Executive Assistant

Job description

Your work days are brighter here. We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too. About the Team Workday South Africa operates as a small, high-impact in-country team within the broader EMEA region, providing local market presence, customer engagement, and operational support to the wider Workday business. The team plays an important role in enabling Workday’s growth in the South African market by supporting customers, strengthening local relationships, and ensuring the business operates effectively within the country’s regulatory and commercial environment. As a lean local team, Workday South Africa offers broad exposure and meaningful opportunity for impact. Team members work closely across leadership, sales, operations, community initiatives, and compliance-related priorities, with several functions naturally consolidated in-country due to the scale of the local office. The team is also deeply connected to Workday’s culture and community impact through initiatives such as the Workmate Community programme, CSI activities, Mandela Day engagement, Heritage Day, Workforce Week job-seeker coaching, and the Johannesburg community newsletter. This is a collaborative, purpose-driven team where individuals can contribute visibly to both business outcomes and local community impact. The team’s work supports Workday’s customer presence in South Africa, strengthens employee engagement, and helps advance important local priorities including B-BBEE, socio-economic development, and responsible growth. About the Role Key Requirements for the RoleSupport the Country Managing Director and broader Workday South Africa operating team. The role is positioned to support the Country MD and the wider Workday SA team, with responsibilities that go beyond standard executive support. Provide strategic meeting, communication, and decision support. This includes managing the Country MD’s complex calendar, prioritising meetings based on business priorities, preparing agendas and materials, capturing decisions and actions, and ensuring follow-up. Act as a liaison between the Country MD and key stakeholders. The role manages information flow between the Country MD and internal and external stakeholders, including customers, partners, and regional leadership. Manage operational and logistical execution. This includes domestic and international travel coordination, ground transportation, accommodation, itinerary creation, disruption planning, and backup arrangements. Oversee expenses and support financial tracking. The role prepares, submits, and tracks expense reports for the Country MD, ensures compliance with company policy, and assists with tracking country-level operational budget items. Improve workflows and operating processes. The role is expected to identify and implement new processes, tools, and workflows to improve efficiency for the Country MD and the broader Workday South Africa team. Prepare executive materials and communications. This includes preparing and refining presentations, board packs, briefing materials, reports, and communications for the MD’s office, ensuring quality and alignment with Workday brand standards. Plan and execute team events and culture activities. The role manages logistics, vendors, and budgets for internal events and team activities, while serving as a team and culture champion. Support change management and onboarding. This includes helping manage organisational changes within the country team, coordinating onboarding for new senior hires, and helping stakeholders navigate the broader Workday enterprise structure. Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion. The role requires access to sensitive information, including organisational changes, financial performance, and personnel matters, and must handle this information with integrity and professional discretion. Own B-BBEE programme management for Workday South Africa. The role manages external B-BBEE consulting partners and internal stakeholders, tracks scorecard elements, maintains verification-ready documentation and evidence files, and aligns B-BBEE initiatives with business objectives. Maintain B-BBEE documentation and audit readiness. The role is responsible for maintaining verification-ready documentation and evidence files to support B-BBEE compliance. Co-lead the Workmate Community and CSI programme. This includes Mandela Day “67 Minutes” activities, Johannesburg quarterly events, Pub Quiz, Christmas, Heritage Day, Workforce Week job-seeker coaching, and the Johannesburg community newsletter. Support socio-economic development and employee engagement. The Workmate Community and CSI responsibilities contribute to the SED element of the B-BBEE scorecard, support employee retention and engagement, and help maintain the cultural fabric of the Johannesburg office. Support the Country MD’s external engagements. The role researches and prepares talking points, briefing notes, and stage-ready materials for industry events, customer summits, and panel engagements. Coordinate with senior leadership and external partners. The role supports content review and delivery logistics for Country MD external engagements. Provide sales operations liaison support. Because of the smaller scale of the South Africa go-to-market team, the role supports the Account Executive function through sales operating rhythm tools, demand-generation workflows, pipeline data hygiene, and planning of strategic sales initiatives such as Sales Kick-Off. Bring strong programme and project coordination capability. The role has expanded beyond the original contract terms to include B-BBEE programme management, Workmate Community leadership, and operational support across the Johannesburg team. Support operational continuity for the South Africa office. The role holds institutional knowledge across Workday SA’s operating cadence, B-BBEE evidence files, supplier and consulting partner relationships, the Country MD’s working patterns, and the broader team’s operating rhythms. Contribute to regulatory and commercial readiness. B-BBEE compliance is a regulatory function with direct commercial consequences for procurement access, public-sector tender eligibility, and Workday’s reputation in the South African market. About You The ideal person for this role should be highly trusted, proactive, discreet, and commercially aware, with the maturity to operate close to senior leadership while also driving hands-on execution across the South Africa office. This role requires someone who can balance strategic judgement with operational discipline, because the position supports the Country Managing Director, the broader Workday South Africa operating team, and several country-specific workstreams that are business-critical. Will: Motivation, Mindset, and BehaviourThe person needs a strong ownership mindset. They should naturally take accountabili