Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant

Research England

Salary: £37,841

Contract Type: Fixed-term (12-month parental cover)

Hours: Full-time

Location: Westward House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8SR
Closing date: 4th October 2026

Are you an experienced Personal or Executive Assistant looking for a new challenge?

Would you like the opportunity to work in a close-knit team, supporting senior leaders in a fast-paced environment? Are you someone who enjoys using your knowledge and skills across a broad range of areas, learning new things and finding creative ways to get things done?

This is an opportunity to work at the heart of Research England, developing your understanding of its policy areas while working with senior colleagues and a wide range of stakeholders across the research community.

You'll deal with complex and fast-paced agendas, where your ability to anticipate what is coming next, gather intelligence and horizon-scan will help senior leaders stay informed and effective.

If you enjoy variety, take pride in providing high-quality support and are motivated by working in an environment where priorities can change quickly, this could be the opportunity for you.

About Research England

Research England and the UK's other funding bodies undertake periodic assessments of research quality to inform their funding allocations and to provide quality assurance as to how these funds are spent.

As Executive Assistant, you'll provide integral support to members of Research England's Leadership Team and play an important role in helping senior leaders make effective use of their time and focus.

Purpose of the role

The post holder will provide comprehensive and proactive support to members of Research England's Senior Leadership Team.

You'll develop an understanding of Research England's policy areas and deal with a range of complex and fast-paced agendas. Intelligence gathering and horizon scanning will be key to enabling senior leaders to be well informed and effective.

This is a varied and challenging role, requiring you to build trusted relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. You'll be expected to deliver at pace, communicate and collaborate effectively, and demonstrate a high level of attention to detail alongside the need for confidentiality.

Responsibilities

You'll:

• Provide comprehensive and proactive support to members of Research England's Senior Leadership Team.
• Act as a key link between the Senior Leadership Team and teams across Research England.
• Work with colleagues in the Executive Services team to ensure the Senior Leadership Team is well prepared, able to make good use of their time and focused on priorities.
• Maintain a strong awareness of upcoming issues and decisions, recognise urgent issues and ensure they are brought to the attention of the Senior Leadership Team as appropriate.
• Undertake and manage administrative support activities, ensuring all work is carried out to high professional standards and in a timely manner, while maintaining confidentiality.
• Manage diary planning for senior leaders, including scheduling and travel arrangements, and prioritise demands on their time effectively.
• Monitor correspondence and emails for senior leaders, taking the initiative to redirect queries to the right individual or respond on their behalf where appropriate.
• Escalate issues as required, ensuring that accurate records are kept and audit trails are maintained.
• Act as an important interface with internal and external colleagues and stakeholders at all levels, building strong and trusted relationships.

About you

We're looking for an experienced Personal or Executive Assistant who is confident working in a busy and varied environment and takes pride in delivering high-quality support.

You'll need to be able to organise and prioritise effectively, work at pace and adapt to changing demands. You'll need confidence and judgement to work with senior colleagues and stakeholders, together with the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.

You'll also bring a proactive and flexible approach, with the ability to use initiative, solve problems creatively and work effectively both independently and as part of a team.

Shortlisting / interview criteria

The following essential criteria will be assessed at shortlisting (S), interview or both (S&I):

• Significant experience as a Personal/Executive Assistant, with experience of providing high-quality support to senior staff (S&I).
• A confident, assertive and co-operative style, with an ability to build positive relationships and deal effectively with stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally (I).
• Ability to communicate confidently and clearly with different audiences, including writing clear, accurate correspondence that is appropriately tailored to the audience (S&I).
• Strong planning and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work autonomously and as part of a team, managing your own workload, changing priorities and competing demands in a flexible and proactive way (S&I).
• A high level of attention to detail, demonstrating a conscientious approach to work with a high degree of accuracy (I).
• Resilience, with the ability to remain calm and professional under pressure and in the face of conflicting and changing priorities, with awareness of the impact of decisions and actions (I).
• A creative, flexible and positive approach to problem-solving, with the ability to question established ideas, generate solutions and collaborate to achieve results in a timely manner (I).
• Ability to show initiative, manage ambiguity, think and adapt quickly, and operate independently when required (I).

Benefits

UKRI values its employees and offers a benefits package designed to support an excellent work-life balance, including:

• 30 days' annual leave.
• 10.5 public and privilege holidays.
• Flexible working hours.
• Exceptional average salary pension scheme.
• Social and sporting activities and societies.
• A subsidised restaurant.

As one of Europe's largest research organisations, this is a place where there's always something new to learn about the world around us, about your career, and most of all, about yourself.

Join Research England and discover what's possible.

As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status, we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.  For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.