Executive Assistant (PEC) - London based

Salary: £32,722 - £33,662 with progression to £35,302 per annum (plus London Weighting Allowance of £4000 per annum)

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 10 November 2026

The Creative PEC working in partnership with Newcastle University and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) is recruiting an Executive Assistant based at RSA House in London.

We are looking for a motivated, experienced person to support the Director and senior team of the successful project delivering research, policy and evidence to help shape the future of a key sector in the nation’s economy.

Reporting to the Head of Operations and working closely with the Finance & Administration Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the team. You will act as a central point of coordination, providing high-quality support to the Director through the proactive management of complex diaries, the coordination of UK and international travel, and the organisation of meetings and events.

You will contribute to the continuous improvement of operational processes and ways of working, helping to enhance the effectiveness of the team. Building and maintaining productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, you will use your sound judgement, discretion and organisational expertise to manage competing priorities and ensure business activities run smoothly.

Joining a small team delivering a large, complex number of projects, you will need to be resourceful, inspired and have an aptitude for problem-solving. In time, you will grow your knowledge of the operations of the University, funders and consortium partners and develop the role into a crucial lynchpin in planning and delivery.

Although employed by Newcastle University, the role will be based at RSA House in Westminster but with the opportunity for hybrid working.

Since its inception in 2018, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre has succeeded in bringing about a step change in the quantity and quality of evidence available to UK policymakers seeking to support growth in the creative industries.

For more information about the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre please visit the Creative PEC website.

For this role we encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team. We believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of the UK population.

This is a full-time opportunity initially until May 2028, but with the possibility of extension subject to further funding beyond the five-year AHRC grant being secured.

For informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Simon Budgen, at simon.budgen@pec.ac.uk

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role and evidence this with examples.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide the first point of contact for internal and external contacts, enquiries, and visitors for the Director. You will represent the public face of the Director and Senior Team and of the University in this respect

• Deal with highly confidential issues with discretion, recognising the sensitivity of such matters and ensuring appropriate liaison with internal and external colleagues

• Be responsible for the effective management of the flow of business in and out of the office, including effective diary management, drafting of reports, papers, emails slide decks etc, formatting and typing papers for publication, and preparing slide decks for presentations. This requires an excellent understanding of the Director’s and Senior Team’s portfolios, of University policies and procedures, and an awareness of any sensitivities. Considerable judgement needs to be exercised to decide on the actions required

• Manage diaries and exercise judgement in arranging meetings to ensure that urgent and important matters are prioritised. This involves checking diaries, checking minutes of meetings on receipt to identify dates of future meetings, maintaining an awareness of dates of relevant conferences, etc. and organising appropriate cover for meetings in the case of senior staff absences. Understanding the requirements of the Director and senior managers, and through this understanding, decide which scheduled events or meetings are most appropriate for allocation of the senior managers’ time

• Prepare the Director for key meetings by coordinating timely briefing notes from the wider team, producing drafts of documents or briefing papers and prioritising/keeping track of tasks and outstanding actions

• Set up and/or co-ordinate business meetings both internally and externally, including room bookings, catering, preparation of agendas, distribution of minutes and papers, progressing actions and making the administrative arrangements such as travel, accommodation, etc.

• Working with the Finance and Admin Manager, ensure that travel arrangements are made to make the best use of the Director’s time and that these are consistent with university and funder policies and are sustainable as well as representing the best value for money

• Support the Finance and Admin Manager with basic finance administration and reporting

• Monitor and triage shared team mailboxes, ensuring the correct team are invited to respond to messages and fielding basic technical questions directly

• Produce a weekly lookahead summary sheet for the Director, including a double-check on room bookings, travel arrangements etc.

• Support the reporting requirements of the PEC by assisting with maintaining records, contacting colleagues for updates and clarifications, and ensuring consistency within and across documents

• Work on specific projects being led by the senior team. This may involve carrying out background desk research, attendance at formal and informal meetings, contributing to the discussion, taking the minutes and ensuring that the action points are completed

• Identify, develop and implement effective procedures and systems to increase efficiency across teams. Acting as a central contact point for cross-team discussions and decisions

• Contribute proactively to a team-working environment; sharing ideas and showing a willingness to cross-train colleagues and shadow colleagues when appropriate. Ensure joined-up thinking and shared processes within the PEC team and with partner teams across the University

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Substantial experience of providing high-quality executive support to senior leaders, ideally within a large and complex organisation
• Comprehensive experience of servicing high-level meetings, including preparing agendas, taking accurate minutes and monitoring the completion of actions
• Substantial experience of online management tools. Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and the wider Microsoft Office suite would be advantageous
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to proactively manage complex and frequently changing priorities, including executive diary management
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, work systematically and deliver to tight deadlines whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues, assess options and implement practical solutions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships and communicate confidently with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion, sound judgement and tact

Attributes and Behaviours

• Consistently demonstrates a positive, professional and customer-focused approach
• Builds productive relationships and works collaboratively across teams, whilst also being able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Demonstrates initiative, taking ownership of work and responding proactively to changing priorities
• Exercises sound judgement, discretion and political awareness when dealing with confidential or sensitive matters
• Confidently engages with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels, adapting communication style to suit different audiences
• Anticipates potential challenges, assesses risk and takes proactive steps to resolve issues before they escalate
• Demonstrates resilience, remaining calm, organised and effective when working under pressure and managing competing priorities

Qualifications

• Hold an HND/C or equivalent or have substantial vocational experience working in a similar role

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29869