Executive Assistant

Alexander Daniels Limited; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Alexander Daniels Recruitment Group seeks an exceptionally capable Executive Assistant to work directly with the Group Managing Director from our Birmingham head office. You will manage a demanding diary, coordinate meetings and travel, and take ownership of varied assignments that arise across the business.

You will be highly intelligent, articulate and curious, capable of switching between detailed administration and broader commercial projects, while handling confidential information with

Qualifications

• Experience in Executive Assistant roles or supporting senior executives.
• Ability to manage complex calendars and travel arrangements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; discretion and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex and changing diary, meetings, travel and priorities.
• Act as a trusted point of contact between the Group MD, senior management, employees, clients and external partners.
• Take ownership of projects and assignments from briefing to completion.
• Research opportunities, suppliers and markets, turning information into concise recommendations.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefing documents and management information.
• Attend meetings, capture actions and ensure commitments are followed through.
• Anticipate problems and priorities before they become urgent.
• Handle confidential and commercially sensitive information with discretion.
• Bring structure to unstructured situations and take on tasks beyond a traditional EA role.

Job description

Alexander Daniels Recruitment Group is looking for an exceptionally capable and commercially minded Executive Assistant to work directly with our Group Managing Director from our Birmingham head office.

We are looking for someone who thrives on variety, operates at pace and can be trusted with far more than diary management and administration. One day you may be coordinating senior-level meetings and managing priorities; the next you could be researching a new opportunity, resolving an unexpected problem, supporting a business project or taking ownership of a one-off assignment that has never crossed your desk before.

You won’t always be given a detailed set of instructions. You’ll be expected to understand the objective, work things out, make sensible judgements and get things done.

The role

Working closely with the Group MD, you will:

• Manage a complex and changing diary, meetings, travel and priorities.
• Act as a trusted point of contact between the Group MD, senior management, employees, clients and external partners.
• Take ownership of projects and one-off assignments from initial brief through to completion.
• Research opportunities, suppliers, competitors, markets and issues, turning information into concise recommendations.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefing documents and management information.
• Attend meetings, capture actions and ensure commitments are followed through.
• Anticipate problems and priorities before they become urgent.
• Handle confidential and commercially sensitive information with absolute discretion.
• Challenge appropriately, offer solutions and bring structure to situations that may initially be unstructured.
• Take on tasks that don’t necessarily sit neatly within an Executive Assistant job description.

Who we’re looking for

The most important thing to us is calibre.

You’ll be highly intelligent, articulate and naturally curious, with the ability to quickly understand unfamiliar subjects and situations.

You will probably be someone who:

• Is bright, switched-on and an exceptionally quick learner.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Can move comfortably between detailed administrative work and broader commercial projects.
• Has strong common sense and sound judgement.
• Is resourceful and capable of finding solutions independently.
• Is highly organised without being rigid.
• Works well under pressure and can rapidly reprioritise.
• Has the confidence to deal with senior people professionally.
• Is comfortable taking responsibility and making decisions.
• Questions things intelligently rather than simply following a process.
• Has very high standards and considerable attention to detail.
• Is ambitious and wants a role where their responsibilities can develop significantly over time.

Career history matters

We are looking for someone who demonstrates commitment, progression and achievement in their career.

Your CV should show us what you have accomplished, how your responsibilities have developed and the value you have added to previous employers.

We’re particularly interested in candidates who have built meaningful experience within organisations rather than simply moving from role to role.

You don’t necessarily need to have spent your entire career as an EA. Experience as an Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff, Senior PA, Project Coordinator, Operations Executive or within another demanding business environment could all be relevant.

What makes this opportunity different?

You’ll work directly alongside the Group Managing Director of an established recruitment group and gain exposure to decisions and activities across the business.

For the right person, the remit can become considerably broader than a traditional EA position.

If you want a predictable 9-5 role with a tightly defined list of responsibilities, this probably isn’t the position for you.

If, however, you’re highly capable, commercially curious and enjoy being the person who gets handed the difficult, unusual or important task and finds a way to deliver it, we’d like to hear from you.