Overview
The Institute of Osteopathy (iO), the professional and membership body for UK osteopathy, is looking for a confident and highly organised Executive Assistant to support its newly appointed Chief Executive and the organisation's governance levels, providing high level PA support to the CEO alongside governance secretariat support to iO's Council and committees.
Job Context
The Institute of Osteopathy (iO) is the professional and membership body representing UK Osteopathy. Our mission is to support, unite, develop and promote the profession for the improvement of public health and patient care. Our small specialist team provides a range of services, resources and best practice advice. We network extensively with osteopathic groups at both regional and national leave and host multiple live and virtual networking events. The iO is governed by a Non-Executive Council and a series of advisory committees, who set the strategic direction for the organisation and ensure robust process and governance of its operation.
In 2025 we recruited a new Chief Executive, who has been leading a review of our services and resourcing. We are now looking for a confident and highly organised Executive Assistant to support the CEO and the governance levels of our organisation.
Job Purpose
- To provide high level PA and executive support to the Chief Executive.
- To provide a range of governance secretariat support to the iO’s Council and its committees, ensuring governance processes across the organisation run smoothly and to a consistent standard.
Core Relationships
- Works primarily with the CEO, members of the iO senior management team, and Council and Committee Chairs and Members
- Interacts, liaises and networks, as required, with members, partners, consultants and service providers, suppliers and other organisations
Roles and Responsibilities
- PA and executive support to the CEO
- Providing high level executive support to the Chief Executive (CEO), ensuring maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of CEO and organisation activities, and acting as a first point of contact and liaison on their behalf
- Planning and coordination of meetings, diary management, travel arrangements and expense reconciliation on behalf of the CEO.
- Managing incoming communications (including email) and actions in line with the CEO’s preferences, triaging enquiries, resolving issues where possible and escalating matters appropriately
- Providing a full range of meeting secretariat for the CEO, and to the SMT, including drafting agendas, collating supporting documents, taking minutes, and progress chasing agreed actions
- Draft, edit and quality-assure high-level correspondence, presentations and documents on behalf of the CEO, ensuring clarity, professionalism and alignment with organisation brand, tone and priorities.
- As directed by the CEO, provide ad hoc executive-level support to other SMT members.
Governance Coordination and Support
- Provide comprehensive secretariat support to Council and up to five committees, including agenda drafting in consultation with relevant colleagues and the Chair, commissioning and sourcing papers, and coordinating meeting logistics.
- Maintain the overarching governance calendar for the whole of iO, coordinating and scheduling meeting cycles to ensure cyclical business activities are appropriately sequenced.
- Maintain the policy review schedule, ensuring all policies are reviewed by the relevant policy owner and committee at the appropriate time.
- Ensure Council and Committee terms of reference are reviewed at agreed intervals,
- Take accurate minutes, maintain action logs, and follow up outstanding actions as required to ensure timely completion. Ensure colleagues are informed of any outcomes that affect them or actions assigned to them.
- Support the annual appointments and appraisal process for Officers, Council and committee members, including liaising with appointment panels, monitoring terms of office and flagging upcoming expiries in good time, and supporting effective induction for new Council and Committee members, and any relevant statutory filings for company directors.
- Support the delivery of the iO’s Annual General Meeting, working in partnership with colleagues.
Systems, Information and Resources
- Develop and maintain effective management information systems and office process in support of the CEO
- Develop and maintain effective management information systems and central records for the governance levels of the organisation, including all Council and committee documentation, records of decisions, role descriptions, and officer details.
- Maintain the governance handbook, ensuring it remains current and accessible to staff, Council and Committee members.
- Maintain and update the conflicts of interest register, ensuring the conflicts of interest process is followed and the register is refreshed annually or whenever a new conflict is declared
- Maintain and monitor any allocated budgets on behalf of the CEO, working closely with the Finance Manager and team
- Contribute to any systems development projects, working closely with the Projects Manager or other colleagues as relevant (for example, enhancement of use of Co-Pilot and Agents as an organisation tool)
Compliance and Best Practice
- Monitor statutory deadlines relevant to governance and support compliance with these.
- Keep up to date with relevant legislative changes and governance best practice, notifying key staff and Officers of anything with implications for the organisation, including where policy updates may be required
- Maintain accurate documentation of all governance and CEO office activities in line with iO’s data protection policies and guidance
Scope and Limits of Authority
Decision making level: expected to exercise judgement in the day-to-day handling of issues arising whilst providing support to the CEO, and in the coordination and delivery of governance processes, escalating as appropriate. For example, a governance matter that falls outside agreed process or precedent.
Person Specification
Knowledge, qualifications and experience
- Experience of providing secretarial or governance support to senior management and governance levels of an organisation
- Experience of preparing agendas, papers and minutes
- Understanding of committee secretariat and governance structures
- Ideally some familiarity Companies House filing requirements, or ability to acquire this swiftly
- Ideally some understanding of data protection requirements as they relate to information storage and confidentiality
Skills and abilities
- Accurate use and understanding of English, including spelling, construction and grammar
- Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple meeting and governance cycles and deadlines simultaneously. Ability to plan ahead and anticipate requirements across annual cycles.
- High level of accuracy and attention to detail, including in minute-taking and record-keeping
- Ability to take ownership of processes and see them through to completion without close supervision
- Ability to exercise sound judgement and discretion, particularly when handling confidential or sensitive information
- Ability to build and sustain effective working relationships with people at all levels internally and externally, including Officers, Council and committee members, partners, and colleagues
- Ability to remain clam and accurate under pressure, particularly around meeting deadlines.
- Ability to quicky become familiar with sector-specific and technical terminology.
Other requirements
- Candidates must have the right to work in the UK
- Commitment to the aims and objectives of the iO
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and understanding of how this applies to own area of work
- Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and information security in line with iO’s data protection policy
- Commitment to own continuing professional development
- Demonstrable commitment to providing a professional and responsive service to Officers Council, committee members and colleagues
On submission of your CV, you will be asked to complete a short application form with further questions.
Pay: From £36,047.00 per year
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Luton
