Executive Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate will have experience of providing comprehensive and effective executive level support at Board and Executive level; they will thrive in a fast-paced working environment managing complex schedules, high-priority tasks and confidential information.

The ideal candidate will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, they will successfully manage multiple workstreams and they will anticipate challenges, identify risks, and provide proactive solutions whilst maintaining flexibility in a dynamic work environment.

The Executive Assistant will successfully develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, with confidence and professionalism. They will have strong minute- taking and action tracking skills, summarising complex discussions effectively and presented clearly using appropriate tools (e.g. action log).

The ideal candidate will have experience of company secretarial duties, including maintaining statutory records and preparing board documentation.

The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about their role and committed to continuous improvement. They will be able to concentrate on specific and demanding matters, whilst dealing with unplanned interruptions and they will be conscientious and reliable with a willingness to be flexible to meet the needs of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Support:

• Provide high-quality administrative and organisational support to IGPF CEO, Deputy CEO, Board Chair and IGPF Executive team.
• Prepare reports, briefings, presentations, and documents for Board meetings, shareholder events, and external engagements.
• Coordinate internal and external meetings, ensuring proper documentation and follow-up actions.
• Maintain and manage confidential records and correspondence.
• Undertake a wide range of administrative duties, ensuring all information is managed correctly, filed, and followed up accordingly.
• Organise and schedule appointments, ensuring efficiency and prioritisation.
• Write and distribute emails, correspondence memos, letters, and forms.
• Assist in the preparation of regularly scheduled reports.
• Manage and distribute IGPF bulletins and key internal communications.
• Provide general support to visitors, ensuring a professional and welcoming environment.
• Support training sessions, events, and conferences provided by IGPF, including logistical arrangements and on-site assistance.
• Support Board and Committee administration, including agenda preparation, minute-taking, and document management.

Diary Management:

• Prioritisation and conflict resolution: Identifying the most important meetings and proactively managing potential scheduling conflicts by proposing alternative times or rescheduling when necessary.
• Multi-calendar management: Coordinating across multiple calendars, including personal, work, and team calendars, to ensure accurate scheduling and visibility.
• Time blocking: Allocating specific time slots for different types of activities like meetings, focused work, and breaks to optimise the executive's and chairs time.
• Proactive scheduling: Anticipating future needs and proactively blocking time for important tasks, travel, or necessary preparation.
• Communication and coordination: Effectively communicating schedule changes to relevant parties, including attendees, team members, and external contacts.
• Meeting preparation: Ensuring all necessary materials, agendas, rooms, and MS Teams invites for all participants are ready for meetings.
• Flexibility and adaptability: Being able to quickly adjust schedules based on changing priorities or unexpected events.

Company Secretary & Shareholder Engagement:

• Statutory Compliance & Record-Keeping: Maintain and update statutory records, company filings, and corporate documentation, ensuring all governance requirements are met in line with legal obligations.
• Board & Governance Support: Assist in drafting, reviewing, and distributing board resolutions, shareholder agreements, and governance policies, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Meeting Coordination & Documentation: Manage governance calendars, schedule board, committee, and shareholder meetings, prepare board packs, briefing notes, and ensure precise, timely minute-taking and action tracking.
• Regulatory & Legislative Awareness: Monitor and keep the board informed of legislative, regulatory, and compliance updates, ensuring governance practices align with current legal requirements.
• Shareholder Engagement & Communication: Coordinate AGMs and key governance events, while maintaining records of shareholder interests, voting rights, and corporate actions.
• Risk & Legal Support: Support due diligence, corporate audits, and compliance reviews, liaising with legal advisors to ensure all governance decisions are well-documented and risks are mitigated.
• Confidentiality & Data Protection: Ensure adherence to data protection laws, confidentiality protocols, and corporate governance best practices, safeguarding sensitive organisational and shareholder information.
• Process Improvement & Best Practices: Identify opportunities to enhance governance frameworks, streamline compliance procedures, and improve shareholder engagement strategies for greater transparency and efficiency.

Additional Requirements:

• Operating office equipment (printers, fax machines) and excellent proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Prioritising tasks, problem-solving, and maintaining attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organisational, and interpersonal skills.
• Maintaining confidentiality and professionalism in all aspects of work.
• Ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment and collaborate effectively across teams.

Person Specification

Values and Behaviour

Essential

• Ability to actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion within all areas of responsibility.
• Commitment to and focused on quality, promote high standards in all they do.
• Work well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
• Consistently looks to improve what they do, look for successful tried and tested ways of working but also seeks out innovation.
• Adaptable to change in a busy working environment.
• Concentration when preparing for meetings, training and report writing.

Desirable

• Ability to deal in calm and confident manner to diffuse confrontational situations.
• Ability to travel across Islington sites.

Skills and attributes

Essential

• Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to multitask and prioritise workload effectively.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills and ability to identify the key messages and areas for action arising from meetings and telephone, email and personal conversations.
• High attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate filing/documentation systems.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and digital collaboration tools (e.g., MS Teams, Zoom, Google Drive).
• Ability to work with tact and diplomacy and react sensitively when dealing with complex, sensitive or confidential information about organisations or individuals both within and outside IGPF.
• Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required.
• Able to concentrate on specific and demanding matters, whilst dealing with unplanned interruptions.
• Able to work autonomously and unsupervised, but able to recognise when it is appropriate to seek advice.
• Team worker, empathetic, able to remain calm and focused under pressure.
• Ability to meet agreed objectives and work independently as well as part of a team.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level of education or up to 3 years experience in an Executive Assistant role or similar.
• Evidence of personal and professional development

Experience

Essential

• Proven experience as an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, or similar role supporting senior executives.
• Experience in complex diary management, including handling multiple calendars and resolving scheduling conflicts.

Desirable

• Experience of working in NHS/Healthcare setting.
• Previous experience working with senior executives or Board-level support.

Communication

Essential

• An ability to maintain confidentiality and trust.
• Dynamic communicator, proactively resolving problems/issues.
• Clear communicator with excellent verbal, written and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately to a diverse and varied range of audiences consisting of internal and external stakeholders.

Desirable

• Able to store information and data safely and securely

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Islington GP Federation

Address

Unit 16-18

The Studios, Hornsey Street

Holloway

London

N7 8EG

Employer's website

https://www.islingtongpfederation.org/ (Opens in a new tab)