Executive Assistant

Sustainable Food Trust; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Flexible home/office location

Job summary

The Sustainable Food Trust is seeking an organised Executive Assistant to support the Executive Director, manage diaries, coordinate meetings and projects, and help with governance and events. The role blends administration with organisational support across teams in a flexible hybrid setup (home/office in Bristol).

You will work closely with senior staff and partners to enable a mission-driven workflow. Candidates should be highly organised, proactive, and capable of handling multiple

Qualifications

• Experience in administrative or executive support, preferably for senior leaders.
• Educated to A-level standard or equivalent.
• Highly organized, proactive with multi-priority management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; proofreading.
• Builds positive relationships with colleagues and external contacts.
• Adaptable, resourceful in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail; produces accurate work.
• Keen to learn and contribute to a mission-driven organisation.
• Committed to creating sustainable food and farming systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive support to the Executive Director, including diary management and day-to-day priorities.
• Prepare for meetings: papers, notes, and action follow-ups.
• Coordinate projects and organisational activities across teams.
• Support governance processes: board/committee papers and actions.
• Assist with events planning and logistics, both online and in person.
• Foster positive relationships with trustees, funders and partners.
• Support a proactive, solutions-focused working culture across the team.

Skills

Administrative experience

Executive Assistant

PA support

Diary management

Communication

Attention to detail

Organised

Proactive

Adaptable

Education

A-level or equivalent

Job description

Executive Assistant

Salary: £30k – £34k (dependent on experience)
Employment type: Permanent
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Location: Flexible hybrid working – home/remote and office (Bristol). Must be based in the UK and eligible to work in the UK.
Reporting to: The Executive Director

About Us

The Sustainable Food Trust is a respected charity working to accelerate the shift towards food and farming systems that support people, nature and the climate. Our work is grounded in the belief that healthy soil, plants, animals and people are deeply connected.

We bring together farmers, policymakers, businesses, researchers and partners in the UK and internationally to share knowledge, influence change and help create fairer, more resilient and sustainable food and farming systems.

Position Summary

This is a varied role supporting the Executive Director and helping the Sustainable Food Trust deliver its work. You will help manage priorities, meetings, projects and events, while working closely with the Executive Director, senior team and wider organisation.

We are looking for someone organised, proactive and adaptable, who enjoys working with people and can manage a busy and varied workload. The role offers the chance to gain experience across senior support, events, projects and organisational work.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Support
• Support the Executive Director with diary management, scheduling and day-to-day priorities, helping her time to be well organised.
• Help prepare for meetings, including arranging papers, taking notes and following up on agreed actions.
• Build positive working relationships with colleagues, trustees, funders, partners and external contacts.
• Act as a helpful and professional point of contact for the Executive Director, responding to queries or passing them on as appropriate.
• Projects and Organisational Support
• Provide administrative and coordination support across organisational projects and areas of work.
• Support colleagues with planning, tracking actions and keeping information organised across different projects.
• Help identify simple improvements to processes, systems and ways of working.
• Take responsibility for agreed tasks and support new areas of work as the organisation develops.
• Events and External Contacts
• Help with the planning and organisation of meetings, events and gatherings, both online and in person.
• Assist with event logistics, communications and on-the-day support, working with venues, suppliers and attendees.
• Share ideas and provide practical support to help events run smoothly.
• Governance and Team Support
• Support the coordination of Board and committee meetings, including the preparation of papers, meeting logistics and recording key actions.
• Work collaboratively with the wider team, providing support wherever needed and contributing to a positive, solutions-focused culture.
• Provide support to the Executive Assistants to the CEO and work closely with them on shared priorities where needed.
  Operational Coordination
• Support the day-to-day coordination of the Executive Director’s activities, including scheduling, travel arrangements, correspondence and general administration.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who:

• Has experience in an administrative, Executive Assistant, PA, or similar support role, ideally supporting senior leaders or board members.
• Is educated to A-level standard (or equivalent).
• Is highly organised, proactive and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proofreading and editing documents to a high standard.
• Builds positive relationships with colleagues, partners and external contacts.
• Is adaptable, resourceful and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Has strong attention to detail and takes pride in producing accurate work.
• Is keen to learn, develop and contribute to a mission-driven organisation.
• Shares our commitment to creating a more sustainable food and farming system.

To find out more about the role, download the full job description here.

Deadline : Monday 2nd Nov - please note that we review applications as received, so we encourage early applications.

The Sustainable Food Trust is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We believe that a range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives strengthens our work and helps us better understand and engage with the communities we serve.

If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.