Executive Assistant to CEO

Arden University; Coventry; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Aviva pension plan

BUPA Cash Plan

Private Medical Insurance

Perkbox benefits

Study Arden course for free

Golden Ticket

Job summary

Arden University is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive support to the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer within the Executive Office. You will manage complex diaries, coordinate meetings, and handle travel with discretion, while supporting key institutional projects and stakeholder engagement.

The role demands adaptability in a fast-paced environment, with extended hours when required and the ability to work across multiple Arden locations.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a similar Executive Assistant role supporting C-suite or senior leadership.
• Advanced MS 365 skills including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Experience using AI tools to improve efficiency and information management.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex diaries and schedules for the CEO.
• Coordinate high-level meetings and travel arrangements with discretion.
• Handle sensitive communications and stakeholder engagements.
• Prepare accurate actions, minutes, and follow-ups for leadership.
• Collaborate on strategic projects with the CEO and leadership team.

Skills

Executive support

Diary management

Stakeholder communications

Microsoft 365

AI tools usage

Travel coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Zoom

Granola

ChatGPT

Job description

Salary: £55,000 - £65,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: CEO

Department: Executive Office

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require regular travel as and when required to our locations - primarily across the UK and very occasionally to Berlin & Prague.

It may also involve some international travel, sometimes at short notice.

This is a brand new role, and initially, we are unable to precise about the regularity of travel required.

Travel expenses to locations outside of your nearest Arden work location are paid by Arden.

On non-travel days you will be able to work at home. However our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

Our work locations:

• Coventry head office

• Birmingham campus

• Leeds campus

• Manchester campus

• Nottingham campus

• Newcastle campus

• London campuses (Stratford, Holborn & Ealing)

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About the Executive Office:

The Executive Office at Arden University serves as the central strategic hub supporting the Chief Executive Officer, Vice-Chancellor, and wider Executive Team in steering the institution’s vision, academic mission, and corporate governance.

Acting as the vital bridge between senior leadership, Investors, the Board of Governors, academic faculties, and professional services, the Executive Office coordinates high-level strategic initiatives, manages key internal and external stakeholder relations, and drives institutional performance. It is dedicated to maintaining operational excellence, upholding the university’s values, and ensuring that leadership is seamlessly equipped to expand higher education access and deliver on Arden’s strategic growth objectives

About the Opportunity:

This is an exciting and pivotal moment to join Arden University as the Executive Assistant to our newly appointed Chief Executive Officer. In this high-profile role, you will act as the crucial anchor for the CEO, providing comprehensive, high-level administrative and strategic support to help steer the institution’s future.

You will manage intricate schedules, navigate sensitive communications, coordinate meetings, and handle travel arrangements with absolute discretion and professionalism. Beyond core diary management, you will collaborate closely with the CEO on key institutional projects, oversee accurate action and minute tracking, and ensure leadership is thoroughly prepared for critical internal and external stakeholder engagements.

We are looking for an adaptable, high-energy professional who thrives in a fast-paced commercial environment, takes total ownership of their workload, and brings meticulous attention to detail and proactive problem-solving to every task.

About You:

We are looking for a highly organised, proactive, and discreet Executive Assistant with proven experience supporting senior leadership at C-suite or Executive Team level within a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will be exceptionally skilled at managing complex diaries, coordinating high-level stakeholder communications, and handling sensitive information with the utmost professionalism and confidentiality.

This role requires someone who thrives in a dynamic setting, can anticipate needs, adapt quickly to changing priorities, and provide seamless support to a senior executive with demanding schedules, travel commitments, and stakeholder engagement responsibilities.

Essential Requirements

• Proven experience in a similar Executive Assistant role, supporting C-suite executives or senior leadership teams.

• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint, together with proficiency in virtual meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

• Strong knowledge of AI tools and how they can be used to improve efficiency, streamline processes and enhance productivity. Experience using meeting transcription and note-taking tools such as Granola would be advantageous, alongside confidence using ChatGPT or similar AI platforms to support communications, information management and administrative tasks.

• Highly skilled and confident communicator with a systematic approach, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to work independently under pressure while managing tight deadlines.

• Demonstrable experience managing multiple competing priorities, responding to constant demands, and ensuring that important tasks, actions and details are not overlooked.

• Proven ability to coordinate complex internal and external meetings, events and travel arrangements, while acting as a proactive problem-solver and anticipating potential issues before they arise.

• Highly adaptable and responsive to changing requirements. The ability to react quickly to last-minute schedule changes and ensure stakeholders are kept informed and arrangements remain accurate is essential.

• Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across a wide range of internal and external contacts.

• A flexible approach to working hours, including a willingness to provide support outside of normal office hours when required to accommodate executive schedules, travel commitments and business priorities.

Desirable Requirements

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.

• Previous experience working within a university, higher education or similarly complex organisational environment.

• Experience using digital productivity, task management and AI-powered workplace tools to improve executive support services.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Executive Assistant who enjoys working at pace, embraces new technologies, and takes pride in delivering exceptional support to senior leadership.

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!

• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%

• BUPA Cash Plan

• Private Medical Insurance

• Access to Perkbox benefits

• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends

• Plus, other excellent benefits

• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
  

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date:Friday 25th September

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people’s age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, or fulfil the criteria we have for providing sponsorship. However we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.