Executive & Operations Assistant

Role overview

Join a compact, ambitious engineering business working on advanced technologies for the space sector. This part-time role is designed to support the founder and technical leadership team by removing day-to-day operational friction so they can stay focused on engineering, customers and growth. The position blends executive assistance, operations coordination and project follow-through, and it is suited to someone who likes bringing structure to fast-moving, complex work.

The role is based in Newmarket, Auckland, with a hybrid pattern of 3 days in the office and 2 days working remotely. Hours are 20–30 per week, and there is potential for the role to expand into a full-time position over time. Pay is approximately NZ$30–40 per hour, depending on experience.

What you will do

Your day-to-day work will span executive coordination, procurement support, documentation, and keeping projects moving across the business. No two days will be the same; you may be organising supplier deliveries, preparing materials for investor meetings, documenting engineering reviews, or arranging travel for an international conference.

• Manage calendars, schedule meetings and coordinate travel arrangements.
• Prepare agendas, briefing packs and meeting support materials.
• Capture minutes from meetings and track follow-up actions through to completion.
• Monitor inboxes and help sort, prioritise and route incoming communications.
• Coordinate meetings with customers, suppliers and investors.
• Request quotes, raise purchase requests and help keep procurement moving.
• Track purchases from request through to delivery and follow up on supplier delays.
• Prepare invoices and supporting documents for reconciliation in Xero.
• Maintain records, documentation and filing systems in an orderly way.
• Support office administration and wider operational logistics.
• Track project status across engineering teams and follow up outstanding deadlines.
• Help keep project information visible in Microsoft Teams and related tools.
• Coordinate document reviews and make sure key information reaches the right people.
• Look for repetitive work, bottlenecks and automation opportunities, then help improve the way the business operates.

What we are looking for

The most important thing is not the title you have held before, but how you approach problems. The ideal person is organised, proactive and comfortable operating with incomplete instructions. You should be able to gather information, work out what is needed, and move things forward with confidence.

• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail.
• Self-starting and able to take action without constant direction.
• Enjoys creating systems and processes that help others work better.
• Calm under pressure and adaptable when priorities shift.
• Willing and able to learn technical subject matter quickly.
• Able to communicate clearly with engineers, suppliers and customers.
• Comfortable asking questions when something is unclear.
• Capable of setting priorities, pushing back respectfully and holding people accountable.
• Comfortable working in ambiguous situations where you are given an outcome rather than a step-by-step task list.

Experience and technical exposure

Useful experience may come from a mix of executive assistance, office coordination, operations, procurement, supplier management or documentation work. Exposure to Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, Outlook, SharePoint and Excel will be valuable, as will experience with process improvement and accounting or finance systems such as Xero or comparable software. Background in engineering, manufacturing or technology environments is preferred but not essential. An engineering qualification is not required, although you should be comfortable learning technical terminology and working alongside engineers.

What success looks like

In the first six months, success in this role would mean meetings are well run and properly documented, procurement is visible and proactively managed, suppliers are followed up before delays become issues, records are current and easy to access, and the engineering team is spending less time on administration. The broader goal is to free up leadership so they can spend more time on engineering, customers and business growth.

Why this role stands out

This is a chance to work directly with experienced engineers building novel technology for the space industry. Because the company is still growing, the role offers significant variety, ownership and the opportunity to shape internal systems and processes. For the right person, it could naturally grow into a broader operations leadership position as the business expands.

Important note

This position will suit someone who enjoys problem-solving, improving systems and becoming a key part of a growing engineering team. If you prefer a highly structured environment where every task is already defined, this may not be the best fit.

Working arrangement and compensation

• Location: Newmarket, Auckland.
• Work model: Hybrid, with 3 days in the office and 2 days remote.
• Hours: 20–30 hours per week.
• Potential: Opportunity to grow into a full-time role.
• Pay: Approximately NZ$30–40 per hour, depending on experience.