Receptionist / Personal Assistant
Listing reference: grind_000687
Listing status: Online
Apply by: 4 August 2026
Position summary
Industry: Distribution, Transport & Logistics
Job category: Reception and Switchboard
Location: Durban
Contract: Permanent
Remuneration: Market Related
EE position: No
Introduction
We are looking for an organized, professional, and proactive Receptionist & Personal Assistant to join GMPT & UCD at Grindrod Head Office in Durban.
The ideal candidate will serve as the first point of contact for clients and visitors while providing comprehensive administrative and personal support to our Divisional Executive. This role requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to multitask effectively in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will be the welcoming face of our company, take initiative as appropriate especially in the Divisional Executive’s absence
Job description
- Meet and greet visitors at all levels of seniority with a positive, helpful attitude and a smile.
- Answering phones in a professional manner and routing out calls as necessary and maintaining visitor’s logs.
- Maintain and organize the reception area.
- Schedule appointments, meetings, and manage calendars for a Divisional Executive.
- Handle administrative tasks such as filing, document preparation, and data capturing.
- Assist with company correspondence and reports.
- Handle confidential information with discretion.
- Assist with client onboarding and administrative processes.
- Liaise with staff, clients, and external partners when required.
- Manage Divisional Executive’s electronic diary, assessing priority of appointments and reallocation as necessary.
- Manage Divisional Executive’s travel arrangements (including visas/accommodation).
- Process Divisional Executive’s correspondence, ensuring that incoming correspondence is dealt with by the Divisional Executive, or on behalf of the Divisional Executive, or other staff as appropriate.
- Maintain records of Divisional Executive’s contacts.
- Assist Divisional Executive in researching and following up with action on matters which fall within the Divisional Executive’s responsibility – chasing responses, triggering follow-up action.
- Produce documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations for the Divisional Executive.
- Preparing high-level boardrooms and coordinating catering for Management Committee (MC) meetings when required.
- Handle any other duties as may reasonably be required by the Divisional Executive.
- Organize meetings and ensure that Divisional Executive is well prepared for those meetings, preparing agendas, pre-meeting briefings and meeting papers.
Minimum requirements
Qualification / s
- National Senior Certificate (Matric).
- Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration or related field.
Experience
- Proven experience as a receptionist or personal assistant.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook), including a working knowledge of presentation software packages.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, to enable professional interaction with a wide range of contacts, both internal and external to the organisation.
- Strong organizational and time management abilities.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to maintain a high level of accuracy.
- Friendly and approachable personality.
- Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
- Problem-solving mindset and willingness to take initiative
- Experienced Personal Assistant at senior management level.
- Experience of electronic diary management.
- Ability to organise and plan own work.
- A flexible, pro-active approach to work including the ability to prioritise and re-prioritise.
- Ability to work on own initiative.
- Ability to deal with sensitive information with discretion and to maintain confidentiality.
Personal attributes:
- Efficiency; flexibility; self-motivated; organised; proactive, delightful, inquisitive and cheerful.
- We are therefore looking for an individual, who has the maturity and confidence to manage the Office of the Divisional Executive.
- The individual must have excellent grammatically correct written communication skills and a good command of spoken English.
- Maintaining absolute confidentiality is a fundamental requirement.
- The individual will be required to match the working hours of the Divisional Executive and must always be contactable whenever needed.
- Given the personal nature, this role is not suited for anyone who cannot be in tandem with the Divisional Executive.
- Grindrod values an entrepreneurial, solution-driven mindset. As a PA, you cannot just identify a scheduling conflict; you must present three alternative solutions before flagging it to your director.
- At Grindrod, the reception area is the gateway to a multinational corporation. Possible candidate will interact with high-profile executives, diplomats, and international clients. Standard professional grooming, exceptional telephone etiquette, and a polished demeanour are non-negotiable.