Executive Assistant to CEO and The Director of Governance & Priory Secretary
London (Hybrid – office-based at least twice a week)
Full time/Permanent
Our offer to you
We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:
1. Competitive salary and pension scheme
2. 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
3. Hybrid, Flexible working
4. Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
5. Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
6. Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping
About Us
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,300 employees and 28,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future. St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, and Young Responders programmes).
Job Summary
As Executive Assistant to both the CEO and the Director of Governance & Priory Secretary, you play a key role at the nation’s leading healthcare volunteering charity. You provide proactive, highly skilled support to ensure that both leaders can operate effectively in a fast-paced, demanding environment. You act as a confident yet approachable gatekeeper, exercising sound judgment in all matters, handling sensitive information with discretion and maintaining professionalism under pressure. You combine autonomy with flexibility—managing your own workload while adapting to urgent, short-notice requests and re-prioritising tasks as needed to support both leaders. In addition to executive support, you play a support role in governance and compliance. You will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team and Governance Leadership Team. You will also support key meetings hosted by the two leaders.
About you
We are looking for someone, educated to GCSE level or equivalent (Grade C / 4) including Maths & English, minimum 5, who has experience of providing high-quality administrative and event support to a CEO and senior executives, preferably in the Third Sector, including liaison with high-profile individuals. We need someone who can work independently without direct supervision, is highly organised, adaptable, and resilient under pressure and can exercise high discretion and emotional intelligence.
About the Role
7. Provide high-quality executive support to both the CEO and Director of Governance & Priory Secretary, expertly managing priorities, safeguarding their time, and ensuring seamless workflow across the c-suite.
8. Adapt quickly to urgent, short-notice requests and re-prioritise tasks to meet operational needs.
9. Play a support role in governance and compliance, working closely with the Governance Team.
10. Contribute to internal and external communications, organisational events, and continuous improvement initiatives.
11. Work closely with the Governance Team participating in governance meetings and projects as requested, tracking milestones and ensuring adherence to corporate governance methodologies.
Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply)
If you are a current St John Ambulance employee,