PA to area director

Salary: £30,431 plus benefits including a final salary pension scheme, generous annual leave, and flexible and hybrid working.

Location: London (The role will be based in London; however, we are operating a hybrid way of working and support our staff to make use of remote working options when combined with regular on-site contact days with other members of the team, normally 1-2 days a week).

Contract: Permanent, working 35 hours per week. Arts Council also recognises the benefit of flexible working as a valued part of the way we work, and welcome applications from individuals who require flexibility.

Interviews: (virtual) 24th April 2026.

Role: Support senior leadership at the heart of the arts and culture sector, managing a busy office, coordinating meetings and helping keep key projects and decisions on track.

We believe that great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. We use public money from Government and The National Lottery to champion, develop and invest in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support activities that stretch across the arts – from museums and libraries, theatre to digital art, dance, music, literature, crafts and collections, supporting cultural organisations, artistic groups, and individuals.

We are seeking a proactive personal assistant for the London Area Director.

What you’ll be doing:

• Proactively managing the schedule, ensuring optimal use of time by coordinating meetings and making travel arrangements, managing email, and ensuring that the Director is well briefed for meetings in advance, commissioning briefings, and undertaking research as necessary.
• Organising and managing all aspects of the meetings of the London Area Council: agenda preparation, guest lists, lunch and venue liaison, circulate papers, and technical support as well as minute-taking.
• Supporting the London Area Management Team, working with the Senior Manager Operations to prepare agendas for the regular monthly meetings and ensuring actions are followed up.
• Being the first point of contact for the Director, internally and externally. Drafting correspondence, responding to queries, and liaising with internal and external stakeholders, acting as an advocate for the Arts Council through building effective working relationships.
• Combining your ability to plan and anticipate actions, requirements and contingency plans, with a flexibility and curiosity to work beyond this area of work, contributing to areas outside of your day-to-day responsibilities within your team.
• Contributing to the organisation’s commitment to diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of the post’s objectives and activities.

What we are looking for:

• Senior level administrative experience in a similar role.
• Experience managing a busy diary with many conflicting demands in a fast-moving environment and governance work – organising and managing committee meetings and drafting minutes to a publishable standard.
• Highly organised, with the ability to plan and prioritise, as well as exercise effective judgement when managing complex tasks.
• Experience and/or a good understanding of the public sector and/or arts and culture sector is desirable.

Disabled people, those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, and people under 30 are under-represented in our workforce so we particularly encourage applications from people in these groups. The role will be hybrid (office/working from home) however you will be required to attend and manage in-person meetings regularly in London. Interviews will be held in-person at the central London office.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement: Arts Council are committed to being an inclusive employer, building an inclusive workplace, and recruiting a workforce that is as diverse as the communities we serve. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply for a role at Arts Council. If there are any adjustments that would support you in your application, please do let us know when you apply. If you are disabled, Evenbreak are able to provide support with your application.

We participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.

The scheme uses the definition of disability from the Equality Act 2010 to determine eligibility. More information is included in the application guidance.

About us: Arts Council offers a range of benefits to our employees including hybrid and flexible working, a generous annual leave allowance and the Arts Council Retirement Plan - a final salary scheme.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund.

We believe our recruitment process should be inclusive and transparent. Find out what to expect with our application and recruitment guidance and more about our commitment to diversity on our website.

To view the job description please click here. To view the recruitment pack which outlines more details about working for Arts Council please click here.

Job ref: LL63

Please note: We do NOT accept CVs or cover letters as part of our recruitment process. If you require any documentation in an alternative format, please contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.

Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access.