Executive Assistant

Osborne Clarke; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Osborne Clarke in London or Bristol is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to support our Chiefs and senior leadership team. The role is hybrid, with regular days at base offices and occasional travel to other UK offices for events.

You will manage complex calendars, prepare briefings, coordinate meetings and ensure momentum on strategic initiatives, while maintaining discretion and delivering polished communications for senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting senior leaders at C-suite or Board level; law firm exposure is a plus.
• Extremely organized with strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Discretion, judgment and diplomacy with confidential information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to simplify complex information.
• Comfortable with Microsoft 365 and document management systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage diaries and inboxes; prioritise and create space for key discussions and decisions.
• Arrange meetings and away days; plan agendas, papers and capture actions.
• Maintain momentum with owners and regular updates; track milestones and progress.
• Draft and format documents and presentations; distill complex information into summaries.
• Coordinate events and basic budget/expense processes.

Skills

C-suite support

Attention to detail

Discretion

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Results oriented

Tech proficiency

Tools

Outlook

Teams

OneNote/SharePoint

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Role profile

We have a fantastic opportunity for a proactive, highly organised Executive Assistant (EA) to support our Chiefs and senior leadership team, reporting to the Head of Business Operations.

This is a full-time, permanent position based in either our Bristol or London office. It offers hybrid working, with regular attendance at your base office and occasional travel to other UK offices, for example to support key events.

What You’ll Do

To provide high-quality executive support to the Chiefs and senior leadership team, ensuring time, priorities and key initiatives are managed effectively. The role focuses on turning strategic priorities into practical plans, coordinating stakeholders and maintaining momentum on actions and projects ensuring the leadership stay focused on what matters most. The role combines high-quality executive support with thoughtful planning, tracking and follow-through.

Key Responsibilities

Planning, prioritisation and time management

• Manage complex, frequently changing diaries and inboxes; help sequence priorities and create space for key discussions and decision-making.
• Spot clashes and dependencies early and suggest workable solutions.

Meetings and leadership support

• Handle the arrangements for key meetings (e.g. away days): forward agenda planning, papers and pre-reads, logistics, and capturing decisions and actions.
• Cohere clear, concise briefings and talking points; ensure everyone is ready and materials are in the right place at the right time.

Progress tracking and momentum

• Help set simple, practical plans for initiatives and business plans, with named owners, clear milestones and timelines agreed with the Chiefs.
• Maintain an overview tracker of actions, milestones and tactical objectives; check in regularly with owners, bring together updates, and move things forward so commitments are delivered, and that updates are compiled for leadership meetings.

Communications and preparation

• Draft, edit and format documents, papers and presentations, distilling complex information into clear summaries, recommendations and next steps.
• Support leadership updates and cascades, helping to translate strategic priorities into tangible communication and action plans.
• Gather feedback and observations from across the business and share them with the relevant Chiefs to inform decision-making.

Stakeholder liaison

• Act as a professional, discreet point of contact for the Chiefs, handling enquiries from colleagues and external contacts with good judgement.
• Build positive relationships across teams and offices to remove blockers, coordinate contributions and keep work flowing smoothly.
• Work closely with the Head of Business Operations and other Firm Management EAs to ensure alignment and consistency of support.

Events and logistics

• Coordinate leadership team events and away days end-to-end, including invitations, agenda planning, materials, room/virtual setup, logistics and follow-up actions.
• Support basic budget/expense processes and supplier coordination related to meetings and events where required.

Ways of working and improvement

• Keep documentation tidy and easy to find, maintaining a single, reliable place for agendas, papers, minutes and action logs.
• Identify and suggest areas for process improvement and efficiency in how meetings, documentation and tracking are run.
• Implement small, practical improvements and share good practice with the wider PA/EA community.
• Role model effective ways of working and offer informal support and guidance to junior PAs.

What We're Looking For

You’re an experienced Executive Assistant (or in a similar role) who enjoys working with senior leaders in a fast-paced, professional environment. You’re organised, calm under pressure and comfortable turning big-picture priorities into clear, practical steps. You will also be:

• Experienced in supporting senior leaders at C-suite or Board level; experience in a law firm or partnership is an advantage.
• Exceptionally organised with strong attention to detail; able to manage multiple deadlines without compromising quality.
• Sound judgement, discretion and diplomacy; trusted to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to simplify complex information and present it clearly and succinctly.
• Confident working with senior stakeholders; calm, friendly and solutions-focused in your approach.
• Comfortable with technology and tools: Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneNote/SharePoint, PowerPoint, Excel) and document management systems; familiarity with board or meeting portals is a plus.
• Action-oriented and reliable; you take ownership, follow through and make sure the loop is closed.
• Able to interpret strategic intent and translate it into practical plans, timelines and clear next steps.
• Curious about AI and technology and how they are reshaping professional services, with an interest in how they can improve the way we work.

Salary And Benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits. We value the health and wellbeing of our people and our wide range of initiatives and benefits support this.

Our recruitment process

Please note that although we include closing dates for our roles as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis. At Osborne Clarke we do not make any recruitment decisions using automated decision-making.

We are committed to providing an environment where you can perform to the best of your abilities at every stage of your recruitment experience and beyond. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application stage, interview process, or when working with us, please let us know in confidence.

About Us

Osborne Clarke is an international legal practice with over 330 Partners and more than 1,260 talented lawyers in 26 locations*. Our sector-based approach enables us to help our clients tackle the issues they are facing today, and prepare for the ones that they will face tomorrow. Advising them both comprehensively and commercially. We love working closely with our clients on new deals, products and solutions which will transform their businesses, markets and even sectors. And our unique approachable culture is not an added extra, it's fundamental to our success.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.

• Services in India are provided by a relationship firm