Executive Assistant

An Executive Assistant provides high-level administrative and organisational support to senior executives, managers, or business leaders in corporate, government, or institutional settings. They manage complex schedules, correspondence, meetings, and projects while acting as a liaison between the executive and internal or external stakeholders. The role requires discretion, initiative, and the ability to anticipate needs and solve problems with minimal supervision.

Manage executive calendars, scheduling meetings, travel, and appointments across multiple time zones and priorities. Prepare briefing documents, board papers, and presentation materials for executive meetings and external engagements. Draft, proofread, and send correspondence on behalf of the executive, maintaining brand voice and compliance with organisational standards. Coordinate logistics for corporate events, conferences, or client meetings, including venue booking, catering, and attendee management. Maintain confidential files and databases, ensuring compliance with Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and organisational information security policies. Process expense claims and purchase orders, reconciling receipts and liaising with finance departments. Screen and prioritise incoming communications, determining urgency and routing to appropriate departments or external parties. Manage travel arrangements including flights, accommodation, and ground transport, tracking expenditure against budget.

The standard entry pathway requires a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You're also trapped between your boss's demands and everyone else's, managing competing priorities that nobody thinks are your actual job. AI and software already handle some calendar management, expense processing and document prep, which may make some of these roles less secure.

These roles concentrate in major metros especially in CBD financial districts, government departments, and corporate head offices. Practically speaking, you need to be in a big city where senior executives cluster. Remote work is rare because the role depends on being physically present or accessible to your executive. Regional positions exist but are thin on the ground.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 5211, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

See full salary breakdown by state

• Secretary (General): what carries over
• Receptionist (General): what carries over
• School Administration Officer: what carries over

• Appointment Schedulingcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Email Managementcore
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiencycore
• Multitaskingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Telephone Etiquettecore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Digital Literacy
• Electronic Document Management
• Invoicing and Billing Administration
• Microsoft Teams Collaboration
• Process Documentation
• Professional Boundaries Maintenance
• Zoom Video Conferencing

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Executive Assistant workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026