Executive Assistant in Bristol

Job Title: Executive Assistant

Actual Annual Salary: £28,067 - £30,619 Based on hours and working weeks

Full Time Equivalent Salary: £31,954 - £34,860 (CLF Grade D) Based on 37 hours per week, all year round

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time, 37 hours per week, Term Time Only plus INSETs and 1 additional week during school closure.

Provisional Start Date: 03 September 2026

Your opportunity to support senior leadership and deliver high-quality executive administration at Hanham Woods Academy

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organised, proactive and skilled administrator to join Hanham Woods Academy as an Executive Assistant. You will provide confidential, high-quality administrative and organisational support to senior leaders, playing a key role in enabling the effective delivery of strategic and operational priorities across the academy.

Working closely with senior colleagues, you will act as a trusted point of contact, building strong professional relationships and supporting communication with a wide range of stakeholders, both internal and external. You will take ownership of a varied and fast-paced workload, including diary and correspondence management, coordinating meetings and events, preparing high-quality documentation, and supporting key processes such as recruitment and wider academy priorities.

You will play an important role in ensuring the smooth and effective running of administrative systems and processes, contributing to continuous improvement and operational efficiency. This will include analysing and presenting information clearly for a range of audiences, and, where appropriate, responding to queries and progressing work on behalf of senior leaders using sound judgement and initiative.

About you:

You will have:

• A relevant Level 3 qualification in Business Administration (or equivalent), or significant proven experience in a similar role, with a willingness to continue your professional development.
• Strong literacy and numeracy skills (GCSE English and Maths or equivalent experience).
• Proven experience in an administrative or PA role.
• Experience of managing a wide range of administrative processes and systems, with the ability to develop and improve ways of working.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage a busy and varied workload, prioritise effectively and respond flexibly to changing demands.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence to build relationships and liaise with stakeholders at all levels, adapting your approach appropriately.
• Advanced IT skills, including Microsoft Office, and experience of using systems to manage data, documentation and administrative processes (experience of education systems such as SIMS is desirable).
• Strong attention to detail, with experience producing high-quality documents, reports, agendas and minutes to a professional standard.
• The ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism, discretion and emotional intelligence.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and where appropriate support or guide other colleagues to ensure an effective administrative service.
• Knowledge and understanding of key procedures including safeguarding, data protection (GDPR), and confidentiality requirements in an education setting (or willingness to develop this knowledge).

Applicants are advised to refer to the full requirements of the role in the attached job description and person specification prior to submitting an application.

About Hanham Woods Academy:

Hanham Woods Academy is a secondary school located within the outskirts of Bristol and South Gloucestershire, delivering education to more than 800 pupils aged 11-16. It is one of the most improved academies in the South West, and has a growing reputation both locally and regionally.

While we appreciate the unique setting in which the academy is placed, we work hard to challenge students from a variety of backgrounds to be the best they can be in all areas of life. Our mission here is simple: we want to give people the best chance of success, underpinned by our ethos of 'Dream Big, Work Hard, Be Kind'. We want students to 'climb the mountain' in order to achieve success both academically and by developing a confident, resilient and hard-working character.

What we can offer you:

• Access to a generous pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Generous annual leave.
• A comprehensive induction and ongoing commitment to wellbeing and career progression, through a range of training, apprenticeships and in-role/wider-trust development opportunities.
• Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
• A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
• Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking plus many more!

Equal opportunity and inclusion statements

We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters and so encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.