PA to the CEO

Confidential; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Reading office presence

37.5 hours per week

Close exposure to CEO

Job summary

Confidential is seeking a highly organised PA to support the CEO in Reading, hybrid work. The role goes beyond diary management, requiring ownership of priorities, proactive chasing and commercial awareness to keep the CEO's schedule running smoothly.

You will manage the CEO's diary, inbox, meetings and management reporting, ensuring deadlines are met and information is accurate. This is a senior Support role with visibility at the top levels of the business.

Qualifications

• Exceptional organisation and proactive mindset.
• Commercial awareness with ability to prioritise.
• Experience supporting a CEO or senior executive is preferred.

Responsibilities

• CEO Diary & Priorities: Own the diary, manage priorities and pre-empt clashes.
• Inbox & Action Management: Prioritise inbox and track outstanding actions.
• Meetings & Follow-Up: Coordinate meetings and ensure outcomes are followed up.
• Reporting & Business Support: Coordinate information and management reports and improve processes.

Skills

Organisation

Proactivity

Commercial awareness

Communication

MS Office

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

PA TO THE CEO

Reading / Hybrid

Salary £32,000-£38,000

Permanent, Full Time

1 day per week in the Reading office 37.5 hours per week

The Opportunity

We are looking for an exceptionally organised, proactive and commercially aware PA to support the CEO of a growing business. This is not a traditional diary-management role.

You’ll be the person who knows what needs to happen, when it needs to happen, who is responsible and what needs chasing. If you’re naturally organised, commercially switched-on and confident enough to take ownership, challenge when necessary and keep things moving, this could be an excellent opportunity.

What You’ll Be Doing

CEO Diary & Priorities

• Take ownership of the CEO’s diary and ensure his time is used effectively.
• Manage competing demands and make sensible decisions around priorities.
• Build preparation and follow-up time into the diary.
• Identify clashes, pressure points and potential problems before they become issues.

Inbox & Action Management

• Support the CEO with a busy inbox, identifying priorities and ensuring important requests are dealt with.
• Maintain a clear list of outstanding actions, decisions and commitments.
• Follow up with senior colleagues and stakeholders to ensure deadlines are met.
• Confidently chase outstanding information and deliverables.
• Highlight anything overdue, blocked or requiring CEO intervention.

Meetings & Follow-Up

• Coordinate meetings and ensure the right people and information are in place.
• Prepare briefing information and relevant documents ahead of meetings.
• Track actions and follow up afterwards to ensure agreed outcomes happen.
• Help establish a consistent and professional approach to CEO meetings.

Reporting & Business Support

• Coordinate information and management reports from across the business.
• Ensure reporting deadlines are met and information is accurate.
• Maintain organised records and effective systems.
• Support the CEO with business and management administration.
• Identify ways to improve processes and reduce unnecessary administration.

About You

We’re looking for someone who is sharp, diligent and naturally proactive.

You may currently be working as a:

• PA to a CEO, MD or senior executive
• Executive Assistant
• Senior Personal Assistant
• Office or Operations Manager with significant executive support experience

You’ll be someone who:

• Takes ownership rather than waiting to be told what to do.
• Creates structure in a busy and changing environment.
• Follows things through and doesn’t allow actions to disappear.
• Is confident communicating with senior people and chasing deadlines.
• Has excellent attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Is discreet and trustworthy when dealing with confidential information.
• Has strong commercial awareness and understands the pressures of running a business.
• Remains calm and organised when priorities change.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Is highly confident with Microsoft Office, email, calendars and business systems and able to learn new technology quickly.

The Personality Fit

This role will suit someone who is comfortable taking control.

You shouldn’t need the CEO to tell you that something needs doing.

You’ll be comfortable saying:

"You have a meeting at 2pm. You need to review this beforehand, this action is still outstanding and I’ve chased Sarah for an update."

You’ll need the confidence to remind, challenge and push when appropriate, while having the judgement and emotional intelligence to know when to step in and when to step back.

If you enjoy being the person who brings order, structure and accountability to a busy environment, you’ll thrive in this role.

What Success Looks Like

• The CEO’s diary is structured, realistic and under control.
• He is consistently prepared for important meetings.
• Actions and commitments are visible and followed through.
• Management reporting is received on time.
• Problems are identified before they reach the CEO.
• Operational detail is taken away from the CEO where appropriate.
• The CEO has more time and clarity to focus on strategic priorities and growing the business.

What’s On Offer

• £32,000-£38,000 salary, depending on experience
• Hybrid working - 1 day per week in the Reading office
• Permanent, full-time position - 37.5 hours per week
• Close exposure to the CEO and senior management team
• A genuinely influential role within a growing business
• The opportunity to improve and shape how the CEO and management team operate
• A role where your organisation, judgement and initiative will have a visible impact