Executive Assistant

Jisc; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 31,500 - 38,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work pattern

31 days annual leave

Health care cash plan

Continuous learning opportunities

Financial well-being support

Volunteering leave

Job summary

A leading educational charity based in London seeks an Executive Assistant to support its Executive Leadership Team. This hybrid role requires exceptional organisational skills, effective minute taking, and the ability to manage complex diaries. You will play a crucial role in ensuring smooth execution of meetings and communication, making it essential for candidates to possess strong executive experience. Join a team focused on meaningful impact through technology in the education sector.

Qualifications

• Strong Executive Assistant experience, ideally supporting senior leaders.
• Confident minute taker, able to capture complex discussions clearly.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Communicate clearly and professionally.
• Anticipate needs and think several steps ahead.
• Produce polished, accurate work with high attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level organisational and administrative support to ELT members.
• Manage complex diaries with confidence.
• Support inbox management for ELT members.
• Prepare and coordinate agendas for Board discussions.
• Take excellent minutes in Executive-level meetings.
• Act as a friendly point of contact for colleagues and stakeholders.
• Maintain and update CRM systems accurately.
• Support internal and external events with logistics.

Skills

Organisational skills

Minute taking

Communication

Judgment

Confidentiality

Proactivity

Microsoft 365

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Job Title: Executive assistant – Governance and sustainability

Salary: Circa £35,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Jisc grade: PRS2

Job Type: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Reports into: Senior executive assistant

Working style: Hybrid – A blend of working from home with regular attendance at our London office.

As the Executive Leadership Team members you will support are predominantly London‑based, applicants should live within London or within easy commuting distance.

While we offer flexibility, you will be required to work from the London office on a regular basis to provide in‑person support to the Executive Leadership Team and the Chief Executive.

About Jisc:

For 30 years Jisc has pioneered digital solutions for UK education and research, transforming how knowledge is created, shared and used.

We are uniquely positioned to protect, promote and lead the sector in digital and data transformation, making a difference to students, communities and society. Together, we are

working to build a better digital future for education and research.

We run the Janet Network, the UK’s national research and education network, relied upon by around 18 million users and protected by world-class cyber security intelligence. We also negotiate sector-wide digital services and technology agreements, saving the sector hundreds of millions of pounds each year, and provide trusted expertise that helps education stay modern, resilient and ambitious.

But the simplest way to understand us is this:

We’re a charity that helps the UK’s education sector use technology brilliantly, safely and fairly, so students, staff and researchers can do their best work.

We don’t exist to make a profit. We exist to make a difference. And if you want to support something meaningful, purposeful and genuinely beneficial to society, while working with friendly, down-to-earth people, you’ll feel right at home here.

Raise your potential through our culture of lifelong learning. At Jisc, we're all about growth, so embrace new challenges, sharpen your skills and shape a career that excites you.

The role:

We’re looking for a thoughtful, organised and proactive Executive assistant to support members of our Executive Leadership Team (ELT). You’ll be joining a genuinely lovely EA team - the kind that shares information freely, checks in on each other, swaps tips, supports holiday cover without drama, and generally makes Mondays feel a little less… well, Monday-ish.

At the heart of this role is first-class Executive support. You’ll manage complex diaries with confidence and sound judgement, navigate shifting priorities, oversee inboxes with discernment, and coordinate travel and logistics smoothly and efficiently. You’ll be the steady, organised presence ensuring your ELT members are in the right place, at the right time, with the right information - and rarely surprised.

A key part of the role is minute taking. We’re open about that because we genuinely value the skill - clear, thoughtful minutes are essential at Executive level. You’ll join senior meetings, capture decisions and actions clearly, and produce records that leaders actually read and rely on. If you take pride in turning lively discussions into calm, structured and actionable documentation, you’ll thrive here.

Beyond coordination, you’ll act as a trusted partner to your ELT members - providing insight and context to support strategic conversations and decision making, including preparation of papers for Board discussions. If you enjoy being the person who quietly makes things happen, clears obstacles before they appear, and ensures leaders feel fully prepared and well briefed, this could be your perfect fit.

While the role is hybrid, you’ll spend regular time in our London office as the Executives you support are London based - being close to the action genuinely helps everything run more smoothly.

What you’ll be doing:

In this role, you will -

• Provide high‑level organisational and administrative support to designated ELT members.
• Manage complex diaries with foresight, confidence and sound judgement (and the occasional tactful “No, sorry, they really can’t be in three places at once”).
• Support inbox management, helping ELT members stay ahead of key issues and deadlines.
• Prepare, coordinate and quality‑check agendas, papers, presentations and briefings, including documentation supporting Board discussions.
• Take excellent minutes in Executive‑level meetings, capturing decisions, actions and context clearly and accurately.
• Act as a professional and friendly point of contact for colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Maintain and update CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce), ensuring stakeholder information, meeting records and actions are accurate, current and meaningful.
• Support internal and external events with well‑planned logistics and polished documentation.

What we are looking for:

You’ll thrive in this role if you -

• Bring strong Executive Assistant experience, ideally supporting senior or Executive‑level leaders.
• Are a confident and skilled minute taker, able to capture complex discussions clearly, calmly and succinctly.
• Have excellent organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Communicate clearly, warmly and professionally.
• Anticipate needs and think several steps ahead.
• Use sound judgement and handle confidential matters sensitively.
• Produce polished, accurate work with high attention to detail.
• Are confident using Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint.

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but if you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value, so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

Why work for us?

At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With a strong focus on work‑life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life.

Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.

Discover the amazing benefits we provide! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
• Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
• A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well‑being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big‑name high‑street stores
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co‑parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave

Equity, diversity and inclusion:

Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.

We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process:

Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. We’re committed to making our process accessible and comfortable for everyone - just tell us what works best for you.

Just so you know, we review CVs as soon as we can and aim to provide an update on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it. However, you may hear from us a lot sooner, so please keep an eye out for our emails or calls!

We’re really looking forward to getting to know the real you. While we encourage the use of AI tools to help you get started on your CV or cover letter, we encourage you to review your application before submitting. Make sure it truly reflects your own voice, experiences, and personality.

If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile.

We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn.

Sponsorship:

Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re‑imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re‑location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.