Provide accounts payable support and provide the administrative role for service entry sheets and invoices across all the Aqua Departments referenced above.
• Provide administrative support for other SAP administrative functions including expense report entry, p-cards and other support management required by the departments.
• Will be required to accurately compose and prepare general correspondence, memos, notices, etc. from marginal notes or oral instructions.  Prepare updates of repetitive correspondence and documents requiring detailed review.  Must be capable of making independent decisions within the scope of the position.
• Maintain detailed appointment and meeting schedules electronically. Responsible for assuring that all appointments are kept, or alternative arrangements are made in a timely fashion.
• Responsible for the flow of daily internal and external mail and documents. Takes steps to insure the confidentiality of sensitive mail. Sorts, distributes, faxes, mails, and follows up as needed.
• Must have ability to meet changing deadlines for various reports and accept changes with minimum error.  Also contact Managers in the various departments to collect data necessary for reports.  Prepares annual planning & reporting calendar for Capital, based on input from various departments and within established guidelines.
• Arrange, prepare agendas, and organize various operational and organizational meeting.
• Arrange travel reservations and accommodations as required.
• Organize and maintain department files on an ongoing basis.  Maintain an accurate and up-to-date file list of active and inactive files.  Periodically culls active files for storage.
• Position requires the ability to analyze and coordinate various information and data with a good deal of interpretation of specialized and technical materials.  Must be able to make independent decisions involving established practices and procedures.
• Must have excellent communications skills and be able to interact effectively with a wide variety of individuals of all levels, both inside and outside the Company.
• Must be able to maintain confidential and sensitive information and materials with the utmost discretion.  Absolute confidentiality is essential.
• Assist in the preparation of department budget from prior year's budget and expenditures; checks accuracy of bills for department expenses, route those bills to the appropriate person for approval and/or payment, tracks progress to assure timely payment, request insurance certificates as required following established procedures; order department supplies and maintain an adequate inventory; and gather materials or information from various sources and compile into summary reports.
• Must have initiative to work with wide range of staff across many departments, in particular Accounts Payable, HR, Finance, and IT.
• Expected to constantly search for ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of department procedures and to initiate improvements whenever reasonable.
• Assists with all other duties and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Secretarial or business college graduate preferred.
• Minimum of five years of administrative or secretarial experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must possess ability to use PC including word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
• Strong knowledge of SAP software is preferred.
• Must possess extensive office and administrative skills. 
• Requires proven ability to independently reach decisions when necessary. 
• Ensure accuracy of work to minimize errors that could have a negative impact on the Company. 
• Must be multi-task oriented and possess analytical skills. Ability to respect confidentiality and privacy issues a must.   

Aqua, an Essential Utilities company is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. Equal employment opportunity is provided to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions, including medical conditions related to lactation), physical or mental disability, covered-veteran status, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal law.
Aqua is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.  If you have a condition that may prevent you from applying for a job online or need to request an accommodation during the interview process, please call (1-877-271-9012).  
To maintain the integrity of the recruitment process and to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest due to employment and/or assignment of family members and personal referrals, specific guidelines apply to the hiring and assignment of these individuals including, but not limited to:

• Family members cannot result in a supervisor/subordinate reporting relationship
• Family members cannot work in the same department.