Deadline: 23:59 on Sunday, 11th June

Following the celebration of the Trust’s 25^th anniversary in 2022 our ambitious 10-year vision sees our work significantly expanding to support more young people, produce more research, and influence more national policies. With the appointment of our new Chief Executive in May 2023, it is an exciting time to join the Trust as we embark on this new period of growth.

The Trust is seeking an organised and detail-oriented Executive Assistant to provide essential administrative support to the Chief Executive. This will include diary management, coordinating travel, and being the first point of contact for the Chief Executive over phone, email, and in person. The role will also interact with other teams across the Trust to coordinate on opportunities for the Chief Executive, for example liaising with the Development team on donor meetings or with the Communications team on external media requirements. The role will report to the Chief Executive.

Main duties

• Acting as the first point of contact for the Chief Executive, responding to phone calls, enquiries, and managing requests professionally and promptly
• Providing administrative support for the Chief Executive including
  • Diary management
  • Meeting arrangements
  • Managing travel and expenses
• Overseeing the Chief Executive’s correspondence with professionalism and confidentiality, drafting emails and other materials as appropriate
• Working closely with the Development team, for example liaising with donors and corporate partners on behalf of the Chief Executive
• Working closely with the Communications and Public Affairs team to coordinate media appearances
• Liaising with the Chairman’s Assistant on meetings, commitments, and other activities requiring both the Chairman and Chief Executive

• Ad hoc research and/or briefings for the Chief Executive as needed
• Supporting the Trustee Board, organising, collating information, and taking minutes for Trustee meetings, as well as supporting other organisational interactions with the Board

General Administration

• Acting as the Trust’s first point of contact, by providing a responsive and efficient service for general external and internal telephone, email, and mail enquiries.
• Supporting the Development and Communications teams with the organisation and running of events, particularly where the Chief Executive will have a prominent role
• Supporting other members of the wider team with specific tasks as and when required
• Other duties as necessary from time to time

Person Specification

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate:

• Experience working in an executive assistant or administrative support role, ideally within the education or charity sectors
• Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail
• First class interpersonal skills and the ability to build and manage positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• A flexible and adaptable approach to accommodate the varying aspects of the role, able to prioritise tasks, successfully manage time commitments, and work to deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and independently with a high degree of initiative
• Confidentiality
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
  

And who is:

• Sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage
• Personable, motivated and discreet
• Eligible to work in the UK*

Terms of Appointment

• Contract: Part time (20 hours), permanent, with hours worked between Monday-Thursday. Additional ad hoc hours may be required at the Chief Executive’s discretion.
• Salary: £36,000 - £40,000 (pro rata)
  
• Working location: Minimum of 2 office days per week (FTE). Due to the nature of this role, there will be periods of increased office working to align with the Chief Executive, however some remote working will be available.
  
• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Our home working policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.
• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm
• A DBS check may be required
  
  
Scroll down to find out about our staff benefits!

Please note that your application should be submitted in one go - you can view the questions by clicking on the link if you would like to prepare in advance.

Interviews

Applications should reach us by 23:59 on Sunday, 11th June , with first round interviews held over Zoom on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th June, and second round interviews held at our London offices on Tuesday, 27th June.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.

We also operate contextual recruitment at the Sutton Trust. Our application process gives you the option to include information about your background, such as whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether your parents went to university, or whether you attended a state school. For more examples and information on contextual recruitment, please see our website.