Executive Support Services Team Manager - English & German Speaking

Who We Are

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we help clients with total transformation-inspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact.

To succeed, organizations must blend digital and human capabilities. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives to spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting along with technology and design, corporate and digital ventures-and business purpose. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, generating results that allow our clients to thrive.

What You'll Do

This is an exciting opportunity to build, lead, coach, and develop a team of high-performing Administrative Assistants (AAs) and Executive Assistants (EAs) within the Lisbon Capability Center, providing exceptional support to senior BCG Consulting and Business Services leaders across Europe. You'll play a central role in delivering service excellence, nurturing a performance-driven culture, and serving as a trusted partner to internal team members and senior stakeholders.

Opened in 2024, the Lisbon Capability Center is a dynamic, collaborative environment uniting diverse Business Services Teams that support BCG colleagues across the EMESA region and beyond.

As Team Manager, you'll mentor high-potential assistants, uphold service quality, resolve escalations, and use operational data to offer insights to engagement leads and market contacts. Success in this role requires strategic thinking, strong influencing skills, and the ability to elevate team performance.

You'll be part of the Executive Support Services leadership team, where open communication, sharing of best practices, and a collaborative spirit drive success.

In this role, you will execute the Lisbon Hub's administrative strategy, ensuring your team meets performance goals while building a supportive and engaging work environment.

We're looking for a true people leader, someone with strong EQ, adaptability, and a passion for service excellence. You need to be confident in navigating ambiguity, managing performance and projects, and building trusted relationships across regions. Successful Team Managers at BCG build strong teams, motivate others, and contribute meaningfully to our unique culture.

YOU'RE GOOD AT:

• You see yourself as a talent in coordination and organization.
• With your creative drive and strong sense of responsibility, you address topics proactively and move them forward.
• You're open to new things, view change as an opportunity, and are able to get others enthused about your goals.
• You are experienced in change management, ensuring that our day-to-day operations are consistently optimized to run effectively and efficiently.
• You impress with your process-oriented, analytical, and thorough work style.
• With your above-average service orientation and excellent communication skills, you win over internal and external stakeholders alike.
• Your dealings with employees, applicants, and consultants of all seniority levels is unfailingly competent, professional, and confident.
• Your empathy is tangible, your tact impeccable, and your diplomatic skills well honed.
• You also have an unerring feel for nuance.
• Absolute integrity and trustworthiness are second nature to you.
• You are flexible, creative, and pragmatic, and teamwork is very important to you.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants who support leaders with strategic calendar management, travel coordination, expense filing, and other high-value administrative tasks.
• Foster a culture of continuous feedback, accountability, and recognition to drive high team engagement and service excellence.
• Provide performance guidance and career coaching to team members, helping them grow in their roles and align with evolving business needs.
• Creating and monitoring service quality metrics for the team, and remedying issues as they arise
• Overseeing the day-to-day operations and performance of the team
• Working closely with the executive leaders supported by the AAs on your team to ensure maximum mutual satisfaction and leverage consistent performance feedback
• Being 'the face' of the administrative team to the broader regional and global leadership community
• Partnering with the Global Executive Support Services Senior Director on various projects and initiatives; leading regional projects, as applicable

Essential Duties:

Define and implement the delivery model and resource plan

• Develop and execute a robust hiring and resourcing plan based internal client demand
• Partner with recruiting to organize an effective interview process
• Plan ahead to accommodate predicted team attrition and growth of customer base
• Work with the Global Executive Support Services Senior Director to design an effective and personalized support strategy for all key internal clients

Tailor and deliver onboarding and training plan

• Build on existing onboarding programs to evolve a custom AA/EA training program to ensure world class onboarding to BCG
• Evolve content as needed to adjust to changes in our European offices supported and the broader business
• Leverage best practices and learnings from other global hubs (GSD, NXA, and NXC), and partner with colleagues from those hubs, to ensure global consistency

Oversee the day-to-day operations of the team

• You will be initially responsible for the line management of the Administrative Assistants & Executive Assistants you hire. As the team grows, additional Team Managers will be hired to split line management responsibilities across the team and help manage capacity. You will:
• Work closely with the other Team Managers to ensure that the day-to-day operations of the team runs effectively and efficiently
• Hold regular meetings with your team of AAs/EAs to update the team on relevant issues

Manage overall performance and development of the team

• Motivate, develop, provide coaching and feedback through annual performance and development process and year-round informal feedback process
• Ensure consistency, fairness, and equity in the performance review process for your team
• Ensure timely collection and communication of feedback for your team on an ongoing basis, and for midyear and year-end reviews while also providing recommendations for promotions, annual compensation increases and bonus awards
• Encourage participation in office activities; foster teamwork within work groups, across functions, and throughout the office
• Work with relevant BCG teams to create and implement team training and development programs; keep up to date with needs and local training offerings, and make recommendations for attendance

Manage internal clients

• Communicate and collaborate often with both local hub and global Executive Support Services leadership, to cultivate relationships and consistent flow of communication
• Work closely with key internal clients to set expectations for service up front, as well as understand their needs and challenges to ensure satisfaction and adjustments as needed
• Ensure any issues/delays in assignments are communicated and resolved
• Confirm overall team capacity is managed to cover backup needs (for vacations/illness/leaves) in a timely manner

Be 'the face' of the administrative team to broader Regional and Global Services leadership

• Partner with the Enterprise Services Excellence team to distill data and create analyses reflective of the current state of Hub operations
• Provide regular updates to Enterprise Services (ES) and European Business Services Team (BST) leadership on team performance and progress in partnership with the Global Executive Support Services Senior Director
• Serve as key point of contact for questions about the team Support the Global Executive

Support Services Senior Director on various projects and initiatives; lead Regional projects, as applicable

• Actively participate in Enterprise Services meetings and regional initiatives
• Make recommendations and assist in the formulation of administrative support staff procedures/operations
• Perform other duties as assigned or required

What You'll Bring

Required:

Experience

• Bachelor's degree
• 5+ years of experience
• A track record of success in a supervisory role within a fast-paced, intellectually intense, service-oriented environment
• Experience teaming with colleagues from different parts of the world, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and an ability to develop relationships in a virtual context

Skills

• Fluency in English and German
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to draw insights from operational data and translate into actionable recommendations
• Strong service orientation and sensitivity in responding to customer needs
• Ability to handle difficult and confidential situations with poise, understanding, and tact
• Ability to handle competing priorities, keeping constant sight of the overall objectives
• Immaculate written and oral communications skills, including public speaking and presentation capabilities
• Strong organizational skills, project management skills, and attention to detail
• Poise and resilience, with the personal fortitude to push back when necessary
• Ability to perform successfully in a fast-paced, intellectually intense, service-oriented environment
• Strong relationship management skills; effective at building trust and credibility with senior leaders
• Coaching and growth mindset
• Excels at leading, mentoring, and motivating others
• Tech-forward mindset; interest in exploring GenAI tools and digital enablers

Preferred:

Experience

• Experience working successfully within a complex, matrix-structured organization
• Experience building a carefully defined culture within a new team
• Track record of implementing change management

Boston Consulting Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under national, provincial, or local law, where applicable, and those with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with applicable state and local laws.
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