Executive Assistant to the Co-Founder and Managing Director
Location: London or Leeds | Type: Full-time, Permanent | Salary: Competitive | Hybrid working
About the role
Howlett Brown is looking for an exceptional, highly organised and forward-thinking Executive Assistant to provide dedicated support to our Co-Founder and Managing Director. This is a pivotal role at the heart of the business, designed to enable the Managing Director to operate at full strategic capacity while ensuring key priorities, communications, meetings, actions and operational matters are managed with precision, pace and care.
The successful candidate will be a trusted partner, gatekeeper, problem-solver and ambassador for the organisation. You will bring structure, judgement, discretion and calm control to a fast-moving, high-trust environment, helping to ensure actions are followed through, stakeholders are supported and priorities remain visible and on track.
Who we are
Howlett Brown is a people intelligence company. We support organisations to build environments where integrity, inclusion, innovation and purpose thrive and where people risk remains low. Our work spans investigations, advisory, culture and sustainability, DEEI, training, coaching and facilitation, conflict resolution support, connected communications, business intelligence and independent speak up services.
Key responsibilities
- Proactively manage the Managing Director’s diary, meetings, commitments and priorities.
- Prepare agendas, briefing materials, meeting papers, correspondence and follow-up notes.
- Coordinate internal and external meetings, including scheduling, logistics, minutes, actions and follow-through.
- Act as a trusted point of coordination for actions, decisions, deadlines and business-critical priorities.
- Draft, review and send communications in support of the Managing Director, maintaining a professional tone and appropriate confidentiality.
- Support leadership, board and Executive Committee activity, including forward planning, agenda shaping, action tracking and monitoring of strategic commitments.
- Support the Deputy Managing Director and wider Executive Committee where required.
- Help manage communications, key inboxes and stakeholder follow-up, escalating urgent or sensitive matters appropriately.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, handover planning, internal documentation, templates and process notes.
- Help improve systems, filing structures, trackers and processes so information is clear, accurate and easy to access.
About you
You will be an experienced Executive Assistant who is comfortable operating at senior leadership level and confident working in a demanding, fast-paced and high-standard environment. You will be proactive, highly organised, detail-focused and able to manage competing priorities with discretion, professionalism and emotional intelligence.
You will bring:
- Strong experience supporting founders, Managing Directors, CEOs, senior executives or leadership teams.
- Excellent organisational, prioritisation and time-management skills.
- The ability to anticipate needs, work calmly under pressure and follow through with accuracy.
- Clear and polished written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
- High levels of discretion, integrity, judgement and professionalism.
- Strong Microsoft Office 365 skills, including Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Word, Excel and SharePoint.
- Experience in professional services, consultancy, legal, HR, people advisory, entrepreneurial or founder-led environments.
- Experience supporting recruitment, onboarding, handover planning, documentation or internal processes.
- Experience supporting governance, leadership teams, project coordination or operational administration.
What we offer
- The opportunity to work closely with an ambitious Managing Director and leadership team.
- A central and trusted role with meaningful exposure across the business.
- The opportunity to contribute to the growth and scalability of Howlett Brown.
- A collaborative, purpose-driven working environment.
- Professional development and career progression opportunities.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Hybrid working.
- Discretionary bonus scheme.
Start date: Early September 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
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