Executive Assistant & Operations Coordinator

We are seeking an experienced, highly organised and trustworthy Executive Assistant & Operations Coordinator to provide direct support to the Chief Operating & People Officer.
This is a varied and hands-on role combining Executive Assistant support with People, operational and general business administration. It is not a traditional EA position focused predominantly on diary and travel management; instead, the role will take ownership of a broad range of administrative and coordination activities that support the smooth running of the business and our employee experience.

The successful candidate will be comfortable moving between sensitive and confidential activities, such as payroll and People administration, and the practical day-to-day tasks that simply need someone reliable to own them.

This role requires someone who enjoys variety, takes genuine ownership and is comfortable with both the important and the mundane. You will be expected to work proactively, keep track of recurring requirements and outstanding actions, and increasingly anticipate what needs to happen without waiting to be prompted.

Due to the nature of the role, you will have access to confidential employee, payroll, financial and commercially sensitive information. A high level of trust, discretion and sound judgement is therefore essential.

To succeed in this role, you will bring established professional experience as an Executive Assistant or Personal Assistant, together with a practical and proactive approach to administration and coordination.
Essential experience and capability:

• Previous professional experience working as an Executive Assistant or Personal Assistant.
• A minimum of three years' experience working successfully in a remote working environment.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365, with particular confidence using Microsoft Teams and Outlook as everyday working tools.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, recurring activities and deadlines.
• Demonstrable experience handling confidential and sensitive information appropriately and with discretion.
• Strong attention to detail and a high level of accuracy when working with records, data, figures and documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, use initiative and take ownership of activities through to completion.
• Confidence in following up and politely chasing colleagues and third parties where actions or information are outstanding.
• Good judgement, including the ability to recognise what can be handled independently and what should be escalated.
• Comfortable working closely with a senior executive while building effective and professional relationships across the wider business.
• Willingness to undertake a broad range of activities, including routine and sometimes mundane administrative tasks, recognising their importance to the effective running of the business.
• Must live within approximately 30 minutes' travelling distance of Portsmouth and be able to attend in-person meetings when reasonably required.

Desirable:

• Previous experience using HiBob (Bob).
• People or HR administration experience.
• Payroll administration experience.
• Recruitment and interview coordination experience.
• Experience supporting employee onboarding and offboarding.
• Experience with expenses, purchasing or general finance administration.
• Previous experience combining EA/PA responsibilities with operational or business administration.

The successful candidate does not need to have undertaken every individual activity within this job description previously. However, professional EA or PA experience, proven remote-working experience and the ability to operate with discretion, initiative and ownership are essential requirements of the role.