Executive Business Partner
Location: Manchester Office (Hybrid Working)
Job Profile Summary
The Executive Business Partner is a pivotal role, partnering with a VP and/or Senior Director to effectively manage the business unit cadence and provide high-level administrative and tactical support to our leaders. This role is essential for enabling the VP and their senior Leadership Team (LT) to scale up by managing day-to-day and mid-term activities, thereby creating the necessary space for them to focus on long-term strategy.
You will be fully responsible for ensuring the Executive’s office is aware of deliverables and their timelines, and that communication is cascaded up and down as needed. This position requires strategic thinking and business acumen, along with the ability to develop processes to facilitate short and long-term planning and execution. Building and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships, both internal and external, are a key aspect of this role.
Key Responsibilities
As an Executive Business Partner, you will:
* Trusted Advisor & Strategic Partner: Be a trusted advisor on individual and team dynamics. Partner directly with the (S)VP and/or Senior Director to prioritise their activities based on business needs.
* Calendar & Inbox Management: Take full ownership of the (S)VP’s calendar, ensuring clear alignment with business priorities. Manage their inbox, organising emails, replying, and picking up tasks. You will be able to prepare and/or send out emails on their behalf to internal and external stakeholders.
* Business Unit (BU) Cadence: In partnership with Project Management Offices (PMOs), Finance/Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Internal Communications, and other stakeholders, create the BU cadence, own the agenda, and plan forecasts on behalf of the (S)VP. Coordinate and actively facilitate BU LT Meetings, owning action-taking and follow-ups.
* Process & Accountability: Partner with the Strategy Director of the BU to agree on approaches for improvements in accountability, ownership, and general delivery/follow-up of BU priorities. Identify areas for improvement within the business and work with PMs to project manage change.
* Operational & Administrative Support: Be fully responsible for all delegated tasks (e.g., procurement, expense, and HR systems), including raising purchase orders/adding vendors and follow-up. Facilitate the process for signatures for the (S)VP.
* Travel & Logistics: Oversee the planning of complex business travel for the (S)VP and teams (logistics, visas, coordinating itineraries, and developing preparation materials.)
* Onboarding & Hiring: Manage, own, and initiate the onboarding process on behalf of (S)VPs, including documentation and scheduling. Support with the hiring process by conducting interviews for the craft.
* Internal Communications: Act as your leader’s eyes and ears, identifying areas of concern or opportunity for internal comms. Partner with the Communications team in planning, organising, and executing initiatives, and assist in end-to-end planning of leadership meetings and events (offsites, all-hands, etc.).
Required Knowledge & Experience
* Experience: Advanced knowledge with 5-8 years of relevant experience in administration, operational, business support, or executive assistant roles, preferably within a large/multinational organisation.
* Adaptability & Problem-Solving: Comfortable with ambiguity and able to prioritise and make decisions without having all the information. Highly organised with excellent planning skills. You take ownership and proactively solve problems, often before they reach your S(VP).
* Mindset: Creative and ‘out of the box’ thinking to proactively drive business. You seek to understand before you act. Commercially aware and results-driven with an independent and proactive attitude.
* Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Fluent in English is essential.
* Interpersonal Skills: People-oriented with strong relationship and stakeholder management skills, able to engage with people across all levels and diverse backgrounds.
* Technical Proficiency: Excellent with G Suite, including Google Calendar, Google Sheets/Slides (or similar).
* Other Requirements: Strong ethics and ability to handle confidential matters with discretion. You must be available to offer support outside of normal business hours, or travel, as required.