4 PA to the strategic director jobs

Starting Salary: £44,766 - £48,225 (including London weighting) 

Contract: Permanent 

Location: UK, Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in theLondon Office 

Job Profile

This role will lead CAFOD’s policy and advocacy work aimed at tackling the global climate crisis. The post holder will have a solid understanding of debates around climate change, in particular how it impacts climate-vulnerable countries in the Global South. You will bring knowledge of the causes of the climate crisis, and its solutions, particularly global financing needs. Working closely with CAFOD’s overseas partners, and within UK and global networks, this role will hold policy expertise on behalf of the organisation. This will involve developing policy positions and representing the organisation externally. The role will work closely with CAFOD’s government relations and campaigns colleagues to lobby decision-makers and mobilise supporters as part of our climate justice work. Sitting within the Advocacy, Policy & Campaigns team, the role is managed by the head of department.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading the development and delivery of CAFOD’s global climate justice advocacy strategy 

• Working in partnership with UK and global organisations to develop evidence‑based policy positions 

• Influencing UK, regional and global policy debates on climate change 

• Representing CAFOD in coalitions, to decision makers, in church networks and at international forums 

• Writing policy briefings, reports and communication outputs 

• Building relationships with external stakeholders and decision makers and UK and global levels 

• Ensuring advocacy is grounded in strong analysis, partner experience and a commitment to social and environmental justice 

• Supporting advocacy work of partners and global networks on debt cancellation and financial system reform 

• Providing strategic and technical advice across the organisation 

• Any other relevant duties reasonably required

Person Specification 

1. Strong background working in climate policy and/or international development policy 

1. Excellent analytical and research skills and an understanding of how to form strategic policy positions

1. Experience of developing strategic advocacy plans 

1. Experience of lobbying decision makers 

1. Background working with partners and coalitions, both in the UK and overseas 

1. Excellent written and verbal communication skills

CAFOD is a welcoming, supportive workplace committed to a safe, inclusive culture where everyone is respected.CAFODwill make reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process to ensure candidates with disabilities or individual needs are fully supported. 

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults 

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

Location: Hybrid: home-based with weekly attendance at the London office, plus additional days as required for meetings, board meetings or events

Salary: £35,200 per annum rising to £38,100 after 1 year of service

Responsible to: CEO

Contract type: Full Time (37 hours per week), Permanent

Closing date: 18th September, Midday

Who we are

Futures for All (formerly Speakers for Schools) is a UK charity founded in 2010 to tackle educational and social mobility inequality, connecting state-educated young people with inspirational speakers and high-quality work experience. Since its founding, the charity has supported almost two million young people, working with a national network of schools, colleges and employer partners to level the playing field for young people who are educated in the state sector, with those that attend the best fee-paying schools. Having grown from its original speaker programme into a broader work experience offer, the charity is now the largest provider of work experience in the UK, with ambitious plans to ensure all young people have access to the workplace, whilst at school.

Role Summary

This is a genuine opportunity to contribute first-hand to the strategic running of a national charity, with close visibility of how the organisation is led and governed. You will be trusted with sensitive information, exposed to strategic decision-making, and given the chance to shape how the CEO's office and the wider senior leadership team (SLT) operate day to day.

Beyond the traditional diary, travel and correspondence duties, you will play an active part in the mechanics of governance and decision-making- supporting board meetings, tracking actions to completion, and ensuring that what lands on the CEO's desk is accurate, well-presented and ready to act on. You will also work closely with the newly appointed Project Management Office (PMO) Lead, helping ensure that updates on risks, issues and KPI tracking reach the CEO promptly and in a digestible form, so that the CEO's time and attention are focused where they are needed most. It is an ideal role for an experienced EA or Personal Assistant who wants more ownership, more variety, and closer involvement in the strategic life of an organisation than a traditional support role typically offers.

This role offers direct exposure to the strategic and governance rhythm of the organisation- from board papers to senior stakeholder meetings- for someone who wants their EA experience to build towards broader organisational and governance expertise.

Key Duties / Responsibilities

Supporting the CEO:

• Proactively manage the CEO's diary, resolving clashes and prioritising competing demands on their time in line with organisational priorities.
• Act as a first point of contact for the CEO, screening and triaging correspondence, calls and requests, and responding or redirecting where appropriate.
• Build strong working relationships with the CEO's key internal and external contacts, acting as a trusted and professional representative of their office.

Diary, Travel & Logistics:

• Coordinate complex diaries across multiple stakeholders, both internal and external, including scheduling and rearranging meetings at short notice.
• Book and manage travel, accommodation and venues, including researching options, managing costs, and having contingency plans in place.
• Prepare itineraries and briefing packs ahead of trips, meetings and events, ensuring the CEO is fully prepared.
• Process expenses and invoices relating to the CEO's activity in line with company policy.

Meetings, Minutes & Action Tracking:

• Attend meetings chaired by or involving the CEO to take accurate, concise minutes and notes, distinguishing decisions from discussion.
• Maintain a live action log across meetings, proactively chasing owners and reporting progress back to the CEO so nothing is missed.
• Organise logistics for meetings and away days, including rooms, catering, materials and technology.
• Work closely with the Project Management Office (PMO) Lead to ensure that risk, issue and KPI updates are routed to the CEO promptly and in a clear, digestible format, helping the CEO focus attention where it is most needed.
• Liaise with the PMO Lead on scheduling and papers for any meetings that bring project or programme updates to the CEO, ensuring consistency with the wider action and decision tracking maintained for the CEO's office.

Board & Governance Support:

• Support the coordination of board and committee meetings, including scheduling, collating and distributing papers to agreed deadlines.
• Take and produce minutes for board and committee meetings, working closely with the CEO (and Chair/Company Secretary, where applicable) on accuracy and follow-up.
• Maintain a board actions and decisions tracker, and support the CEO in preparing for board cycles.
• Maintain confidentiality and good document control over board papers, minutes and related governance records.

Document & Presentation Production:

• Produce first drafts of documents, reports, briefings and PowerPoint presentations for the CEO to review, amend and finalise.
• Format and polish documents and slide decks to a professional, consistent, on-brand standard.
• Review documents and correspondence prepared by others before they reach the CEO, checking for accuracy, clarity, tone and fitness for purpose, and flagging any concerns.

Support to the Senior Leadership Team:

• Provide reasonable and proportionate admin support to other members of the SLT, prioritised in agreement with the CEO.
• Minute meetings with senior internal and external stakeholders on behalf of SLT members, as required.
• Assist with occasional diary, travel or document support for the SLT where this does not conflict with the needs of the CEO.

Office & General:

• Maintain efficient filing, contact and information systems for the CEO's office.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and sound judgement at all times.
• Undertake other duties reasonably commensurate with the role, as required by the CEO.

Skills / Experience / Knowledge:

Essential:

• Significant experience as an EA, PA or senior administrator supporting a CEO, director or other senior executive.
• Experience taking minutes and tracking actions for senior-level or board/committee meetings.
• Excellent written English, with the ability to draft clear, well-structured documents, correspondence and presentations.
• Expert in using common business software/ applications such as Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple, competing priorities under time pressure.
• Sound judgement and discretion when handling confidential or sensitive information.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach, comfortable using initiative rather than waiting to be asked.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the confidence and professionalism to liaise with senior stakeholders, board members and external contacts.
• Flexibility to travel to, and work from, the London office on a regular (weekly) basis, with occasional flexibility around hours for travel, events or board meetings.

Desirable:

• Experience supporting board or governance processes (e.g. in a charity, membership body, or regulated organisation).
• A relevant qualification (e.g. in business administration or executive PA practice), though experience will be weighted more heavily than formal qualification.
• Confident and effective use of AI tools (e.g. Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude) to support drafting, summarising and formatting work- for example, producing first-draft documents, presentations or minutes for review, while applying good judgement on accuracy, confidentiality and when human review and rewriting is needed.
• Experience providing ad hoc support across a wider senior team, not just a single executive.

Behaviours and Style:

• Calm and unflappable under pressure, with good humour and resilience.
• Trustworthy and discreet, with a strong sense of confidentiality.
• A genuine interest in the wider organisation and how it operates, not just the transactional tasks of the role.
• Collaborative- happy to support colleagues across the SLT while keeping the CEO's priorities front and centre.

Diversity at our core

Futures For All is committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and encouraging equality and diversity among our workforces. We acknowledge that some candidates may require additional support to overcome barriers experienced during the application process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please reach out to us.

The Application Process:

Please apply as soon as possible by clicking the 'apply for this job' button in the top right-hand corner of the job advert. Once clicked, you will be asked to complete your application by submitting your CV and a cover letter. The cover letter is an opportunity for you to share the skills and knowledge you have to be successful in this role. Appointees are subject to a DBS check. You must have the right to work in the UK to apply.

The deadline to submit your application is the 18th September 2026, Midday.

Futures For All is committed to safeguarding the young people we work with and expects all staff members to share this commitment. Appointees are subject to a DBS check. Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude applicants. You are also required to have the Right to Work in the UK for this role.

Annual Leave

Staff receive 25 days annual leave, increasing incrementally after 2, 3 and 5 years of service to a maximum of 28 days. This is in addition to bank holidays and gifted leave between Christmas and New Year.

Futures For All Values

PASSION: We are committed to levelling the playing field for young people across the UK, creating social mobility and tackling disadvantages.

AGILITY: We challenge our ideas of what is possible in order to better meet the needs of those we support. We are human, make mistakes, learn, evolve and adapt.

INTEGRITY: We act with empathy and bring our authentic selves to work every day. We value and respect the talent, time and intentions of those we work with.

COLLABORATION: We are one team with one mission and only by working together can we deliver better outcomes for young people. We support each other unconditionally and feel motivation in shared success as well as individual progress.

DIVERSITY:  We know it takes people with different ideas, strengths, identities, interests, and cultural backgrounds to make our organisation succeed. We encourage constructive debate and critical friendship.

About Lloyds Bank Foundation 

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is an independent charitable foundation, backed by Lloyds Banking Group and the people within it. We want everyone to be in a good place - personally, in a home that’s a good place to live, and in a community that’s a good place to belong. 

We play our role by connecting and catalysing community-led change, providing the money, time, tools and connections that build organisations’ capacity and capability, to make people’s lives better and their communities stronger. 

We back people and communities across England and Wales, to make that happen, because when you back brilliant people, brilliant things happen. Our communities are full of ambitious, energetic and determined people stepping up to make their neighbours’ lives better and their communities grow stronger. Day in, day out. 

About the Role

Contract:Full-time, permanent (we are open to conversations about flexibility so please ask)

Location:Remote, with significant travel across all corners the UK and monthly visits to our London office

This is an exciting new opportunity in the Strategic Communications Team at the Foundation.

You’ll play a key role setting up and organising a varied programme of visits, to engage more people in our mission and ultimately help more people in England and Wales to say “I’m in a good place,” “My home is a good place to live,” and “My community is a good place to belong”.

Bringing strong organisational, relationship-building abilities and creativity, you’ll arrange visits for senior stakeholders – MPs, philanthropists, trustees, partners, and executives from Lloyds Banking Group, to community-led groups we’re funding and local areas driving systems change.

Through thoughtful engagement, you'll build lasting relationships and raise awareness of social issues, to ensure visits generate meaningful impact.

You will support colleagues and partners to maximise opportunities, follow up actions, and effectively generate and use content, stories, videos and images to tell powerful stories.

Importantly, you’ll ensure community-led organisations experience these visits as supportive and beneficial, and that their voices are centred in all that occurs and follows, aligning with our mission to foster community-led change.

About You

You are highly organised, with experience coordinating events, or visits involving

multiple stakeholders. 

Alongside strong communication skills, with an understanding of how to apply

organisational narratives to local activity, you’ll have the ability to balance competing priorities.

You will bring experience partnering across teams and directorates along with excellent

relational skills to build trust and rapport with internal and external stakeholders.

How to Apply 

Please click ‘Apply for this job’ to be redirected to the application form. 

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

We hold Disability Confident Employer status (Level 2) and are working towards full status by 2027. This means that if you're a disabled applicant and your CV and application answers clearly demonstrate that you meet the essential criteria for the role, we will invite you to interview. 

More broadly, we are committed to building a diverse team that reflects the communities and people we work with. We believe that diversity of background, experience and perspective makes us stronger and helps us make better decisions. We actively welcome applications from people who are under-represented in the charity sector, including people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities, disabled people, and those with experience of the issues our funded charities work to address. 

Key Dates 

Closing Date: Monday 21 September 2026, 12 noon

First Interviews:  Tuesday 29 September 2026 (online)

Second Interviews:  Tuesday 6 October 2026 (in person – London Office)

#Visits And Communications Officer #Visits Officer #Communications Officer #Visits Coordinator #Communications Coordinator #Visits And Communications