Job Overview

The Assistant to the Director of Project Engineering provides high-impact administrative and operational support to enable effective execution of engineering projects and day-to-day leadership responsibilities. Based in Shanghai, this role owns the Director’s calendar and travel logistics, prepares and submits expense reports, coordinates meetings and communications across internal and external stakeholders, and provides hands-on project coordination and administrative support to the Shanghai project team (including procurement administration such as PR/PO processing). The position reports directly to the Director of Project Engineering.

Job Requirements

Key Responsibilities
•    Calendar & meeting management: Manage the Director’s calendar, proactively resolve conflicts, set priorities, and ensure appropriate preparation time for key meetings.
•    Meeting coordination: Schedule internal/external meetings across time zones; draft agendas with meeting owners; distribute pre-reads; capture action items/decisions and follow up on closures.
•    Travel planning & logistics: Arrange travel itineraries (air, hotel, ground transportation), prepare travel packs, and adjust plans as schedules change; coordinate site access, visitor requirements, and meeting logistics while traveling.
•    Expense reporting: Compile receipts, code expenses accurately, prepare and submit expense reports on time; track reimbursement status and resolve exceptions with Finance/Travel support.
•    Communications support: Draft and proofread emails, announcements, and status updates; maintain distribution lists; act as a point of contact to route requests and ensure timely responses.
•    Project engineering administration: Support routine project cadence (weekly updates, dashboards, logs, action registers); track key dates/milestones and prompt owners for inputs.
•    Document & records management: Organize project/engineering files, templates, and meeting notes; maintain version control and ensure information is easy to locate.
•    Stakeholder coordination: Liaise with project managers, engineering leads, suppliers, and client representatives to align schedules, meetings, and required documentation.
•    Confidentiality: Handle sensitive information with discretion, maintaining confidentiality and professionalism at all times.
•    General administrative & Shanghai site support: Support day-to-day administrative needs for the Director and Shanghai project team, including coordinating local logistics, onboarding support, and internal requests/approvals.
•    Procurement administration (PR/PO): Create and track Purchase Requisitions (PR) and Purchase Orders (PO) per internal policy; coordinate vendor quotations, ensure required documentation is complete, route for approvals, and follow up on order status, deliveries, and invoice/GR issues in partnership with Procurement/Finance.

What your background should look like

Required Qualifications
•    1+ years of experience supporting senior leaders (Director level or above) in an administrative assistant, executive assistant, or operations coordinator role.
•    Proven experience managing complex calendars, scheduling across time zones, and coordinating meetings with multiple stakeholders.
•    Hands-on experience preparing and submitting expense reports and supporting business travel logistics.
•    Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to create clear agendas, notes, and professional correspondence.
•    Strong organization, prioritization, and follow-through; able to manage multiple requests with limited direction.
•    Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfort learning internal tools/workflows.
•    Ability to work with discretion and maintain confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications
•    Experience in engineering, construction, manufacturing, energy, or other technical/project-based environments.
•    Familiarity with project management concepts (milestones, action logs, risk/issue tracking).
•    Experience supporting leaders with frequent travel and fast-changing schedules.
•    Experience coordinating vendor or client meetings and site visits.
•    Advanced Excel skills (basic tracking, pivot tables) and ability to maintain simple dashboards.
•    PPT skill is a plus…

Key Competencies
•    Proactive planning and anticipation of needs
•    Attention to detail and accuracy (especially for travel/expenses)
•    Ability to prioritize and manage competing deadlines
•    Stakeholder management and professional presence
•    Clear, concise communication and meeting facilitation support
•    Problem-solving and adaptability in a dynamic environment
•    Strong judgment and integrity

Competencies