Employer: Health Research Authority (HRA)
Executive Assistant role at NHS
Job Summary
Reporting to the Business Operations Manager, the Executive Assistant provides comprehensive, high‑calibre administrative support to the Approvals Service Directorate and executive support to the Director, Deputy Director and senior management team. The postholder manages multiple requests and deadlines, delivers proactive diary management, and prioritises competing demands. Responsibilities include organising travel, accommodation and events, supporting recruitment processes and external stakeholder events, delivering secretariat support to meetings, producing agendas and minutes, monitoring risk registers and action logs, and liaising with action or risk owners. The role requires collaboration with internal and external stakeholders on sensitive, confidential matters and problem‑solving under general oversight and direction from the line manager, demonstrating tact, diplomacy and sound judgment when seeking further opinion.
Responsibilities
* Providing comprehensive high calibre administrative and executive assistant support to the Director, Deputy Director and wider Approvals Management team. Proactively managing diaries, anticipating and addressing conflicts
* Providing secretariat support to a wide variety of meetings, drafting agendas, circulating papers, taking minutes and following up on actions.
* Interpreting complex and sensitive requests for information, ensuring these are answered appropriately and promptly, prioritising where urgent contact needs to be made with the Director, Deputy Director or other managers.
* Liaising with HRA colleagues and communicating with a variety of stakeholders and organisations, often at high level, on behalf of the Directorate management team.
* Supporting the face‑to‑face event programme for REC members, organising venues, materials and catering alongside other ad‑hoc tasks relating to the event programme.
* Booking travel and accommodation as required for the Approvals Directorate.
* Supporting the management team, and working with colleagues to ensure that the business and administrative aspect of Approvals Directorate work is sustained at all times.
* Supporting the Business Operations manager in facilitating the recruitment process for staff across the Approvals Directorate.
About Us
Working at the HRA, we are reminded daily of how important life is. We are a flexible, working‑friendly organisation that wants you to work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services.
When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement – if it works for us, we will do our best to make it work for you. Please note, if applying to Manchester, Nottingham or Bristol locations, we are only able to offer the role as home based.
Details
* Date posted: 06 November 2025
* Pay scheme: Agenda for change
* Band: Band 5
* Salary: £31,049 to £37,796 a year
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Full‑time
* Reference number: 980-HRA7591901
* Job location: HRA Centre Manchester, 3 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BN
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications
* Degree, or portfolio of evidence demonstrating ability to work at this level
Essential Knowledge, skills and expertise
* Excellent keyboard skills and competent use of MS Office 365
Desirable Experience
* Experience of working within the NHS, higher education, and/or clinical research
* Experience of organising events
Essential Experience with senior teams
* Experience of providing support to senior teams, including compiling agendas and taking minutes to a high standard with the ability to record detailed complex and sensitive information accurately and clearly
* Excellent organisational skills with extensive complex diary management skills and experience
Essential Analytical and judgemental skills
* Ability to manage a complex workload with competing priorities, using own initiative to take decisions and actions in line with the business aims of the organisation
* Experience of communicating verbally and in writing with a wide range of stakeholders, with the ability to understand and interpret complex and potentially sensitive information and make decisions accordingly
Essential Interpersonal skills
* Ability to work as part of a team, building strong working relationships within and across organisations
* Excellent interpersonal skills to include diplomacy, tact and sensitivity, negotiating and influencing and the ability to work well with others at all levels in an organisation, including senior staff
Other
* Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
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