Executive Assistant to Chief Business Officer

Executive Assistant to Chief Business Officer

This is a full-time permanent position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

Reports to Chief Business Officer - Stephen Mayhew

Please note there is no closing date for this role and we start screening CVs and interviewing candidates from the start of a campaign. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible if you are interested in the role.

Summary

The Francis Crick Institute is a partnership between the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the Wellcome Trust, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London and King’s College London.  It is a registered charity whose purpose is to conduct biomedical research into all aspects of human health and disease.  

The institute is a leading centre of biomedical research and innovation. It promotes connections between researchers and disciplines and between academic institutions, healthcare organisations and businesses.  Dedicated to research excellence, the institute has the scale, vision and expertise to tackle the most challenging scientific questions underpinning health and disease.  It has a strong national role — training scientists and developing ideas for public good.

The Crick is in the process of strengthening its ability to translate its discoveries and widen its commercial focus to identify and assess new revenue opportunities. A newly appointed Chief Business Officer (CBO) has recently joined the Crick to establish and manage a new commercial division. The CBO also sits on the Executive Committee. We are looking for a highly experienced PA to provide effective EA, administrative and project support to the CBO. The post holder needs to be a confident self-starter, proactive, and comfortable to manage the support required at this level, including activities involved when setting up a new department.

Key responsibilities

These include but are not limited to:

• Managing the facilitation of day to day operations, answer routine queries to the work related to the CBO
• Support the coordination of activities involved with establishing a new division within the Crick
• Full CBO diary management
• Overseeing the CBO email inbox, drafting responses as appropriate and prompting the CBO on urgent enquiries
• Providing full administrative support to the CBO, ensuring that work is completed accurately, to a high standard and to the required timescale  
• Organising and attending meetings and all associated tasks, including booking rooms, booking and greeting visitors and organising refreshments as required
• Supporting the operation of meetings, including preparing agendas and taking minutes 
• Arranging travel and itineraries as required
• Proactively compiling and preparing briefing documents and ensuring all paperwork is provided in a timely manner  
• Acting as a project co-ordinator, including being accountable for managing own set of projects, working both independently and through collaboration with the offices of other Executive Committee members
• Preparing accurate reports, correspondence and presentations
• Developing effective relationships with both internal and external stakeholders

Key experience and competencies

The post holder should embody and demonstrate our core Crick values:

Bold; Open; Collegial in addition to the following:

Essential

• Qualifications, experience and competencies
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience)
• Substantial experience of supporting a senior leader, preferably in a research or academic environment
• Significant experience of providing PA/administration support, including organising and attending meetings, minute taking, preparing agendas, action notes, arranging travel, itineraries, diary management and other duties as required
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including political awareness and emotional intelligence, enabling the post holder to influence and deliver at all levels and to work effectively with both internal and external stakeholders
• Highly pragmatic, flexible and adaptable with an ability to tailor approach to meet contrasting needs and demands
• Strong planning skills, the ability to prioritize in the face of competing demands, proven success in delivering work personally to tight deadlines
• Good communication skills, both oral and written, including experience of drafting and presenting clear and concise reports on complex issues at management level, always with excellent attention to detail
• Exhibits complete discretion when handling details of a confidential and sensitive nature
• A proven self-starter, proactive, with the ability to work within a complex and evolving environment, with a proven record of innovative problem solving
• Experience of supporting and delivering projects to deadline
• The ability to work independently
• High degree of computer literacy with proficiency in Microsoft Office suite 

Desirable

Qualifications, experience and competencies

• Experience of working within a research or higher education environment