Executive Assistant, Contract

Our studio is looking for a contract executive assistant with demonstrated experience supporting leadership through calendar management, inbox and communication support, and day-to-day operational logistics.

Our baseline (the non-negotiables)

Across the agency, we do our best to always show up in the following ways, regardless of role:

• Be curious: Ask “why” until you fully understand the task or concept.
• Be transparent: If it’s not in Trello or Slack, it didn’t happen.
• Be brave: Raise red flags and actively participate in ideas and suggestions.
• Be direct: Give and receive feedback openly.
• Be present: Engage with the work, the team, and our culture.
• Be proactive: Own both your mistakes and your wins, and move ideas for

About you

You might be the right fit for this role if you:

• Have solid knowledge of calendar management, inbox triage, and day-to-day executive support.
• Are excited to support busy leaders and keep multiple moving pieces on track.
• Are a fabulous, direct communicator.
• Are extremely organized, detail-oriented, and fastidious about follow-through.
• Love to work collaboratively, and are comfortable leaving your ego at the door and putting the work first.
• Take initiative and think beyond the checklist about what a leader needs before they ask for it.
• Are open to feedback and learning from the team.

Experience & other skills

• Open-minded, kind, honest, enthusiastic, growth-mindset.
• Extraordinary attention to detail.
• Strong sense of accountability and ownership of tasks, deadlines, and communications.
• Highly collaborative and communicative.
• Required: Located in Portland, Oregon, with reliable transportation.
• Preferred: 2+ years experience in an executive or administrative assistant role, ideally supporting leadership at an agency or small business.

Software skills

A strong candidate will be expert in the following tools:

• Expert at Google Docs, Slides, Sheets (Workspace), and calendar/scheduling tools
• Strong ability in communication tools such as: Trello, Slack, Zoom

The role

Administrative support

• Manage and maintain calendars — scheduling meetings, calls, and focus blocks
• Coordinate meeting logistics: sending invites, agendas, Zoom links, and reminders
• Track action items and follow up with the right team members to keep things moving
• Help prioritize daily and weekly to-do lists for each leader

Communication & documentation

• Review inboxes daily: flag urgent items, archive clutter, and draft responses or reminders
• Take notes in key meetings and organize them in shared folders
• Maintain clean, organized documentation for recurring tasks (meeting notes, checklists, templates)
• Draft and send simple internal or client follow-ups as directed

Project & sales support

• Gather and organize information from Project Managers and Sales Lead when leaders need updates
• Help assemble and proof proposals, bios, and presentations (no creative direction required)
• Schedule proposal reviews, client check-ins, or internal prep sessions
• Support contract and invoicing logistics — confirming due dates, sending reminders, filing documents

Operational support

• Track recurring internal deadlines (invoicing, renewals, PTO tracking reminders, etc.)
• Help with simple HR or finance logistics like reconciling receipts or vendor info
• Research and book travel, conference registrations, or event logistics for the CEO
• Send small client gifts or thank-you notes and handle local errands

Compensation

• We offer a weekly retainer of 20 hours, with hourly compensation for any hours worked on top. Hourly rate is dependent on experience and typically ranges between $27–$30/hour.

Location

• Our CEO and CMO are located in Portland, Oregon. We’re looking for someone local to work hybrid — some days fully remote and some days directly with the partners and running local errands.

Our agency

We are a brand-focused strategy, design, and website development firm. Our work encompasses brand identity, marketing and communications, website design and development, and more. The partners work directly with clients across disciplines to produce exceptional strategies and assets for our purpose-driven organizations and businesses. We have extremely high standards, employ a collaborative design approach, and run a fast-paced environment. Our ethos: humanity, honesty, directness, clarity, and quality.

Smith & Connors specifically seeks diverse perspectives and ideas among project management candidates. We are an inclusive studio committed to equity and diversity. This is an equal employment opportunity open to applicants within the United States.