Job description
We are looking for a highly organised, proactive and commercially minded Executive Assistant / Founder’s Assistant to support the Managing Director across a growing group of businesses, including children’s residential care, property, recruitment, systems, supplier management and new business projects.
This is not a traditional PA role. The successful candidate will be expected to take ownership of research, follow-up actions, project coordination and administrative problem-solving. You will help turn ideas, issues and opportunities into clear next steps, well-organised actions and completed outcomes.
This role will involve a mixture of business support, personal assistance, research, follow-up work and project coordination. The Managing Director works at pace and across several businesses, so the successful candidate must be adaptable, discreet, resilient and comfortable with changing priorities
This is a high-trust role involving access to sensitive business and personal information. Absolute confidentiality, sound judgement and emotional maturity are essential.
Key responsibilities:
- Carry out research into suppliers, services, opportunities, property matters, recruitment options, systems and business ideas.
- Prepare concise summaries, comparison tables, recommendations and action plans.
- Draft emails, letters, notes, meeting agendas and follow-up messages.
- Maintain action trackers and ensure tasks are followed through to completion.
- Chase internal staff, external suppliers, contractors, solicitors, agents and local authority contacts.
- Support the Managing Director with diary management, meeting preparation and prioritisation.
- Help coordinate projects across care, property, operations, recruitment and systems.
- Handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
- Identify problems early and propose practical solutions.
The ideal candidate will have:
- Strong written English.
- Excellent organisation and follow-through.
- Confidence chasing people professionally.
- Ability to research quickly and summarise clearly.
- Good judgement and discretion.
- Experience supporting a director, founder, senior manager or fast-moving business owner.
- Ability to work independently without needing constant hand-holding.
- Comfortable using Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, task trackers and online research tools.
This role would suit someone who is:
- Sharp and quick to grasp new situations
- Discreet and trustworthy with sensitive information
- Practical, solutions-focused, and hands-on
- Able to work at pace without sacrificing quality
- Persistent when faced with obstacles
- Comfortable tackling complex or messy problems
- Skilled at bringing structure and clarity without without creating corporate nonsense
Working Arrangement
The role will be primarily office-based during the 3 month probationary period. This will provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to work closely alongside the Managing Director, gain a thorough understanding of the businesses, and become familiar with key systems, processes, and ways of working.
Following successful completion of probation, a hybrid working arrangement may be considered, subject to performance, the nature of the role and responsibilities, and the needs of the business.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £38,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Flexitime
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Croydon CR0 1LE: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- How will you be travelling to work e.g. car, bus, train?
- Are you eligible to work 40 hours without visa sponsorship?
- Are you currently working, if so, what is your notice period?
- What is your location/postcode?
- The role is fully office-based for the first three months to support onboarding and integration into the business. Following this period, hybrid working may be considered. Are you able to commit to being office-based full-time during the initial three months?
- Give an example of a time you were asked to research something unfamiliar and turn it into a practical recommendation.
- How do you manage several competing tasks from one busy director?
- What would you do if someone important was not replying to repeated follow-ups?
- How would you summarise a complicated issue for a director who only has five minutes?
- Are you comfortable working with confidential information in a regulated care business?
- What systems have you used for task tracking, document management or diary management?
- What type of tasks do you enjoy least?
- Are you more comfortable with routine admin, or chasing messy problems until they are solved?
Education:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Croydon CR0 1LE
