Executive Assistant

Location: Remote (commutable to London and Reading)

Hours: 25 to 35 hours – flexible, worked over 5 days

Salary: £35k to £40k full-time equivalent (based on experience)

Employment status: Permanent

The role

We are looking for a highly organised, proactive, and confident Executive Assistant to provide high-level support to our Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This is a key role at the heart of AbilityNet, helping to protect the CEO’s time, strengthen governance and performance oversight, and ensure that important priorities, communications, and stakeholder relationships are managed smoothly and effectively.

You will be trusted to manage a complex diary, coordinate key communications, prepare briefing materials, support governance processes, and track actions across strategic projects. You will also work closely with the senior management team, trustees, partners, and stakeholders - so excellent judgement, discretion and relationship-building skills are essential.

To learn more about the role please download a full job description.

What you will be doing

• Managing the CEO’s diary and helping to prioritise time across internal leadership, governance, external commitments, and strategic planning
• Preparing agendas, briefing notes, research summaries, and follow-up actions so meetings are purposeful and decision ready
• Triage and prioritising communications, drafting high-quality responses and ensuring timely follow-up on urgent matters
• Coordinating trustee communications, board packs, governance timelines, action logs and related administrative processes
• Tracking strategic initiatives, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), project milestones and actions to support performance visibility and delivery
• Supporting stakeholder engagement, including preparation for external meetings, speaking engagements and partnership activity
• Managing expenses, travel arrangements, documentation, event logistics and other high-quality administrative support
• Providing scheduling support to Senior Management Team members and administrative support to the Chair and Deputy Chair of Trustees when required

About you

You will be someone who is calm under pressure, highly organised and able to work with autonomy. You will understand how to support a senior leader effectively, balancing responsiveness with the confidence to anticipate needs, manage priorities and protect focus time.

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience supporting a CEO, senior leader, or executive team, ideally in a hybrid or remote working environment
• Exceptional organisational skills and the ability to prioritise competing demands effectively
• Excellent written communication skills, with confidence producing polished documents, briefings, and correspondence
• Strong judgement, discretion, and emotional intelligence, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels
• Confidence tracking actions, KPIs, project progress and follow-through across different teams
• An interest in charity governance, or the ability to develop this knowledge quickly
• Confidence using digital tools, with curiosity about how technology, automation and AI can improve ways of working
• A collaborative, practical and proactive approach, with a commitment to AbilityNet’s mission and values

Apply and further information

Before you apply

Location: This role is remotely based but must be commutable to London and Reading for meetings with the CEO and Senior Management Team.

Hours: The role requires a minimum of 25 hours or full-time of 35 hours working Monday to Friday.

Right to Work: We welcome applications from overseas. However, you must already have the legal right to work in the UK, as we are unable to sponsor work permits.

Note: We are only able to provide feedback to candidates who attend an interview.

In order to apply for this role, AbilityNet require a Cover Letter and CV. Please upload your documents and complete the form on our website to apply.

Cover Letter: include your reasons for applying and your skills matched to the requirements of the role.

CV: Provide a clear overview of your career history, focusing on roles and achievements relevant to this position. Where possible, demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and skills outlined in the job description.

Panel Interviews:

As part of the selection process, shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a panel interview. This will involve a 1-hour interview (inclusive of a presentation) with the CEO and the HR Director who will assess your suitability for the role through structured questions aligned to the role requirements. The interviews will be in person or via Teams.

Panel interviews offer a fair and inclusive process by providing multiple perspectives and ensuring consistency in evaluation. You’ll be assessed on your relevant experience, knowledge, communication style, and alignment with AbilityNet’s values and goals.

Our commitment to inclusion

AbilityNet is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We welcome applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and we are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process.

As a Disability Confident Leader we are committed to inclusive recruitment practices. We actively encourage applications from disabled candidates and offer an interview to those who meet the essential requirements of the role.

We want every candidate to have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, experience and potential in a fair, supportive and accessible process. If you need any adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

If you would like to discuss adjustments or have any questions about the process, please contact our Human Resources (HR) team at hr@abilitynet.org.uk or call us on +44 (0)118 228 0374 / 0379.