Executive Assistant

Shrewsbury Primary Care Network; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Shrewsbury Primary Care Network is seeking an Executive Assistant to support the Senior Leadership Team across HR, finance and governance functions. The role involves maintaining records, processing invoices, and coordinating recruitment and onboarding within a collaborative NHS primary care setting.

You will work closely with the Head of People & Finance to ensure governance and finance processes run smoothly, enabling leaders to focus on strategic development of the PCN.

Qualifications

• Experience in an executive assistant role with high confidentiality
• Governance/admin experience including minutes and papers for boards
• Financial administration experience incl. invoices and records; familiarity with QuickBooks
• HR administration experience including recruitment, onboarding, changes and leavers
• Experience in NHS/primary care settings is desirable

Responsibilities

• Provide admin support to the Senior Leadership Team
• Board and governance administration (agendas, papers, minutes, action log)
• Track actions and follow up with owners to completion
• Maintain governance records and compliance documentation
• HR administration across employee lifecycle (recruitment, onboarding, changes, leavers)
• Finance administration (invoices, payments, claims, records; QuickBooks)
• Coordinate onboarding and induction; manage annual leave and sickness records
• Provide starter/leaver data to payroll/ARRS; support payroll processes

Skills

Organisation

Communication

Numerical accuracy

Independence

Confidentiality

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Business/HR/Finance qualification

Tools

QuickBooks

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join Shrewsbury PCN at a key point in our development. We are reshaping our organisational structure to ensure we remain strong, resilient and fit for the future as primary care evolves through neighbourhood health and the NHS 10 Year Plan. This is a new role within our team, and as Executive Assistant you will play a pivotal part in that journey, providing administrative support to the Senior Leadership Team. Your responsibilities will be broad and interesting - covering finance, human resources and organisational governance.

Main duties of the job

The Executive Assistant will provide high-quality administrative and organisational support to the PCNs senior leadership team, helping to ensure the smooth and effective running of the organisation. The role will provide day-to-day support across HR, finance, governance and general business administration, maintaining accurate records, coordinating key processes and ensuring deadlines and actions are followed through.

The postholder will support recruitment, onboarding and workforce administration; help maintain accurate, well-controlled PCN finances through invoicing, claims and financial administration; and provide practical support for meetings, reporting and governance. They will act as a professional and approachable point of contact for staff, practices and external partners, handling sensitive and confidential information appropriately.

Working closely with the Head of People & Finance, the Executive Assistant will help keep core business processes organised, efficient and responsive, freeing senior colleagues to focus on leadership, delivery and development of the PCN.

About us

Shrewsbury Primary Care Network is a large and well-established PCN, bringing together 11 GP practices and serving more than 105,000 people across Shrewsbury and the surrounding area.

We are a supportive, collaborative and forward-thinking organisation with a strong reputation across our local health and care system. Our established governance, stable leadership and strong relationships with our practices give us a level of organisational maturity that enables us to innovate, develop services and play an active role in shaping the future of neighbourhood healthcare.

Our people are central to our success. We want colleagues to feel valued, empowered to make a difference and supported to develop, with access to training, professional development and opportunities to broaden their skills and leadership experience.

We work hard, support one another and value fresh ideas. If you want to develop your career while helping to shape high-quality, sustainable primary care for our community, Shrewsbury PCN offers an exciting place to do it.

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities of the Role

Executive support

Provide administrativesupport to the Senior Leadership Team as required.

Board, Governanceand Compliance administration

Provide administrativesupport to the PCN Board and its meetings, including agendas, papers, minutesand the action log.

Track actions agreed at theBoard, Senior Leadership Team and other governance meetings, and follow them upwith owners to ensure they are completed.

Maintain governance records,including the register of interests, board membership, terms of reference and meetingschedules.

Support the Head of Quality& Improvement with governance administration, including document controland preparation of assurance reports.

Maintain compliance trackersacross the PCN eg training, DBS, registration, policy review datesand audit action completion; highlighting gaps and concerns to the SeniorLeadership Team

Human ResourcesAdministration

Collate and store evidence tosupport CQC inspections, audits and compliance reviews.

Provide comprehensive HR administrative support across theemployee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, employment changes andleavers.

Support recruitment processes, including preparing and placingadverts, managing applications, coordinating shortlisting and interviews, andcommunicating with candidates.

Complete and track pre-employment checks, including references,DBS, right to work and professional registration, ensuring all requirements arecompleted and appropriately recorded.

Prepare offer letters, contracts and contractual variations, andcoordinate new starter and leaver documentation.

Coordinate onboarding and induction arrangements, includinginduction schedules, welcome information, system access requests and completionof induction requirements.

Maintain accurate and confidential personnel files and HR recordsin accordance with data protection and information governance requirements.

Maintain annual leave and sickness absence records, administerassociated documentation and processes, and flag absence triggers or areasrequiring management attention.

Maintain oversight of key workforce dates and compliancerequirements, including probation reviews, fixed-term contract end dates,appraisals, DBS renewals, professional registration and mandatory training.

Coordinate the annual appraisal cycle and maintain the PCNtraining matrix and individual training records, arranging training andfollowing up outstanding requirements.

Produce routine workforce reports, including sickness absence,turnover, vacancies and training compliance, to support effective workforceoversight.

Act as the first point of contact for routine HR administrativequeries, referring complex, sensitive or advisory matters to the Head of People & Finance.

Provide administrative support for employee relations processes asdirected, including arranging meetings, taking notes, preparing correspondenceand maintaining accurate and confidential records.

Provide accurate and timely starter, leaver, contractual changeand absence information to support payroll and ARRS claims.

Finance Administration

Provideday-to-day finance administration for the PCN, ensuring financial records,transactions and supporting documentation are accurate, complete and maintainedin a timely manner.

Support thepreparation, submission and monitoring of PCN and primary care funding claims,including claims to the ICB and other commissioners, collating supportinginformation and following up outstanding payments where required.

Raise and issueinvoices on behalf of the PCN, maintain appropriate records and monitoroutstanding income.

Process supplierinvoices and other financial transactions, ensuring they are accuratelyrecorded within QuickBooks and appropriately authorised.

Maintain accuraterecords of income and expenditure within QuickBooks, including appropriatecoding and supporting documentation.

Undertake routinebank reconciliation, identifying and resolving discrepancies and escalating anyissues as appropriate.

Monitor the PCNfinance inbox and respond to or appropriately direct routine queries frompractices, suppliers, commissioners and other stakeholders.

Maintain accuraterecords relating to PCN funding streams and expenditure, supporting effectivemonitoring of budgets and income.

Collate financialinformation and supporting evidence for ICB claims, ARRS reimbursement andother PCN funding arrangements, working with colleagues to ensure submissionsare complete and made within required deadlines.

Support month-endand year-end processes by ensuring transactions, invoices, claims andsupporting documentation are complete and up to date.

Produce routinefinance reports and information for the Head of People & Finance, highlighting outstanding invoices, claims, payments ordiscrepancies requiring attention.

Maintain clearand auditable financial records, ensuring appropriate confidentiality andcompliance with PCN financial procedures and information governancerequirements.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working in an executive assistant, PA or senior administrative role, with a high level of confidentiality
• Experience of board or governance administration, including taking accurate minutes and of managing meeting papers and action logs
• Experience of financial administration, including processing invoices, maintaining financial records and reconciling transactions using financial software such as Quickbooks
• Experience of supporting HR processes such as recruitment administration, absence management, employee relations meetings, pre-employment checks or training records
• Experience of working in the NHS, general practice or primary care

Personal Qualities

• Discreet, trustworthy and professional with a high degree of confidentiality
• Approachable and empathetic, with a positive attitude and a team-working approach
• Proactive and keen to improve processes

Knowledge

• Understanding of confidentiality and of data protection requirements, including UK GDPR
• Awareness of CQC requirements and of governance in primary care
• Understanding of how Primary Care Networks are structured and governed

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent organisation and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to deal sensitively with senior colleagues and staff
• Confident working with financial information, with strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail
• Able to work independently, showing initiative and using own judgement

Other

• Right to work in the UK and willingness to undertake pre-employment checks, including DBS where required
• Able to travel to meetings at locations around the network area, when required

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent)
• Relevant qualification in business administration, HR administration (for example CIPD Foundation Level 3) or finance (eg AAT)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Shrewsbury Primary Care Network

Address

Anchorage Avenue, Shrewsbury Business Park

People and Organisational Development Manager

£28,392 to £34,592 a yearDepending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Reference number

A5355-26-0013

Job locations

Anchorage Avenue, Shrewsbury Business Park