Executive Assistant

About Impetus

Impetus transforms the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds by ensuring they get the right support to succeed in school, in work and in life.

We find, fund and build the most promising organisations working with these young people, providing core funding and working shoulder-to-shoulder with their leaders over the long term to help them become stronger.

At Impetus we focus on the critical factors that influence the education and employment outcomes for disadvantaged young people in the UK, working with organisations that have the potential for impact at scale, helping their leaders to deliver lifechanging, benchmark beating, sustained outcomes.

We provide them with the funding and the tools to grow and deliver on their promises to the young people they serve. We also seek to influence government and the wider sector to back effective support for young people and invest with other like-minded organisations to tackle the most difficult and under-supported challenges.

We are resolutely focused on outcomes and impact, driven by quality evidence.

You would be joining a team that is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We care deeply for our colleagues, our charity partners and the young people we serve.

Impetus is a registered charity and our charity number is 1152262.

About the team

This is an important role based in a busy Operations team which covers office management, information technology, finance and human resources. The team play a key role in supporting the organisation to achieve its mission of supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed.

The Operations team comprises the Director of Finance and Operations, HR and Learning Manager, Head of Finance, HR Officer, Finance and Operations Assistant and a part time Administrator. Payroll and IT support are outsourced.

About this role

The Executive Assistant (EA) to the Chief Executive at Impetus plays a vital role in providing high-level administrative and project management support to the Chief Executive and ensuring the smooth operating of the Senior Management Team (SMT). The EA acts as a key liaison between the Chief Executive and internal/external stakeholders, managing sensitive information and handling a wide range of administrative and executive support tasks.

This dynamic position requires the ability to anticipate needs, think critically, and offer creative solutions to problems with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality.

Key responsibilities

Executive Support:

• Provide sophisticated calendar management for the Chief Executive.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders on all matters pertaining to the Chief Executive, including those of a highly confidential or critical nature.
• Prioritise and determine the appropriate course of action, referral, or response, exercising judgement to reflect the Chief Executive’s style and organisational policy.
• Prioritise inquiries and requests while troubleshooting conflicts; make judgements and recommendations to ensure smooth day-to-day engagements.
• Anticipate the Chief Executive’s needs (e.g. travel bookings, briefings, preparation time) in advance of meetings, conferences, etc.
• Coordinate all SMT meetings and offsites and assist with staff meetings and events as needed.
• Work closely with the Chief Executive to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately.
• Act as a "barometer," having a sense for the issues taking place in the environment and keeping the Chief Executive updated.
• Provide a "gatekeeper" and "gateway" role, providing a bridge for smooth communication between the Chief Executive and staff, demonstrating leadership to maintain credibility, trust and support with the senior management team.
• Complete a broad variety of administrative tasks that facilitate the CEO’s ability to effectively lead the organisation including: assisting with special projects; designing and producing complex documents, reports, and presentations; collecting and preparing information for meetings with staff and outside parties; composing and preparing correspondence; maintaining contact lists; making travel arrangements; and completing expenses.

Governance:

• Act as a liaison and provide support to the Board of Directors.
• Arrange and handle all logistics for Board meetings, sub committees and events: schedule meetings; draft agendas; develop, compile, and distribute presentation materials and record meeting minutes.

Operations Support:

• Support a professional and effective office/remote working environment for Impetus staff.
• Assist the Director of Finance and Operations (DFO) with any ad hoc Operations duties and projects, such as an office move, health and safety reviews, optimising remote and agile working.
• Assist the HR and Learning Manager with HR administration, including straightforward queries, recruitment support and ad hoc projects where needed.

Person specification

Essential:

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant executive support experience, acting as a trusted advisor and support to senior colleague/s (ideally within the charity or not for profit sector).
• Good business acumen and a keen interest and understanding of operations support.
• Excellent technical skills. Experience utilising CRM systems effectively; expert proficiency with Microsoft Office; ability to design and edit graphic presentations and materials.
• Exceptional organisational skills and impeccable attention to detail.
• Ability to react with appropriate levels of urgency to situations and events that require quick response or turnaround.
• Ability to complete a high volume of tasks and projects with little or no guidance.
• Excellent judgement and problem solving; with the ability to make appropriate, informed decisions regarding priorities and available time.
• Excellent project management and planning skills, including effective contingency planning and responsibility for managing actions, people and priorities.

People and Communication skills

• High degree of proactive professionalism in dealing with diverse groups of people, including Board members, senior executives, staff, charity partners, donors, and other external stakeholders.
• Work flexibly, collaboratively and creatively, with the ability to adapt to change, and work effectively as part of a team, remain calm under pressure and support others where required.
• Commitment to a continual focus on improving service to stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience of writing in a variety of formats and communicating complex and sensitive information in a clear, correct, coherent and professional manner.
• Ability to influence and negotiate, presenting arguments or proposals with skill and confidence.
• Ability to maintain a high level of integrity and discretion when handling confidential information, dealing with sensitive issues and managing conflict.

Commitment to Impetus’ mission and values

• Ability to act as an ambassador for the organisation.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion with the ability to execute work with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.

Desirable

• Experience working in the charity or not for profit sector.
• Experience working with a not for profit Board.
• A keen interest in youth and/or education sector.

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

We want our team at Impetus to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our team to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.

We want to reach a diverse pool of candidates. We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful.

We recognise the importance of a good work/life balance. We do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, working part-time job shares and other arrangements.

Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.

Impetus is an equal opportunity employer and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We value diversity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

How to apply

You will need to:

• Complete the online form (including the equal opportunities monitoring form).
• Upload a comprehensive CV and supporting statement. 

The supporting statement should be no more than two sides of A4 and should address the criteria in the person specification.

You should also include the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be approached with your express permission.

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage.

The deadline for applications is 9am Monday 14th July 2025.

Interviews

First round interviews will take place: 21st July 2025.

Second round interviews will take place: 28th July 2025.

You will also be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.

Personal Data

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.