Job Description
Executive Assistant to the Director
Avana Surgical Systems Pvt Ltd · Chennai
Location Chennai,
Tamil Nadu (on-site)
Reports to Director,
Avana Surgical Systems
Experience Minimum
5 years as EA to a Director / CEO / Founder / Business Head
Employment Full-time,
permanent
Compensation Best-in-class,
aligned to experience and demonstrated capability
About Avana
Avana Surgical Systems is a leading medical
device distribution business headquartered in Chennai, representing globally
trusted brands including Breg Inc. (USA), Aspen Medical (USA), and Richard Wolf
Spine (Germany). The company is the market leader in India for endoscopic spine
therapy, with 250+ installations, and holds a strong position in orthotics.
As we enter FY27 with an aggressive growth
roadmap, we are building the systems, rhythm, and leadership infrastructure to
become a modern, systems-driven, AI-assisted, human-centered organization. This
role sits at the centre of that transformation.
Role Summary
The Executive Assistant to the Director is a
high-trust role providing direct executive support to the Director of Avana
Surgical Systems. The person in this seat is the operational extension of the
Director — protecting his time, driving follow-through on his commitments,
preparing the material he needs to make high-quality decisions, and ensuring
nothing that matters slips through the cracks.
This is not a passive secretarial role. The
right person acts with initiative, communicates with senior stakeholders on the
Director's behalf, delivers polished work the first time, and thinks two steps
ahead of what will be needed. The role requires exceptional attention to
detail, complete confidentiality, and the discipline to close loops without
being chased.
Key Responsibilities
EXECUTIVE & CALENDAR MANAGEMENT
• Calendar ownership: Manage the Director's
calendar with judgement — prioritise appointments, protect deep-work / Maker's
Time blocks (early morning 3.5-hour block), resolve scheduling conflicts
independently.
• Travel & logistics: End-to-end travel
planning including flights, hotels, ground transport, visas, and expense
reconciliation for domestic and international travel (including principal
visits — Breg, Aspen Medical, Richard Wolf Spine).
• Meeting preparation: Prepare pre-read packs,
agendas, briefing notes, and background research for the Director's meetings.
Ensure he walks into every meeting fully prepared.
• Correspondence: Draft and manage email
communication on the Director's behalf, including responses to internal teams,
vendors, principals, professional networks, and external stakeholders.
COMMITMENT TRACKING & FOLLOW-THROUGH
• Action item closure: Capture action items from
the Director's leadership reviews, one-on-ones, and external meetings. Drive
closure with owners within committed timelines. Escalate proactively before
deadlines slip.
• Commitment register: Maintain a live register of
every commitment the Director makes — internally and externally — and ensure
zero dropped follow-ups.
• Cross-functional coordination: Liaise with
department heads across Orthotics, Endospine, SCM, HR, and Service functions on
the Director's behalf.
DOCUMENTATION & DELIVERABLES
• Presentations: Prepare board-ready
presentations, review decks, and internal communications using the Avana FY27
brand template. Deliverables must be complete, error-free, and ready to present
without rework.
• Reports & MoMs: Prepare accurate minutes of
meetings, monthly business review summaries, and management reports.
Documentation must be structured, precise, and delivered within committed
timelines.
• Expense management: Track and reconcile the
Director's business expenses with supporting documents. Ensure timely
submission and closure with accounts.
• Confidential records: Handle sensitive
commercial, financial, and personnel information with absolute discretion.
BUSINESS SUPPORT
• OKR rhythm support: Support the operational
rhythm of the Avana Surgical OKR system — pre-read compilation for leadership
reviews, QBR pack preparation, and follow-through on Director-owned KRs.
• Dashboard review: Review daily and weekly
dashboards prepared by the Sales Operations & Coordination function; flag
anomalies to the Director; ensure quality of data reaching the Director's desk.
• Stakeholder communication: Coordinate with the
Managing Director's office (Avana Group), external principals, professional
networks, and industry associations on the Director's behalf.
PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS SUPPORT
• Priority protection: Protect the Director's
highest-leverage work — early morning Maker's Time (3.5 hours), leadership
offsites, board reviews, and strategic thinking blocks — from lower-priority
interruptions.
• Reading & content: Support the Director's
reading commitments, content planning (LinkedIn, keynote outlines), and
long-form writing projects with research, coordination, and administrative
continuity.
• Learning coordination: Coordinate the Director's
learning and development schedule — workshops, coaching programs, and
professional forums.
What This Role Offers
· Direct exposure to the Director of a
leading Indian medical devices business at a pivotal growth stage.
· A high-visibility seat at the centre of
strategic decision-making and organisational transformation.
· Meaningful opportunity to work with modern
AI-assisted operating systems and productivity tools.
· Exposure to a Director who is active in
content creation, keynote speaking, coaching, and long-form writing — with the
growth opportunities that come from supporting a public-facing leader.
· A dignified, respected role with clear
KRAs, measurable outcomes, and structured performance reviews.
· Competitive compensation aligned to
experience and demonstrated capability.
Application Process
Interested candidates should share the
following via email:
• Updated resume
• A short cover note (max 200 words) describing the most
complex executive support assignment you have handled and the outcome delivered
• Current CTC, expected CTC, and notice period
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling
basis. Shortlisted candidates will complete a 90-minute written assessment
(drafting a briefing note and a short presentation from raw inputs) followed by
two rounds of interviews and reference checks.
Requirements
Required Skills & Qualifications
MUST HAVE
• Minimum 5 years of experience as an Executive Assistant
to a Director, CEO, Founder, or Business Head — supporting a functional head
(e.g. Sales Director, HR Head, Marketing Head) does not qualify for this role.
• Graduate degree; postgraduate qualification (MBA /
PGDM) preferred.
• Exceptional written and spoken English; polished
professional communication with senior stakeholders.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 — Outlook,
Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams.
• Working knowledge of Zoho ecosystem (Cliq, CRM,
Analytics) or demonstrated ability to migrate to Zoho platforms within 60 days.
• Familiarity with modern AI productivity tools (ChatGPT,
Claude, Zoho Zia, Make.com, Notion) for report drafting, research synthesis,
and workflow automation.
• Demonstrated ability to produce polished, complete,
board-ready deliverables the first time — with minimal rework required from the
Director.
• Track record of managing multiple concurrent priorities
in a fast-paced environment without dropping commitments.
GOOD TO HAVE
• Prior exposure to medical devices, healthcare, or B2B
distribution industries.
• Experience supporting a leader who is active in
speaking, writing, coaching, or content creation.
• Exposure to OKR frameworks or structured goal-setting
systems.
• Understanding of leadership operating rhythm — QBRs,
MBRs, town halls, board reviews.
BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES
• Ownership: Takes complete responsibility for
outcomes — closes loops without being chased.
• Precision: Delivers accurate, complete,
error-free work as the default standard, not the exception.
• Discretion: Handles sensitive information with
absolute confidentiality and mature judgement.
• Anticipation: Thinks two steps ahead — surfaces
issues and prepares material before being asked.
• Composure: Maintains calm and clarity under
pressure, tight deadlines, and shifting priorities.
• Communication: Speaks and writes with polish
appropriate for interactions with senior stakeholders and external principals.
What This Role is Not
To ensure clarity of scope and to prevent
overlap with other functions, the following are explicitly outside the scope of
this role:
• Sales operations, daily sales reporting, secondary
sales tracking, tender documentation, quotation preparation, or pricing
coordination — these are owned by the Executive – Sales Operations &
Coordination.
• Commercial decision-making, pricing approvals, or deal
structuring — these remain with the Director and sales leadership.
• Direct people management of any function — the
Director's direct reports continue to manage their teams; this role supports
coordination on the Director's behalf, not authority.
• Personal errands, household coordination, or family
logistics unrelated to the Director's professional commitments.
