Executive Assistant – Transportation Leadership Team

Jacobs; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days holiday + option to buy a futr

Enhanced pension contributions up to 十

Comprehensive health coverage

Employee networks and CPD

Wellbeing hub and voluntary programs

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to support the Senior VP and Transportation leadership team. The role goes beyond diary management to become a trusted partner shaping priorities, communications, and stakeholder engagement.

You will help manage complex calendars, plan travel, and support leadership forums, with line management responsibility for one team member. Hybrid working is offered within a global organisation.

Qualifications

• Significant experience supporting senior executives at SVP level within a large organisation.
• Proven experience operating as an executive partner, managing priorities, relationships, and differing demands.
• Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Team leading or line management experience of a small team (1-2 people).
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong judgement, discretion, and professionalism.
• Ability to work independently, proactively, and confidently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Flexible and adaptable approach with a solutions-focused mindset.

Responsibilities

• Managing complex and constantly evolving executive diaries and priorities.
• Coordinating senior-level meetings, briefings, and leadership forums.
• Planning domestic and international travel arrangements and itineraries.
• Supporting management communications, engagement activities, and town halls.
• Organising senior management team meetings and events, including on-site support when required.
• Acting as a trusted point of contact for senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Handling highly sensitive and confidential information with absolute discretion.

Skills

Executive support

Senior partner

Organisational skills

Team leadership

Communication skills

Judgement & discretion

Independent working

MS Office

Flexible/adaptable

Tools

MS Office

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

This isn't a traditional Executive Assistant role.

You'll be the trusted right hand to the Senior Vice President, Head of Sector, and Head of Operations for Transportation, operating at the heart of a business that helps shape the infrastructure and transport networks people rely on every day.

This is a genuinely strategic position where you'll do far more than manage diaries and book travel. You'll be a key member of the leadership team, helping senior directors stay focused on business-critical priorities, make better use of their time, and operate at their best.

Your ability to anticipate needs, solve problems before they arise, and keep multiple moving parts on track will have a direct impact on decision‑making, leadership effectiveness, and business performance.

In short when the senior management team succeeds, you'll be one of the reasons why.

What's In It For You

This is an opportunity to step into a highly visible role where your contribution is recognised, valued, and trusted.

You'll benefit from

• A genuine partnership role with senior management at SVP level
• The opportunity to influence and support strategic business decisions
• Exposure to high‑profile projects, management discussions, and key stakeholders
• A seat at the table as part of the Transportation Leadership Team
• A busy, varied role where no two days are the same
• Hybrid working with flexibility built in
• The chance to build your network across a large, global organisation
• A role that can broaden your experience beyond executive support into elements of business management and operations
• Opportunities for personal growth, development, and progression

If you're looking for a role where you can make a real difference rather than simply provide administrative support, this could be your next career‑defining move.

We Offer

• Compensation That Reflects Your Skills And Experience
• 24 days holiday + option to buy a further 10 days
• Robust Pension Contributions We offer enhanced pension contributions up to 10% to secure your future
• Comprehensive Health Coverage Single medical cover and Digital GP service, with options to add your partner and family
• Employee Networks We have a commitment to hiring a diverse workforce and supporting colleagues of different backgrounds
• Family Planning Support Access to fertility healthcare and family planning services
• Enhanced Parental Leave Enjoy enhanced parental leave pay and free membership to employee assistance and parental programs
• Life assurance at 4x your salary
• Income Protection Financial security in case of long‑term illness or injury
• Wellbeing Hub Free access to wellbeing apps like Calm and Daily Burn
• Professional Development We cover professional membership fees and provide continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities
• Community Engagement Participate in charity matched‑funding, paid volunteering time, and charitable donations

About The Opportunity

We're looking for an experienced Executive Assistant who thrives in a complex, ever changing environment and enjoys being at the centre of the action.

Supporting the Transportation leadership team, you'll take ownership of ensuring their time, priorities, communications, meetings, and stakeholder relationships run seamlessly.

You'll bring structure to complexity, create order from contending demands, and help senior management stay focused on what matters most.

With line management responsibilities for one team member, you'll also have experience of developing others.

You'll be responsible for

• Managing complex and constantly evolving executive diaries and priorities
• Coordinating senior‑level meetings, briefings, and leadership forums
• Planning domestic and international travel arrangements and itineraries
• Supporting management communications, engagement activities, and town halls
• Organising senior management team meetings and events, including on‑site support when required
• Acting as a trusted point of contact for senior internal and external stakeholders
• Handling highly sensitive and confidential information with absolute discretion

This role will occasionally require travel to other Jacobs office locations, so flexibility and a willingness to travel are important.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Significant experience supporting senior executives at SVP, CEO, Managing Director, or equivalent level within a large organisation
• Proven experience operating as a true executive partner, managing priorities, relationships, and differing demands, not just diaries and expenses
• Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail
• Team leading or line management experience of a small team (1-2 people)
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Strong judgement, discretion, and professionalism
• The ability to work independently, proactively, and confidently
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• A flexible and adaptable approach with a solutions‑focused mindset

Ready to Make Your Mark?

If you're an accomplished Executive Assistant who wants to be more than an administrator and become a trusted partner to senior directors, we'd love to hear from you.

Jacobs offers hybrid working and a standard 40‑hour working week.

Good luck with your application.

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximise your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well‑being benefits to our global giving and volunteering programme, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https//www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in‑person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.