Executive Assistant 

Salary: £50,000
Location: Kings Cross, London (Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays - in our office, Monday & Friday - your choice)
Employment Type: Permanent, Full time 
Closing Date: The first wave of applications will be reviewed on or before 11th December. After this initial review, we will transition to rolling applications until the position is filled.

About ARIA

ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between. If that sounds fun, come and build ARIA with us.

Learn more about how we work here.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to provide high-quality support to the Chief Product Officer & another Executive in a central co-ordinating role. The successful candidate will be responsible for assisting with day-to-day administrative tasks & helping with product team management, ensuring its smooth running and effectiveness. You will also need to link up with various teams within the corporate services function (People Ops, Finance, Procurement etc.) to ensure effective collaboration.

As the Executive Assistant, you will be responsible for overseeing these tasks with a high-level of professionalism and confidentiality. This includes managing the executive's schedule, handling correspondence and emails, arranging meetings, and planning events.

This role also requires a balance between building strong relationships with senior colleagues both internally and externally. To thrive in this role, you will be a confident communicator with the skills and ability to liaise in writing and verbally with a wide range of stakeholders while maintaining tact and discretion.

Please be aware that this role may require occasional travel across the UK, to support senior leaders at meetings and events.

What you’ll do

The duties of the role will include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the Executive’s with diary management, inbox management, travel arrangements and other administrative tasks

• Work with and support all teams across ARIA to build, co-ordinate and secure support and resources for projects and initiatives

• Dealing with correspondence and queries, including preparation and authorisation of timesheets and expense reports where necessary

• Working closely with the product team, to track projects, help manage partners & keeping the team running effectively

• Coordinating the executives team meetings, developing papers and agendas and tracking resulting actions

• Working closely with the Executive Assistant team to :

  • Ensure coordination of processes & alignment across the organisation

  • Cover for other EA’s when needed (e.g. annual leave)

  • Coordinate org-wide weekly team meetings & internal communications

• Receiving and directing visitors

Who you are

A successful candidate will bring many of the following skills/experience to the role:

• The role requires significant previous experience of working as an Executive Assistant in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and proven experience of managing correspondence and email accounts effectively

• You will have excellent time-management and organisational skills with the ability to work on your own initiative to tight deadlines, using judgment to make decisions and prioritise your workload

• You will need to have strong conviction in your decision making, stakeholder management & show clear judgment independently. Strong attention to detail and an adaptable attitude will also be key to this role

• You will need strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and with different audiences on behalf of Executives

Benefits

• Discretionary performance related pay arrangements

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days

• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home

• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities

• Enhanced family leave arrangements

• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme

• Life Assurance

• 2 days of paid volunteer days

• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension

• Cycle to Work scheme

• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

ARIA adopts a considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.