Ea to ceo and office manager with projects and events jobs

Join Small Steps Project as our Executive Assistant 

Are you someone who loves bringing order to busy days, keeping people connected and making things happen behind the scenes?

We're looking for an exceptional Executive Assistant to join the Small Steps Project team and become the operational heartbeat of our award-winning international children's charity.

This is far more than a traditional Executive Assistant role.

You'll work closely with our Managing Director, Board of Trustees, project teams and volunteers, helping to keep the charity running smoothly while supporting fundraising, governance, operations, communications and events.

One day you could be preparing Board papers, the next coordinating our annual Celebrity Shoe Auction, supporting international projects or helping share the incredible stories that inspire our supporters.

If you're highly organised, naturally proactive and enjoy creating calm in a fast-moving environment, we'd love to hear from you.

What we're looking for

• An experienced Executive Assistant, Operations Manager, Office Manager or someone with similar experience.

• Someone who enjoys variety and thrives on managing multiple priorities.

• A confident communicator with excellent organisational skills.

• Someone who wants to use their skills to make a genuine difference.

What we're offering

• Full-time or part-time considered.

• Hybrid and flexible working arrangements.

• School-friendly hours where possible.

• Job share applications welcomed.

• A supportive, collaborative team.

• A varied role with real responsibility and opportunities to grow.

• The chance to work for an award-winning international charity changing children's lives around the world.

At Small Steps Project, we know that exceptional people don't all follow the same career path or work the same pattern. Our team includes working parents and professionals from a variety of backgrounds, and we're committed to creating a flexible and supportive working environment where people can thrive.

If you're looking for a role where organisation meets purpose, and where every day contributes to lasting change, we'd love to hear from you.

To apply, please send your CV and answer three short questions:

1. Why would you like to join Small Steps Project?

2. What experience would you bring to this role?

3. What excites you most about the opportunity?

Together, every small step creates lasting change.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 60,000 young people each year at its 46 learning centres across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision over the coming years.

We are looking for a high-calibre candidate to join as Office Manager and Executive Assistant. You will be the main point of contact for our Senior Management Team, Trustee Board and Advisory Panel members and have the inside track on how the charity plans and implements both its strategic growth and its day-to-day operations. You will also act as Office Manager in our Head Office, and be part of our Facilities Team supporting our sites across the network.

The role is challenging and varied. You will work with a wide range of our stakeholders, both internally and externally, taking a professional yet friendly approach – you will have strong interpersonal and communication skills. You will have excellent organisational and analytical skills and be able to demonstrate meticulous attention to detail, excellent written skills and will be highly efficient. You will need to be able to gain the respect required to act as the voice of the CEO.

The role at a glance

Contract: Part-time (30 hours per week), permanent

Start date: September 2026 (or as otherwise agreed with candidate)

Working hours:

30 hours per week (typically 4 days per week, 09:00 to 17:30, but alternate patterns can be discussed with candidates)

We are a delivery organisation providing frontline educational services for young people. Our Head Office team is based on the site of our North Kensington centre in West London. We are an organisation with team members at different stages of their career, including many in their first roles: we are committed to nurturing talent and providing a developmental culture for all. 

Role is mainly office-based, with the opportunity to work from home one day per week.

Salary: £40,000 per annum pro rata (including £2,800 London contribution)
Pro-rated salary for 30 hours per week (0.8 FTE) is £32,000 per annum

Location: IntoUniversity Head Office, 95 Sirdar Road, London W11 4EQ

Annual leave: 

Full-time staff entitlement, pro-rated for part-time staff:
33 days (inc bank & public holidays) 
+ 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) 
+ additional length of service entitlement
(one day per year of service, up to 5 days)

Application deadline: 9am Monday 27th July 2026

About Pathway Fund

We are the UK's first Black and Ethnic Minoritised (BEM)-led impact investment wholesaler, dedicated to catalysing opportunities for Black and Ethnically Minoritised communities across the UK. Our mission is to address structural inequalities within the UK’s investment ecosystem by providing bespoke and subsidised capital to BEM-led organisations, making it more affordable and accessible to those underserved by existing infrastructure. We act as a funder, convenor, and knowledge builder, bridging gaps between communities, finance, and policymakers to drive systemic change and foster inclusive growth and community wealth building.

Following the receipt of our Dormant Assets funding, we have moved into full delivery mode, with the first wave of Investment Management Organisations (IMOs) already applying. This is a key role for Pathway Fund; the successful candidate will embed existing structures and systems within the organisation while ensuring we remain a learning-led team that constantly strives to improve. As we work to deliver systemic change, this role will serve as a key face of the organisation, embodying our culture of excellence, practicality, and flexibility. We are a small, collaborative team with an ambitious remit and a strong commitment to public value, working closely with partners to ensure we achieve our mission.

Role Summary

The activities of the Programme Manager are key to the deployment of Dormant Assets funding, in alignment with Pathway Fund’s strategy 2026-2029. Reporting to the Head of Programmes, you will act as an operational lead for the Programme team. In this role, you will build upon and embed the existing structures for end-to-end delivery of Pathway’s funding programmes and oversee the effective management of our investment portfolio, ensuring continuous improvement, timely delivery, high-quality outputs, and robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning. This includes the ongoing development of programmes, managing application and selection processes, acting as secretariat for Pathway Fund’s Social Investment Committee, overseeing intermediary contracts, managing stakeholder relationships, monitoring and reporting, and ensuring programme outcomes are met.

 Reports to: Head of Programmes

Location: Kennington, London (hybrid or remote working)

 Contract: Permanent, Full-time (1.0 FTE)

Key Functions

Programme Design, Launch and Governance

• Support the Head of Programmes in further developing and communicating key policies and guiding documents for the deployment of Dormant Assets capital.
• Support the Head of Programmes in refining and scaling Pathway’s key funding programmes.
• Manage outreach to key stakeholders including national and regional intermediary organisations, and potential co-investors.
• Provide pre-application support to BEM-led intermediary organisations.
• Conduct application review and assessment.
• Act as secretariat for Pathway Fund’s Social Investment Committee, collaborating with the Executive Assistant (or relevant office support role) to ensure all committee coordination, paper distribution, and logistical support is effectively managed.

Programme and Portfolio Management

• Deliver specific funded programmes aligned with agreed objectives, budgets, and timelines.
• Support the Head of Programmes in planning and coordinating programme activities.
• Manage day-to-day delivery of specific projects or programme strands.
• Oversee contracting, due diligence, and reporting processes, focusing on continuous improvement of these workflows.
• Liaise with intermediary and delivery partners to ensure compliance with funding agreements, quality standards, and performance expectations.
• Track budgets, milestones, and outcomes, ensuring timely and effective delivery.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation

• Maintain and improve accurate programme records, data, and systems.
• Support preparation of financial and performance reports for the Head of Programmes, CEO, and funders.
• Contribute to data collection, learning, and impact reporting across programmes.
• Support the ongoing refinement and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems.

Marketing and Promotion

• Work with internal colleagues and external partners to promote Pathway Fund's programmes, funding opportunities, and impact.
• Contribute to the development of programme communications, case studies, events, and promotional materials.
• Represent the organisation at stakeholder meetings, networks, and events to raise awareness of Pathway Fund's work and strengthen relationships.
• Support the dissemination of programme learning, outcomes, and success stories through appropriate communication channels.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Manage relationships with intermediary, delivery, and regional partners.
• Support stakeholder and regional engagement activities to strengthen collaboration and visibility.
• Act as a point of contact for programme-related enquiries and communications.

Administrative and Operational Support

• Coordinate meetings, events, and workshops to support programme delivery.
• Work closely with the Executive Assistant (or relevant office support role) to ensure the smooth operational delivery of programme-related administrative tasks.
• Support policy, governance, and assurance documentation for programme delivery, building on established foundations.

Person Specification

Essential

• 5+ years of experience in managing or supporting grant funding or investment programme delivery.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with track record of managing multiple programmes and associated consistency on time, quality and budget.
• Ability to develop programme strategies and plans that align with Pathway’s overall strategy and impact objective.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication abilities.
• Confidence working with budgets, contracts, and performance reports.
• Strong attention to detail and accountability.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and similar tools.
• Collaborative, adaptable, and proactive with a "can-do" attitude.
• Positively encouraging, conscientious and respectful as a team member working with a small but dynamic team.
• Commitment to Pathway’s mission and equity-focused values.

Desirable

• Knowledge of social enterprise, social investment, impact investment, or dormant assets.
• Experience working with Black and Ethnic Minoritised-led organisations or regional partnerships.
• Experience in contract management or monitoring and evaluation.
• Interest in data, learning, and impact measurement.
• Experience working in small organisations and/or in start-up environment.

What We Offer

• Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leave, 3 days office closure between Christmas and New Year (covering office closure), plus bank holidays.
• Flexible/Hybrid Working: We welcome applications from anywhere in the UK. We operate a remote working policy for long-distance employees where they will be required to attend the office twice a month with some flexibility for key events. Travel costs will be covered for remote employees. Employees based locally are expected to travel to the office 3 days a week.
• Pension Scheme: 5.5% employer pension contribution.
• Professional Development: Dedicated training budget or commitment to continuous learning.
• Culture: The opportunity to be part of a highly collaborative, mission-driven team dedicated to delivering systemic impact and racial equity in the UK social investment ecosystem.