Executive Assistant

Change lives in a life-changing career

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer.

We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time.

About the role

We’re looking for a proactive and highly organised Executive Assistant with experience of providing administrative, PA, team or executive support in a busy environment to join our CEO Office.

You’ll provide high-quality support to allocated Directors, helping them stay organised, focused and able to deliver their priorities. You’ll manage complex diaries, coordinate meetings and travel, prepare documents and meeting materials, support recruitment activity and maintain clear action records. You’ll also contribute to agreed CEO Office projects and provide light, occasional support for Trustees and governance meetings.

Working closely with the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Chair of Trustees and the wider EA team, you’ll help create calm, clarity and momentum in a busy senior leadership environment. You’ll be proactive, collaborative and confident managing competing priorities, with excellent attention to detail and the judgement to handle sensitive information appropriately. This role does not have line management responsibility.

What will I be doing?

No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description.

• Proactively manage complex diaries, anticipate requirements and resolve competing priorities.
• Coordinate meetings, recruitment activity, workshops and away days, including papers, logistics, accessibility requirements, decisions, actions and follow-up.
• Organise clear, timely and cost-conscious travel arrangements for allocated Directors.
• Create and maintain accurate, accessible and well-organised documents, records, templates and shared resources.
• Maintain action records, monitor deadlines, follow up with action owners and escalate emerging issues or delays appropriately.
• Provide administrative and coordination support for agreed CEO Office and directorate projects and activities.
• Provide light, occasional support for Trustees and governance meetings, including logistics, minutes, actions, travel and expenses. 

What do I need?

Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.

The key skills we’re looking for in this role are:

• Experience of providing administrative, PA, team or executive support in a busy environment.
• Experience of managing competing priorities and coordinating diaries, meetings, travel, events or administrative activity involving multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the ability to adapt when priorities change.
• Strong attention to detail and experience of producing accurate, well-structured documents, records or meeting materials.
• Good judgement and discretion when handling confidential information or sensitive situations.
• Confidence using Microsoft 365 and digital tools to support communication, information management and efficient ways of working.
• A proactive, collaborative and inclusive approach, with the ability to build positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 

What will I gain?

For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Wellbeing, Thinking & Growth Days: four days a year to step back from the day-to-day and focus on your own learning and development
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritized communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value AI adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to tell us about your skills and experiences in your own voice.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible. Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

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