Executive Assistant, Business Events

Location: Vancouver, BC

Department: Business Events

Employment Type: Full Time / Hybrid / Term (3-year fixed term contract)

Language Designation: English Essential

Posting Close Date: April 27, 2025

About Destination Canada

Tourism is the heartbeat of communities from coast to coast to coast. At Destination Canada, our aspiration for the tourism industry is to generate wealth and wellbeing for all of Canada and enrich the lives of our guests. Our mission is to influence supply and build demand for the benefit of locals, communities and visitors through leading research, alignment with public and private sectors, and marketing Canada nationally and abroad. We seek diverse, ingenious thinkers teeming with intellectual curiosity and a deep desire to grow Canada’s tourism industry – strengthening the socio-cultural, environmental and economic vitality tourism brings to Canada.

About the role:

We are seeking an Executive Assistant, Business Events to provide administrative, operational, and executive support to the Executive Director, Business Events at Destination Canada. This role encompasses a variety of responsibilities, including calendar management, travel and event coordination, financial administration, communications and more. Additionally, the position offers project support for both the Executive Director and the Business Events team. In this role, you will serve as a key contact on administrative matters, addresses issues in a discerning and proactive manner, and foster a well-organized and efficient operating environment for the Executive and the team. If you have strong organizational skills, a knack for problem-solving, and enjoy supporting others to achieve their goals, we’d love to hear from you!

Note: While this posting is for the Executive Assistant, Business Events role, applications received may also be considered for other Executive Assistant opportunities as they arise.

Key accountabilities

Administrative Support

• Prepares, reviews, and proofreads documents, reports, presentations and briefings, and handles meeting minutes when necessary.
• Manages administrative tasks related to service providers, including credit cards, travel arrangements, office supplies, beverages, and remote conferencing. Ensures these products and services are consistently available, and that they follow established policies and procedures.
• Interprets and applies established Destination Canada procedures, and identifies courses of action to resolve administrative issues.
• Provides information and instructions to Destination Canada employees related to administrative and other services and Destination Canada control features required for those services.
• Coordinates and administers contracts, including tracking, routing documents for approval, and managing sign-off on contracts and partnership agreements.
• Supports the business unit(s) with contract coordination, Statements of Work, vendor performance management, and tracking spend with individual suppliers.

Financial Support

• Manages day-to-day financial duties, including processing and managing invoices and expenses and reviewing monthly GL statement, while following financial and procurement policies.
• Monitors and reports on financial activities, ensuring compliance with established guidelines and standards.
• Prepares budget and financial reports, including variance and forecast reports, and provides advice and recommendations on line items.

Information Management

• Compiles and manages the updating and storage of important documentation on behalf of the Executive and the business unit.
• Protects sensitive information and upholds confidentiality of information.

Event & Travel Coordination

• Arranges and coordinates meeting and event logistics for the Executive and the business unit.
• Coordinates and manages travel arrangements, bookings, and travel expenses for the Executive(s).
• Prepares detailed itineraries and agendas.

Calendar Management & Meeting Preparation

• Arranges conference calls and meetings for the Executive.
• Develops and circulates meeting materials, including, but not limited to meeting agendas, documentation, and meeting minutes.
• Manage Executives' schedule(s) and calendar(s), which includes organizing private, sensitive and confidential meetings.
• Maintains awareness of priorities, monitors tasks and deadlines, anticipates Executives' needs, and makes critical decisions to prioritize meetings.

Communications

• Liaises between the Executive(s), the business unit, and internal and external stakeholders.
• Manages information flow and quality control of documents (i.e. presentations. handouts, meeting materials, briefings). Edits documentation for appropriate language, style and grammar.
• Routes and responds to questions/requests, prioritizes issues and ensures that they are handled accordingly.

Project Support

• Assists the Executive(s) with ongoing projects within the business unit to successfully meet deadlines and handle one-off administrative requests, when appropriate.
• Schedules meetings, handles logistics, and facilitates the preparation of presentations or reports pertaining to the projects.
• Liaises with stakeholders to address concerns that arises during projects.

Other Duties

• Performs other related duties.
• Provides backup for other EA or Senior EA positions when needed.

What you need

• Successful completion of post-secondary education in administration or related field or an acceptable combination of education, training and experience
• 3+ years of experience in administrative support roles
• Experience as an Executive Assistant or similar role
• Comprehensive knowledge of administrative practices and procedures including invoice processing, budget tracking, contracts, expense claims, travel arrangements, calendar management, meeting arrangements and minutes, filing and records management
• Knowledge of executive support practices and techniques
• Excellent multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills
• Superior attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
• Ability to develop a strong understanding of the Executive's priorities and requirements
• Ability to develop an understanding of the operations of the BU and the organizational context
• Ability to prepare and edit documents, reports, presentations and briefings
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect private and sensitive information
• Effective problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to relay information clearly and respond to questions, liaising effectively between multiple stakeholders
• Sound interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Proficient in MS Office Suite, virtual meeting tools, and collaboration tools

It would be great if you also had

• Knowledge of the tourism industry

Compensation

Salary range: $58,328 - $72,910

Within the range, the base pay offered is determined by multiple factors, including job-related skills and relevant education/experience. Please note starting salaries for new hires typically fall between the minimum and mid-point of the range, to support internal equity and allow room for progression as employees grow and excel in their roles. The range above reflects base pay only and does not include the competitive at-risk pay program and benefits that we offer! 

Other components of our total rewards offerings include:

• Extended health and dental benefits
• Minimum 3 weeks of accrued vacation plus other paid time off
• Employee assistance program
• Defined contribution pension plan
• Generous parenthood top-up
• Flexible working options like compressed workweek and hybrid model
• Support towards your professional growth with learning and development opportunities, mentorship and more.

Things you should know:

• This role follows a hybrid work arrangement, where work is performed onsite at least 2-3 days per week. Please note the work arrangement is subject to change.
• This is a three-year term role, with a fixed end date.
• This is a unionized role.
• While this posting is for the Executive Assistant, Business Events role, applications received may also be considered for other Executive Assistant opportunities as they arise.

At Destination Canada, we believe that Canada's diversity is its greatest asset and is what touches travellers' hearts most deeply. To that end, we are committed to inclusive leadership within our workplace, workforce, and interactions with partners and travellers alike. Destination Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to reflecting Canada's diversity through fair and accessible hiring and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. If you require accommodations at any point in the recruitment process, please reach out to [email protected].

We know that applying for a new job can be both exciting and intimidating, and we sincerely appreciate your interest and effort. Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.