Executive Assistant

Good morning dear future EA,

I have composed this job description myself as you'll be working with me.

My name is Jaap van Etten, CEO and cofounder of Datenna. My academic background is a mix of software engineering and technology policy. I have been a Dutch diplomat in China and worked and lived there for almost ten years. For the past 5 years I - together with some amazing colleagues - have been building our scale-up company Datenna in the Netherlands. 

Our vision: We want to change the way policy and business decisions are made in an information-rich world.

To move towards that vision, we started tracking a country with which we at Datenna are most familiar: China.

Our mission: We empower organisations to eliminate the information gap they have [with China] by providing the best [China] OSINT software.

Our goals:

1. Create the best continuously improving OSINT system that provides key input to strategic decision-making for economic security and national security, used by governments and other vital organisations worldwide.

1. Build a company with people always searching for new options and better ways to offer unparalleled automated OSINT.

We are Datenna: a happy bunch of enthusiastic software/data/AI specialists and equally passionate China experts. They are the OSINT Heroes! But they are not the only ones:

Datenna is growing and we are searching for OSINT Heroes also to run operations and finance as training and education programs, those able to support prospects and coach existing customers. 

And I personally need a hero who can take on key responsibilities and duties right off the bat, leaving me with time to focus on what's most important for growing Datenna.

Working in a start-up is incredibly exciting and challenging, startups are all about keeping up this momentum and energy, putting systems in place to manage rapid growth and a lot of hard work and innovation. 

As my executive assistant, your job will be to help me navigate a changing, fast-paced startup environment.

You can make an impact if you are happy to

• Become my right-hand gatekeeper by managing complex personal and professional calendars and scheduling internal and external meetings
• Take on tasks from my to-do list
• Prepare and prioritise correspondence
• Organise and manage domestic/international travel arrangements 
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion
• Manage personal/professional finances/expense reporting
• Coordinate events, personal reservations
• Provide off-hour availability via cell
• Handle ad hoc projects as and when needed

I am looking for an executive assistant with the right prior experience and current skills to ensure you can thrive in the role and provide an organising influence. Because a start up is such a rapidly changing and growing environment, it is important you have a 'growth mindset' when it comes to acquiring new skills and being flexible, someone who believes their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others).

Typically, you have a Bachelor’s degree and of course, excellent Microsoft office or Apple Keynote/Pages skills, calendar management skills to handle all correspondence, scheduling and other tasks. Project management skills are also highly desirable and, a background in technology and/or social media is a plus.

It is almost a prerequisite having several years of prior administrative experience, either at a startup or at a rapidly growing company so that you are up and running in your new role as soon as possible. Other key personal qualities can include proactiveness, resourcefulness, the ability to prioritise and work in a very fast-paced environment, detail-orientation and someone who can adapt and learn and apply new skills quickly. You should be someone that I can easily delegate work to.

I am looking for someone with an even temperament, high intellect, excellent communication skills, a good sense of humor, and a willingness to work long hours. Coupled with the unstructured environment and the need for juggling and changing gears quickly, this feels like a tall order, but I enjoy it, so I am looking for someone who does too. Plus, there is no denying that a great assistant at a start-up can play a major role in the company’s success, and that’s why it’s so important to find the right candidate.

Due to the confidential nature of the information you will be working with expect a screening process.

We aspire to become the OSINT Heroes of the world. And we are looking for more heroes to join us!