Executive Support Administrator

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An established university is seeking an Executive Support Administrator to join its dynamic team. This role offers a unique opportunity to provide comprehensive administrative support to senior management, ensuring the smooth operation of a fast-paced academic environment. You'll be responsible for complex diary management, committee administration, and enhancing processes to improve efficiency. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional organizational and communication skills, thrive in a collaborative setting, and be proactive in identifying solutions. Join a forward-thinking institution that values diversity and inclusivity, and contribute to a supportive workplace culture.

Benefits

Generous holiday package

Pension schemes

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience working with senior managers in an administrative role.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage complex diaries and competing deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Senior Management Team.
• Manage complex diary schedules and coordinate meetings.
• Act as Secretary for various committees, drafting agendas and minutes.

Skills

Organizational Skills

Communication Skills

Diary Management

Problem Solving

Customer Service

Education

GCSE Level 4 in Maths and English

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

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Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 15 May 2025

The Role

Are you an experienced PA or Administrator looking for your next role delivering comprehensive administrative support for Senior Management’s portfolios? Do you thrive in a fast-paced and varied environment where you can use your communication, organisation and planning skills to manage the diverse workload?

Newcastle University has an opportunity for you to embark on an exciting and challenging role with responsibility for supporting an environment to enable high quality research, education, and strategic development. We are seeking to appoint an experienced, organised, and enthusiastic Executive Support Administrator to join the Faculty’s Professional Services Team, based in the Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) Faculty Office.

As part of the Executive Support Team, you will provide high level, effective administrative support to the Senior Management Team, assisting them to carry out their duties across the School and Faculty, including extensive diary management and committee servicing (coordinating papers, drafting agendas, taking notes of meetings, following up on actions as needed) and any other projects, working groups or tasks the Senior Managers support.

To be successful in this role, you will be proactive, highly organised and professional. We are keen to hear from people who have excellent organisational and communication skills, have a keen eye for detail and look to identify and implement improvements in processes wherever possible. A positive ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible and helpful approach as well as previous experience of working with senior management, is essential.

The role is offered open-ended on a full-time basis (37 hours per week). We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we will be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible working. There is currently a blended working arrangement where it is expected you would be present in person on campus for a minimum of 60% of the time (3 days per week).

If this is you, we are keen to hear from you. Please contact Karen Stubbs (Business Support Manager) via email at [e-mail] with any queries.

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter should be a detailed supporting statement outlining why you are a good fit for the role. Please explain how you meet the essential criteria outlined and evidence this with examples.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide personal administrative support to the Senior Management Team and their portfolios, understanding the nature of the business undertaken by them and its priorities – namely to deliver the Unit’s strategic priorities and associated activities
• Complex diary management using judgement, where necessary, to prioritise work schedules, liaising with all relative parties in an efficient and effective way
• Producing complex documentation in a timely manner and drafting correspondence in relation to standard requests etc
• Act as first point of contact for enquires for the Senior Management Team to provide a professional and proactive service to colleagues, students and visitors with a clear focus on customer experience
• Act as Secretary to various committees by creating agendas, taking minutes and following up to ensure actions are completed by the agreed date
• Lead the administration of designated University processes, escalating as appropriate and monitoring progress
• Work as part of a wider team and to undertake other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of working with senior managers in a similar administrative role
• Good IT skills with experience of Microsoft suite of programmes
• An excellent communicator both verbally and in writing with the ability to tailor messages to the appropriate audiences
• Experience of creatively and independently solving issues and problems independently and without supervision
• Experience of complex diary management, dealing with competing deadlines and activities for yourself and others
• Experience of committee administration, producing agendas, minutes and following up actions

Attributes and Behaviour

• Understanding, appreciation and ability to recognise confidential material and conversations and to handle confidential information appropriately
• A positive, proactive and professional customer focussed attitude
• Works in a planned and structured way
• Uses own and others time effectively
• Ensures that all activities are completed on time
• Keeps fellow team members up to date with progress
• Willing to help others and share workloads
• Maintains flexibility in work plans to allow for changing circumstances
• Plans team workload and tasks in a systematic way

Qualifications

• Maths and English at GCSE Level 4 or equivalent, plus work experience in a relevant role OR substantial relevant work experience in a comparable role

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silverAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.