Executive Assistant for CEO - bilingual Japanese and English

Cookpad's mission is to "Make everyday cooking fun." We believe solving everyday cooking challenges worldwide will encourage more people to enjoy cooking, ultimately addressing larger societal issues. Cookpad operates three key services: the globally recognised recipe-sharing platform "Cookpad," the e-commerce service "Cookpad Mart" for easy access to fresh ingredients, and the coaching service "Moment" which helps users cook like professionals.

We are looking for a talented EA to support our Founder and CEO, as well as the Chief of Staff, and help drive the company’s growth. This role extends beyond typical EA duties, allowing you to actively contribute so that the CEO can focus his time and energy on the most critical tasks.

Based in Bristol, the role will offer numerous experiences and you will also have the satisfaction of effectively supporting the CEO and Chief of Staff and directly contributing to the company’s success and growth. One example is perfectly coordinating the CEO’s complex schedule to ensure smooth, productive meetings that generate significant business opportunities, swiftly arranging urgent travel or preparing materials that in turn enable the CEO to make timely, impactful decisions. Another example is having your proposed process improvements adopted, leading to significant enhancements in the CEO’s efficiency.

Your support will directly impact the company’s overall success. Moreover, you’ll earn the trust of the CEO and the executive team through these achievements and you’ll play a crucial role as a key, respected member of the team.

Fluency in Japanese and business level English is essential for this role.

Requirements

Key responsibilities:

Schedule management and coordination: Understand the CEO's work and business context to accurately prioritise tasks and propose the most effective schedule. Proactive schedule management based on business priorities is crucial, rather than merely reacting to requests. You will also need to quickly and appropriately handle sudden changes in priorities, ensuring that the CEO can focus on critical tasks. Additionally, when decisions are required, you will ask specific and insightful questions to the Chief of Staff to facilitate the best outcomes.

Project management and task coordination: Work towards achieving the goals of each business and project managed on a 6-week basis. Actively gather necessary information from relevant parties to prepare the CEO for optimal decision-making. If materials are lacking, quickly supplement them and suggest adjustments to meeting content if necessary. You’ll also ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of documents beforehand, consulting with the Chief of Staff to avoid wasting the CEO's time.

Meeting setup and preparation: Take charge of all preparations related to meetings and trips that the CEO attends. Through the creation of the 5 Ps (Purpose, Payoff, Probable Issues, Process, Participants), ensure that meetings are conducted with maximum efficiency. You will anticipate potential issues, propose solutions to the Chief of Staff when necessary, and prepare to resolve them in advance so that meetings run smoothly. Additionally, you will proactively gather the information needed by the CEO and obtain appropriate feedback in advance to minimise wasted time and facilitate efficient operations.

Environment setup and travel arrangements: Ensure that the CEO and Chief of Staff can focus on their work by meticulously organising travel arrangements and eliminating any unnecessary time wastage. Optimise rest and meal times during travel and respond immediately to any unforeseen issues. You’ll also anticipate needs and ensure a conducive working environment, even during business trips.

Professionalism as the CEO’s EA: Maintain a constant awareness of return on investment, using the company’s expenses that the CEO incurs appropriately and effectively. Collaborate closely with the finance department to ensure transparent expense management. You should always operate with high ethical standards, setting an example for other employees in terms of expense usage. Furthermore, manage information obtained in the course of your duties appropriately, ensuring you act with the utmost trustworthiness.

Required skills and experience:

• 5+ years of business experience
• Ability to conduct business in Japanese (fluent) and English (Business level proficiency)
• Experience in one of the following areas:
• Roles involving direct interaction with company Executives
• Project Management
• Sales
• High level of autonomy and flexibility, with the ability to adapt in a dynamic environment
Strong multi-tasking ability and excellent time management skills

Preferred skills and experience:

• Experience working in a startup environment
• Experience in project management or process improvement
• Experience supporting or coordinating with executives
• Ability to effectively coordinate and communicate across multiple departments

Who we want to work with:

Passion for creating a world where cooking is fun: We want someone who is passionate about realising a world where cooking is something to look forward to. Cookpad is the startup most committed to our mission of "Making everyday cooking fun" globally. At least, that’s how we see ourselves. We believe that our daily work and decisions will shape the future. We want to work with someone who is eager to maximise the CEO's capabilities to create a future with cooking at its heart.

Purpose-driven and action-oriented: It’s essential to accurately understand the purpose of your work and think of the best means to achieve it, then execute accordingly. We seek someone who values managing their environment and time, and who possesses the ability to steadily progress towards goals.

Optimal resource utilisation: For instance, the CEO's time is one of the most valuable resources for the company. We’re looking for someone who can make decisions that maximise results by efficiently using limited time and budget.

Professionalism: We seek someone who is dedicated to creating the best possible environment for achieving goals, regardless of the circumstances. We want to work with someone who does not neglect preparation and can work with flexibility and professionalism, even in the face of unforeseen challenges.

Business acumen: We want to work with someone who can not only reduce costs but also consider the cost-effectiveness of expenditures. The ideal candidate would have business experience and an entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to make decisions that maximise the impact of investments.

Effective communication: We are looking for someone who can gather necessary information by understanding the purpose and background of tasks through effective communication with supervisors and colleagues and asking the right questions.

Benefits

What we offer:

• Full-time employment, subject to a probation period.
• An office location in Bristol within 5-10 minutes of major train and bus routes.
• The chance to work in a fast-paced, highly ambitious team
• A fully stocked pantry and large cooking space where we can cook and eat together.
• A competitive salary