Executive Assistant to the CFO in Manchester

We’re now seeking an Executive Assistant to provide highly organised, proactive and detail‑orientated support to the Chief Finance Officer (CFO), ensuring smooth and effective functioning of the CFO role. This is an excellent opportunity for a well‑organised and commercially aware Executive Assistant who excels in a fast‑paced environment and is motivated by supporting work at the centre of a FTSE 250 company. You will act as a trusted partner to the CFO—anticipating needs, enabling effective decision‑making, and ensuring the smooth running of the office.

This role also operates as part of the wider EA team who support the Executive Committee (ExCo) at AJ Bell. They coordinate with each other and key teams across the business to ensure ExCo can manage senior teams effectively and deliver strategic objectives.

You’ll proactively manage the CFO's diary arrangements, ensuring their time is optimised effectively, planning in advance, becoming familiar with key workstreams across the year and dealing independently with clashes by prioritising engagements based on strategic need. Ensure the CFO is well prepared and briefed ahead of any meetings they are attending. Assist in preparing clear and accurate research, reports, presentations, agendas, and meeting papers as required.

Enable effective delivery of the business strategy process by coordinating with the Group Corporate Development Director, strategy team, and other executives to ensure meetings are diarised appropriately, strategy content is developed to a high standard and in line with deadlines. General administrative support; including but not limited to booking travel/accommodation, managing inboxes, processing expenses and support with personal admin. Preparation and distribution of senior management meeting packs. If required, attend internal meetings and take minutes, ensuring actions are followed up.

Act on behalf of the CFO, leading on their initiatives and ensuring deadlines are met. Proactive issue resolution - anticipate and address potential issues to ensure seamless operations. Ensure any processes impacting the executive team are effective and seek improvements where needed. Build knowledge and understanding of key objectives to assist executives where possible. Support the CFO with any actions or business objectives they or their teams are across. Provision of event management support for occasional activities such as team social events or offsite strategic meetings. Welcome external visitors to the executive floor at EQ4 and ensure they are catered for when required.

Work as a team with other Executive Assistants to provide support for one another and cover team administrative tasks e.g. arranging authorised signatures for key documents. Supporting and enabling the business to achieve its regulatory requirements, including consumer duty.

We’re looking for previous experience as an Executive Assistant. Ability to always maintain confidentiality. Remain calm under pressure, adapting to changing priorities. Accustomed to working in a fast‑paced environment. Excellent planning and organisation skills to meet deadlines. Excellent communication skills and relationship management. Effective use of IT skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook and able to learn and engage with new tools as needed. Excellent attention to detail. Pro‑active, self‑motivated, and able to use initiative. Co‑operative and a supportive team player.

AJ Bell is one of the fastest‑growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award‑winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award‑winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £103.3 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company. Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK’s ‘Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years and in 2024 and 2025 named a Great Place to Work®.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

• Minimum starting salary £47,500
• Starting holiday entitlement of 25 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service and a holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 6%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
• Private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Ongoing technical training
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That’s why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full‑time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.