Office Manager and Executive Assistant to CEO in Bradford

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Principalship Office team as Office Manager & Executive Assistant to the CEO, where no two days are the same and your influence is felt across the entire leadership team. As Office Manager & Executive Assistant to the CEO, you will be the driving force behind a high-performing Principalship Office—ensuring seamless operations, exceptional service standards, and an environment where senior leaders can focus on delivering real impact. This is an opportunity to shape how an ambitious college operates at its highest level while championing professionalism, collaboration, and excellence in everything you do.

Responsibilities include:

• To run the Executive Office ensuring that all functions are carried out to the highest professional standards with specific emphasis on reputation, quality of service and customer satisfaction.
• To ensure that a professional, high quality administrative and executive support is provided to all relevant senior leaders.
• To line manage all Executive Assistants.
• To develop the Executive Assistants team by providing appropriate training opportunities that support and engender a professional team ethos and values that are transferrable between offices and SLT members.
• To manage and maintain the CEO’s diary, actively managing their programme of work, ensuring the most effective and necessary use of their time.
• Proactively manage the email inbox of the CEO, categorising emails, highlighting priorities, as well as using judgement to respond directly and appropriately to queries, which may be of a confidential/highly sensitive nature.
• Arranging and organising appointments, meetings, events and conferences, booking suitable venues, organising resources, and booking any associated travel/accommodation requirements.
• Attend Executive Members meetings and ad hoc working groups to take minutes and/or actions and ensure that any agreed actions are followed up.
• Administrate the organisation and recording of meetings of the senior management team from the preparation and distribution of agendas to the publishing and archiving of the minutes.
• Administrate the organisation and recording of the performance review and business planning process.
• Maintain and devise systems for the storage and retrieval of documentation/information relevant to the functions of the service and within the parameters of College policies and procedures.
• Utilise college systems to raise purchase orders as required and be familiar with the eProcurement system.
• To prepare accurate Executive travel and expense claims in line with policies.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with other senior managers, line managers and colleagues across the college and with key stakeholders externally.

The Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate will be a learner and quality-focused with a commitment to our vision of working together to transform lives. You should be able to contribute to our journey to Outstanding, creating a positive working and study environment, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion should be embedded within your core values. We particularly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Black, Asian or from an ethnic minority background, as these groups are currently underrepresented within our management roles.

Education & Training:

• Management Qualification at Level 3 (or willingness to work towards one).
• GCSE 4 – 9 or equivalent level 2 qualification in Maths, or be prepared to pass a test before the interview to demonstrate level 2 ability, and then, if appointed, achieve within an agreed timescale.
• GCSE 4 - 9 or equivalent level 2 qualification in English, or be prepared to pass a test before the interview to demonstrate level 2 ability, and then, if appointed, achieve within an agreed timescale.

Experience:

• Experience of working and managing in a high-pressured environment.
• Experience of managing an administrative or secretarial team.
• Experience using Office 365 or equivalent Microsoft packages.
• Delivering high quality administrative support to an Executive Team.
• Experience of handling and managing confidential information.

Benefits of working at Bradford College:

• Generous annual leave entitlement – equivalent to 30 days of holidays, plus bank holidays.
• Additional college closure days, including a 2-week Christmas closure.
• West Yorkshire Pension Scheme, with a generous 18% employer contribution.
• Annual salary reviews.
• Career progression opportunities – 54% of all vacancies are filled internally.
• Free sports and gym facilities.
• Free wellbeing initiatives and access to our exclusive staff indoor and outdoor wellbeing space.
• Confidential employee assistance service and on-site mental health first aiders.
• Access to Bradford College benefits hub, offering retail, travel, leisure and dining discounts and cashback.
• Discounts on greener travel – cycle to work scheme & local MetroCard and Northern Rail discounts.
• Access to hair and beauty treatments in our student-led Signature Spa.
• On-site dining facilities, including our award-winning Grove restaurant.
• A host of training development opportunities.
• Fantastic campus facilities, a short walk to public transport links in the heart of the City of Culture 2025.
• The opportunity to work for an organisation that is truly committed to creating a better future for all through education and training.

Bradford College is committed to supporting and promoting diversity and inclusion amongst our staff and student body. We promote applications across all sections of the community, recognising the benefits a diverse workforce can bring and therefore particularly encourage applications from groups which are underrepresented in our workforce. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults and expect staff and volunteers to share this commitment.