Executive Assistant DMEx

The University of Manchester; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Manchester seeks an Executive Assistant to provide high-quality administrative support to the Director and senior leadership team of the Defence Materials Centre of Excellence. The role involves managing schedules, correspondence, and logistics, as well as liaising with external partners. Successful candidates will need to have sole UK nationality due to required security clearance. Flexible working arrangements available.

Benefits

Market leading Pension scheme

Employee health and wellbeing services

Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement

Additional paid closure over Christmas

Local and national discounts at major retailers

Qualifications

• High-quality administrative and secretarial support to the Director and senior leadership.
• Manage complex schedules, logistics, and correspondence.
• Act as an ambassador for the Centre, liaising with external partners.

Responsibilities

• Support the Centre’s governance, reporting, and operational coordination.
• Organise governance reviews and strategic meetings.
• Assist with Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Resilience

Ability to manage competing priorities

Job description

Executive Assistant DMEx Research Centre

The Executive Assistant will provide high-quality administrative and secretarial support to the Director and senior leadership team of the Defence Materials Centre of Excellence (DMEx), a new Dstl-funded research centre based at the University of Manchester.

This is a pivotal role within the DMEx Project Management Office (PMO), supporting the Centre’s governance, reporting, and operational coordination. You will manage complex schedules, correspondence, and logistics, and play a key role in organising governance reviews, progress reporting sessions, and strategic meetings. The post holder will also act as an ambassador for the Centre, liaising with external partners, funders, and internal stakeholders.

You will be working in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment, requiring resilience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities. The role is based at the Royce Institute, Oxford Road, Manchester, with hybrid working arrangements (on‑site 4 days per week).

Successful candidates may be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks and potentially undergo Security Clearance. Due to the nature of this clearance, candidates will need to have sole UK nationality. DMEx has an ethnically diverse team of UK nationals.

What you will get in return :

• Fantastic market leading Pension scheme
• Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
• Additional paid closure over the Christmas period
• Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.

Our University is positive about flexible working you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please be aware that due to the number of applications we are unfortunately not able to provide individual feedback on your application.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Any recruitment enquiries from recruitment agencies should be directed to [e-mail] .

Any CV’s submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews :

Name : Leonard Williamson

Email : [e-mail]

General enquiries :

Email : [e-mail]

Technical support :

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Please see the link below for the Further Particulars document which contains the person specification criteria.