Executive Assistant

NHS Scotland; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership in Edinburgh is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to provide high-level business and executive support to the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team.

This key role within Governance and Business Management requires proactive, highly organised individuals who can manage multiple priorities, build relationships with senior leaders, and drive improvements across a complex public sector partnership.

Qualifications

• Experience providing high-level executive support in a busy environment.
• Strong organisational and time-management abilities with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive executive and business support to the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team.
• Manage and prioritise a busy flow of information, correspondence, enquiries and requests.
• Anticipate needs of the Chief Officer and align with priorities and deadlines.
• Coordinate complex meetings and events with senior stakeholders.
• Prepare agendas, papers and briefings and ensure follow-up actions.

Skills

Executive support

Organisational skills

Communication

Problem solving

Stakeholder engagement

Attention to detail

IT literacy

Discretion

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application-but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It's fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don't let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you-not an AI tool., As Executive Assistant, you will play a central role in ensuring the Chief Officer's office operates effectively and efficiently. You will manage a varied and demanding workload, often balancing competing priorities and tight deadlines, while ensuring that important issues are identified, progressed and resolved. You will act as a key point of contact for the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team, working closely with senior colleagues across NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council and external partner organisations. The role is much more than traditional diary and administrative support. You will have responsibility for business management, project management, report coordination, information analysis, process improvement and stakeholder engagement, alongside providing high-level executive support.

What you will do

• Provide comprehensive executive and business support to the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team.
• Manage and prioritise a busy flow of information, correspondence, enquiries and requests, ensuring urgent and important matters are identified and progressed appropriately.
• Anticipate the needs of the Chief Officer by understanding forthcoming priorities, meetings, deadlines and areas of strategic importance.
• Coordinate complex meetings and events involving senior managers, elected members, Scottish Government colleagues and external partners.
• Prepare agendas, papers and briefings, attend high-level meetings, record actions and ensure follow-up activity is completed.
• Coordinate reports for Council committees and the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, working with senior report authors to meet deadlines and ensuring reports are accurate, clear and professionally presented.
• Draft and produce high-quality briefing notes, management reports, presentations, correspondence and other documentation.
• Analyse information and data from a range of sources, identifying key messages, trends and issues and presenting these clearly to senior colleagues.
• Project manage a range of Partnership workstreams, coordinating colleagues, monitoring progress, managing risks and issues and ensuring successful delivery.
• Develop, implement and continuously improve business processes and systems within the Chief Officer's office.
• Coordinate and respond appropriately to complaints and sensitive enquiries, including those from patients, families, carers, staff and members of the public.
• Work across NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council to obtain information, resolve issues and coordinate activity.
• Support audits, consultations, information requests and other corporate requirements.
• Maintain effective information and filing systems, ensuring appropriate compliance with information governance, FOI and data protection requirements.

Are you an experienced Executive Assistant who thrives in a busy, varied and high-profile environment? Do you have excellent organisational skills, sound judgement and the ability to anticipate what is needed before being asked?

We are looking for an exceptional Executive Assistant to join the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (EHSCP), providing high-level business and executive support to the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team. This is a key role within our Governance and Business Management function and would suit someone who is proactive, highly organised and confident working with senior leaders across a complex partnership environment.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate significant experience of providing high-level business or executive support, ideally within a complex organisation. You will be highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities without losing sight of deadlines or attention to detail. You will be comfortable working independently, using your initiative and making sound judgements about what needs to be prioritised and escalated. You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and be confident communicating with people at all levels, including senior managers, Chief Officers, elected members, partner organisations and Scottish Government colleagues.

You will also have:

• Excellent organisational, planning and time-management skills.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work accurately with complex information.
• Experience of preparing high-quality reports, briefings, presentations and correspondence.
• The ability to analyse, interpret and summarise information from different sources.
• Experience of coordinating or project managing workstreams.
• The confidence to challenge, negotiate and influence when required.
• Excellent IT skills, including strong Microsoft Office skills.
• The ability to handle sensitive, confidential and sometimes challenging situations with professionalism and discretion.
• Resilience and the ability to remain calm when working under pressure.
• A proactive approach, with the ability to anticipate issues and identify solutions rather than simply respond to them.
• An understanding of governance, decision-making and the complexities of working across large public sector organisations.

Experience of working within NHS Lothian, local government, health and social care, or another complex public sector environment would be highly beneficial.

If you are an experienced EA or senior business support professional who enjoys being one step ahead, solving problems, managing complexity and making things happen, we would love to hear from you.

The Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership brings together health and social care services to improve outcomes for people across Edinburgh. Working at the heart of the Partnership, this role provides a unique opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and gain an insight into the strategic, operational and governance priorities that shape integrated health and social care services. Every day will be different. You will have the opportunity to contribute to projects, improve the way we work, build relationships across two major organisations and make a real difference to how the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team operate.