Job Title: Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer
Location: Head Office, Newcastle upon Tyne
Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week)
**About the Company
Our clients are a leading provider of high-quality student accommodation, committed to delivering exceptional living experiences for students across the North East of England. With a growing portfolio their pride ourselves on fostering inclusive, vibrant communities that support academic success and personal growth, as well as a portfolio in co-living.
Role Overview
To act as the principal support and operational liaison for the Chief Executive Officer, enabling the effective discharge of executive responsibilities, particularly across compliance governance, asset integrity, and strategic maintenance operations. This senior EA role combines high-level administrative oversight with strategic engagement, governance interface, and cross-functional coordination.
Core Responsibilities
Executive Support
- Provide comprehensive diary management for the CEO: prioritising meetings, anticipating deadlines, and ensuring seamless calendar flow aligned with business priorities.
- Act as the first point of contact for internal and external communications to the CEO's office, exercising judgment, diplomacy, and discretion.
- Manage complex travel planning and logistical arrangements, including international/regional engagements and compliance-related site visits.
- Prepare, proof, and distribute high-standard documentation including Board packs, policy briefings, reports, and consultation responses.
- Track and coordinate incoming actions, decisions, and workflows arising from governance meetings, inspections, and legal reviews.
- Maintain a forward agenda of key compliance deadlines (e.g. Building Safety Cases, HSE reports etc), working proactively with stakeholders to ensure readiness.
Compliance & Maintenance Interface
- Liaise with the Executive Team, Legal Counsel, Risk Managers, FM leadership, and regulatory bodies to facilitate the progression of strategic objectives.
- Collate, version-control, and distribute sensitive documentation such as audit trails, governance reports, tender submissions, and risk registers.
- Support in the preparation and submission of organisational statements relating to safety, compliance, sustainability, and regulatory performance.
- Draft high-quality correspondence and responses under the CEO's name, maintaining tone-of-voice and protecting institutional reputation.
Governance, Projects & Stakeholder Engagement
- Coordinate CEO attendance at Board, Subcommittees, and Regulatory Reviews—ensuring delivery of accurate, succinct briefing materials.
- Represent the CEO's interests and decisions in internal forums where required, acting with integrity and clarity.
- Provide executive support on cross-cutting projects, including digitisation of compliance workflows, safety case transformation, and workforce resilience planning.
- Track incoming queries related to CEO initiatives, and support timely, polished responses—especially in politically or operationally sensitive areas.
Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experience in senior-level PA/EA support, ideally to CEO or Director-level roles
- Advanced diary, document, and stakeholder management
- Skilled at handling complex and confidential compliance-related correspondence
- Strong analytical, writing, and executive briefing skills
- Calm under pressure, flexible, and solutions-oriented
Desirable
- Understanding of property, construction, or asset compliance sectors
- Experience in regulated residential, commercial, PBSA, or institutional FM
- Familiarity with safety legislation: Building Safety Act, Fire Safety Order, etc.
- Experience with CAFM systems, ESG platforms, or governance portals
- Exposure to HR casework, legal reviews, or audit preparation
Internal & External Interfaces
- Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board, including Group Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
- Legal, Risk, Governance & Compliance
- Directors of Maintenance, Residential, Compliance, Projects and Finance
- Contractor Leadership and Regulated Service Providers
- Government & Regulatory Agencies (HSE, BSR, TWFRS)
Qualifications
Essential Qualifications
- Level 4+ qualification in Business Administration, Executive Support, or equivalent qualification or experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development in executive support or compliance administration
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Excellent written English and demonstrable experience preparing formal correspondence and reports
- Proven understanding of confidentiality, data protection principles, and professional conduct
Desirable Qualifications
- Foundation or certificate in Facilities Management, Compliance, or Governance (e.g. IWFM Level 3/4)
- Relevant health & safety or building compliance certification (e.g. IOSH, NEBOSH General Certificate)
- Training or certification in document control, ISO compliance, or information governance
- Familiarity with digital governance tools, CAFM systems, or collaboration platforms (e.g. SharePoint, DocuSign)