Job Overview
Neurodiversity-Informed Personal Assistant (PA)
About the Role
I am seeking a reliable, organised, emotionally mature Personal Assistant to work alongside me in managing the practical, organisational, and executive functioning demands of daily life.
I am an autistic and ADHD author, researcher, trainer, consultant, and advocate. Whilst I am highly capable in many areas, I also have a significant spiky profile, meaning that areas of exceptional strength coexist alongside areas where I require substantial practical support.
My support needs arise from the combined impact of Autism, severe combined ADHD, Executive Functioning Inhibition, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, cPTSD, PoTS, hEDS, and Hyperphantasia, together with living in a society that is not yet designed for brains like mine.
My difficulties do not arise from any one diagnosis in isolation. They emerge from the cumulative interaction of these neurodevelopmental, physical, and psychological differences with environments, systems, and expectations that often fail to accommodate them. Many of the barriers I experience are created not by who I am, but by a mismatch between the way my brain and body function and the way society is structured.
The ideal PA will understand that disability is not always visible and that high intelligence, verbal ability, education, and professional success do not remove the need for support.
Support is not about doing everything for me. It is about working alongside me to reduce barriers, increase independence, conserve energy, and create sustainable systems that allow me to function at my best.
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What Success Looks Like
The aim of this role is not to take over my life, but to reduce the executive functioning load that often prevents me from using my skills as effectively as I would like.
Success means helping to create calm, sustainable systems that reduce unnecessary cognitive load, improve organisation, protect my energy, and allow me to focus on the work that I do best.
The role is collaborative rather than directive. I am looking for someone who enjoys solving practical problems alongside me whilst respecting my autonomy, insight, and independence.
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Key Responsibilities
Executive Functioning Support
- Breaking large tasks into manageable steps
- Prioritising competing demands
- Supporting task initiation
- Helping maintain routines and structure
- Organising paperwork and correspondence
- Supporting completion of forms and applications
- Diary management and appointment reminders
- Following up outstanding actions and deadlines
Household Support
- Assistance with household organisation, including keeping key living spaces organised, tidying the kitchen, essential household cleaning (such as bathrooms), laundry, and maintaining practical day-to-day systems within the home
- Shopping, collecting prescriptions, and running essential errands
- Helping maintain practical organisational systems that reduce cognitive load and support independent living
- Supporting meal planning, food preparation, and batch cooking where appropriate
- Providing practical assistance during periods of illness, overwhelm, burnout, fatigue, pain, or reduced mobility
Advocacy and Administrative Support
- Helping organise information
- Supporting communication with services
- Assisting with record keeping
- Helping prepare documentation for meetings, assessments, appeals, tribunals, and other professional processes
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Emotional and Relational Support
This is not a therapeutic role.
However, it does require someone who understands the importance of psychological safety and relational trust.
The successful candidate will:
- Communicate honestly and directly
- Be reliable and consistent
- Respect personal boundaries
- Avoid passive-aggressive communication
- Be comfortable giving clear, factual information
- Understand that trust is built through predictability, integrity, and transparency
- Listen before advising
- Be curious rather than making assumptions
- Work collaboratively rather than taking control
Support is not about encouraging me to push through distress or dismiss concerns. It is about helping identify barriers, reducing unnecessary demands where possible, and working together to find practical solutions that are sustainable.
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Essential Qualities
The successful candidate will be:
- Honest and trustworthy
- Reliable and punctual
- Calm and emotionally mature
- Highly organised
- An excellent communicator
- Respectful of neurodivergent communication styles
- Willing to learn and adapt
- Non-judgemental and compassionate
- Able to maintain professional boundaries
- Comfortable working alongside a highly articulate and independent person whilst recognising that hidden vulnerabilities can still exist
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Desirable Experience
Experience in one or more of the following would be beneficial:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Executive functioning support
- Neurodiversity-affirming practice
- Trauma-informed approaches
- Personal assistant work
- Social care
- Advocacy
- Disability support
- IT support
Lived experience of neurodivergence is welcomed but is not essential.
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Practical Requirements
Depending on the successful applicant, the role may involve:
- A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
- Confidence using email, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Apple IOS, and online systems
- Maintaining confidentiality at all times
- A satisfactory DBS check (if required)
- Flexibility around working hours
- Working primarily in and around Little Eaton and Derbyshire, with some remote working where appropriate
Hours, pay, and working arrangements will be discussed with the successful applicant.
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Important Information
The quality of the working relationship is central to this role.
Previous experiences have made trust, predictability, honesty, and consistency especially important to me. The successful candidate will understand that vulnerability is not always obvious and that intelligence, education, confidence, and verbal ability do not eliminate the risk of exploitation, manipulation, or emotional harm.
This role is about building a respectful, collaborative partnership based on openness, reliability, and mutual trust.
A good PA does not simply complete tasks; they help remove barriers that unnecessarily consume time and energy, making it easier for me to use my strengths where they have the greatest impact.
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Why This Role Matters
This is an opportunity to work alongside someone whose career is dedicated to improving understanding of autism, ADHD, disability, inclusion, and accessibility.
If you enjoy creating order from complexity, value honest communication, are naturally curious, and believe that good support should increase independence rather than reduce it, I would love to hear from you.
A sense of humour, flexibility, warmth, and an appreciation of different ways of thinking would be very welcome.
Pay: From £12.71 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
