Executive Assistant - People and Engagement

Ellison Institute of Technology; Town of Oxford; On-site; CAD 122,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel allowance

Bonus

Pension - 7.5% employer contribution

Private Medical Insurance

Cycle to Work Scheme

Nursery Salary Sacrifice scheme

Life Assurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to provide strategic, proactive, and high-trust support across the People & Engagement Team. This role reports to the Senior Director and coordinates priorities, commitments, and information flow within the function.

The role requires long-range planning, strong organisation, and hands-on contribution to projects as needed, with a focus on improving efficiency and collaboration across diverse teams.

Qualifications

• Experience in project and process management with strong organisational capability.
• Advanced skills in data and information management using Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience in fast paced, fluid and scaling environments.
• Confident user of AI and digital productivity tools to improve efficiency, analysis, and workflow management.
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, proactive, high-trust executive support to the Senior Director across the People & Engagement function.
• Prepare analysis, briefing materials and recommendations for leadership discussions.
• Help identify opportunities to improve team effectiveness and simplify processes.
• Develop and manage the People & Engagement roadmap and programme of work.
• Track progress against initiatives and ensure priorities remain visible and on track.
• Collaborate across the team to develop, manage and quality assure reporting.
• Manage travel arrangements, itineraries, and expenses.
• Manage budget tracking and cost reporting.
• Act as an active member of the EA community to drive best practice.

Skills

Project management

Process management

Data management

AI productivity tools

Discretion/confidentiality

Tools

Advanced Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Join us at EIT:

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionaryscientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovatorsto tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org.

Your Role:

At EIT we are seeking an experienced and detail orientated Executive Assistant toprovide strategic, proactive, and high-trust supportacross thePeople & EngagementTeam.The role reports to the Senior Directorandacts as a central point of coordination across the People & Engagement function, helping ensure that priorities remain aligned, commitments are delivered andthe teamhave the information, insight and support required to operate effectivelyin support of EIT’s Mission.

Thisrolehas real breadth requiring theability to work1-1 with the Senior Director on long range planning,ensuring that the programme of work is actively managed and reported on,throughtologistics and co-ordination of diverse individuals and teams.

Your Responsibilities:

• Strategicsupport and Team Co-ordination. Act asconfidentialsupporttotheSenior Director and provide continuity across the function throughvisibilityof priorities and plans.
• Support leadership discussions by preparing analysis, briefing materials and recommendations.
• Help identify opportunities to improve team effectiveness, simplify processes and increase capacity. This to includeaddingyour capacity to key activity as itarises– actively contributing to projects rather thansolely co-ordinating updates.
• Support the development and ongoing management of the People & Engagement roadmap and programme of work.
• Track progress against key initiatives and ensure priorities remain visible and on track.
• Work collaboratively across the People & Engagement team todevelop, manage and quality assure the reporting that is required.
• Manage and approve travel arrangements, itineraries, and expenses.
• Manage budget tracker andcostreporting.
• Act as an active member of the EA community, driving best practice and continuous improvement.

Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Experience in project andprocessmanagement with strong organisational capability.
• Highly skilled atdata and information management-advanced exceland powerpoint user.
• Experience gained in fast paced, fluid and scaling environments.
• Confident user of AIable to demonstratehow you have usedAI and digital productivity tools to improve efficiency, analysis, communication and workflow management.
• Highly experienced athandling confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Experience working in a similar position within a life sciences organisation, such as a research institute, biotech company, or similar environment

We offer the following Benefits:

• Competitive salary (dependent on experience) + travel allowance + bonus
• Enhanced holiday. Our annual leave allowance is 25 days plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Year. You will also have the opportunity to purchase an additional 5 days annual leave in January and July.
• Pension - Employer contribution 7.5%, minimum employee contribution 5%
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance as standard for you, your partner and any dependents. Including hospital Cash Plan
• Employee discounts
• Electric car scheme
• Nursery Salary Sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Family Planning
• Neurodiversity support including advise and assessments
• Coaching & Therapy services

Working Together – What It Involves:

• You must be eligible to work in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• You must be based in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford.
• During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of thework we undertake.
• This is an onsite role basedin Oxford.Some flexibility may be arranged in line with business requirements and operational priorities.