Executive Assistant to the CEO in Mills River, North Carolina at Microtech Knives Inc

Microtech Knives
Location: On-Site – Western North Carolina
Position Type: Full-Time
Salary: $85,000–$110,000 annually
Reports to: Anthony Marfione, Chief Executive Officer and Owner
Travel: Occasional domestic and international travel required

Founded in 1994 by Anthony and Susan Marfione, Microtech Knives is a leading American cutlery manufacturer known for precision, innovation, craftsmanship, and uncompromising quality.

We combine advanced manufacturing technology, skilled American labor, and proven blade-making principles to create cutting tools that exceed industry expectations.

We never hold back. We never stop moving forward. Most importantly, we never compromise.

Microtech Knives is seeking an experienced, highly organized, and exceptionally discreet Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive business and personal support to Anthony Marfione, CEO and Owner of Microtech Knives.

This is a full-time, on-site, executive-level support position requiring exceptional judgment, confidentiality, responsiveness, consistency, and attention to detail.

The Executive Assistant will serve as the primary communication and coordination conduit between Anthony Marfione and Microtech employees, executives, customers, dealers, vendors, professional advisors, family members, and personal contacts.

This position does not supervise employees and does not have independent authority to direct, discipline, evaluate, hire, terminate, or make employment decisions. The assistant is responsible for accurately communicating the CEO’s instructions, coordinating priorities, documenting assignments, and ensuring timely follow-through.

Access to the CEO does not create authority over the organization.

• Manage the CEO’s business and personal calendars.

• Schedule and coordinate meetings, appointments, calls, events, and travel.

• Prepare daily and weekly summaries of priorities, deadlines, meetings, decisions, and outstanding commitments.

• Ensure the CEO has all required reports, documents, presentations, background information, and meeting materials.

• Maintain an organized list of items requiring the CEO’s review, approval, signature, decision, or response.

• Anticipate needs and address scheduling or logistical issues before they become urgent.

• Protect the CEO’s time from unnecessary meetings, interruptions, and avoidable conflicts.

• Serve as a professional conduit between the CEO and appropriate employees, executives, customers, dealers, vendors, attorneys, consultants, and personal contacts.

• Screen calls, messages, invitations, requests, and meeting inquiries.

• Draft and proofread professional correspondence.

• Accurately communicate instructions provided or approved by the CEO.

• Request reports, documents, and updates on the CEO’s behalf.

• Document assignments, responsible parties, deadlines, and expected deliverables.

• Follow up on assignments and report progress, delays, or incomplete work to the CEO.

• Maintain neutrality and clearly distinguish between an instruction from the CEO and a request from the assistant.

• Refer employee-relations, legal, financial, safety, payroll, or disciplinary matters to the appropriate company leader.

• Coordinate executive, operational, financial, strategic, product, sales, marketing, and customer meetings.

• Prepare agendas and collect required reports or supporting information.

• Attend meetings when requested and take accurate, confidential notes.

• Document decisions, action items, deadlines, and responsible parties.

• Maintain an executive action-item tracker.

• Follow up on assignments issued by the CEO.

• Track the CEO’s active projects, priorities, commitments, and special initiatives.

• Provide clear and concise project-status updates.

• Coordinate domestic and international travel.

• Arrange flights, private aviation, lodging, rental vehicles, ground transportation, restaurants, meetings, and activities.

• Prepare detailed itineraries with schedules, addresses, contacts, and confirmation information.

• Monitor delays, cancellations, weather, and other potential disruptions.

• Develop backup arrangements when plans change.

• Coordinate travel for family members, employees, guests, customers, or business partners when directed.

• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding the CEO’s travel schedule and location.

• Schedule personal appointments and commitments.

• Coordinate reservations, transportation, deliveries, maintenance, and service appointments.

• Maintain reminders for renewals, registrations, events, special occasions, and personal deadlines.

• Assist with approved purchases, gifts, dinners, celebrations, and event planning.

• Coordinate with authorized family members, contractors, advisors, and service providers.

• Maintain organized personal records and receipts.

• Clearly separate personal expenses from company expenses.

• Assist with company events, customer visits, dealer meetings, trade shows, product launches, dinners, and private events.

• Coordinate venues, catering, transportation, lodging, guest lists, invitations, and special accommodations.

• Prepare information concerning important guests and business relationships.

• Ensure all arrangements represent Anthony Marfione and Microtech Knives professionally.

• Attend meetings or events when requested.

A primary responsibility of this position is protecting Anthony Marfione’s time, privacy, security, reputation, relationships, confidential information, and ability to lead Microtech Knives.

The Executive Personal Assistant must:

• Protect all confidential business and personal information.

• Control unnecessary interruptions and inappropriate requests for the CEO’s time.

• Verify individuals and requests before providing information or access.

• Identify potential scheduling, communication, travel, privacy, security, or reputational risks.

• Immediately report threats, suspicious communications, security concerns, or unauthorized information requests.

• Prevent the CEO from being placed into commitments he has not approved.

• Confirm facts before presenting information or communicating on his behalf.

• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with employees and outside contacts.

• Protect the CEO through lawful, ethical, professional, and responsible conduct.

Protecting the CEO does not include concealing unlawful conduct, violating company policy, interfering with employee rights, or withholding matters that must be reported to Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Security, or another appropriate leader.

The Executive Assistant may:

• Coordinate approved meetings, appointments, travel, events, and services.

• Communicate instructions directly provided or approved by the CEO.

• Request information and status updates on the CEO’s behalf.

• Follow up on assignments issued by the CEO.

• Make approved purchases and reservations within established limits.

The Executive Personal Assistant may not independently:

• Supervise, discipline, evaluate, hire, terminate, promote, or direct employees.

• Approve PTO, schedules, compensation, expenses, raises, bonuses, or employment requests.

• Present a personal request as an instruction from Anthony Marfione.

• Make promises involving employment, pricing, contracts, products, or company commitments.

• Enter into contracts or approve spending outside established limits.

• Release confidential company, employee, financial, or personal information.

• Speak publicly or communicate with the media on behalf of the CEO or Microtech Knives.

• Investigate employee complaints or provide legal, financial, payroll, benefits, or HR advice.

• Sign the CEO’s name or authorize a transaction without specific permission.

• Use access to the CEO to influence employees or obtain personal favors.

• High school diploma or equivalent required.

• Associate or bachelor’s degree preferred.

• Five or more years of executive-assistant, personal-assistant, or comparable experience preferred.

• Experience directly supporting a CEO, owner, founder, president, high-net-worth individual, or senior executive strongly preferred.

• Experience managing complex executive calendars and domestic or international travel.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and virtual meeting platforms.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Exceptional organization, follow-through, and attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to protect highly confidential information.

• Ability to recognize when a matter must be escalated.

• Ability to work effectively with changing priorities and strong personalities.

• Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.

• Ability to travel when required.

• Ability to successfully complete background, reference, confidentiality, and security reviews.

• Experience supporting a high-profile founder or business owner.

• Experience working for a privately held or family-owned company.

• Experience coordinating private aviation or complex executive travel.

• Experience in manufacturing, luxury goods, technology, automotive, aerospace, outdoor products, or cutlery.

• Experience coordinating customer visits, trade shows, product launches, or executive hospitality.

• Familiarity with executive security and privacy practices.

This is a full-time, on-site position. Regular and dependable attendance at the assigned Microtech location is required.

The employee must be willing to:

• Work the schedule established by the CEO.

• Travel between Microtech facilities as needed.

• Attend meetings, appointments, events, and travel assignments.

• Work occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, or travel days.

• Respond to urgent communications during established on-call periods.

• Adjust to changing priorities and schedules.

• Salary range of $85,000–$110,000 annually, based on qualifications and direct executive-support experience.

• Full-time employment.

• Microtech Knives benefits package for eligible employees.

• Authorized business travel expenses paid by the company.

• Opportunity to work directly with the founder and CEO of an established American manufacturing brand.

This position will have access to highly sensitive company and personal information, including product-development plans, financial information, executive communications, customer and dealer relationships, travel plans, personnel information, personal schedules, and family matters.

The successful candidate must sign and comply with all required confidentiality, nondisclosure, intellectual-property, and security agreements.

Unauthorized disclosure or misuse of confidential information may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination, and may result in legal action.

Microtech Knives is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, performance, and business needs without regard to any status protected by applicable law.

This job advertisement describes the general nature and level of work expected from the employee assigned to this position. It is not a complete list of every responsibility, assignment, qualification, or working condition.

Additional business or personal responsibilities may be assigned by the CEO based on changing needs and priorities.

Nothing in this advertisement creates a contract of employment or changes the at-will employment relationship.