Executive Assistant
Employer: Health Research Authority
Location: Home or remote based
Working hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £31,049 - £37,796 per annum
Closing date: 20/11/2025 23:59
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The HRA is a Non Departmental Public Body with the remit to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. We do this by supporting and promoting a robust and efficient regulatory and governance framework in the UK. We provide the Research Ethics Service (RES), Confidentiality Advice function, assessments and assurances on behalf of the NHS, and learning, guidance and advice for the research community. Our ambition is to make the UK a great place to do research, where more money invested in research goes into carrying out relevant, good quality research.
Our purpose is to ensure that research involving NHS patients and members of the public is approved through a proportionate and robust system, that they are provided with the information they need to help them decide whether they wish to take part, and that their opportunity to do so is maximised by simplifying the processes by which high quality research is assessed. We have already delivered significant improvements by centralising and simplifying the approval of research in the NHS in England, and are undertaking a range of significant programmes to deliver further improvements.
Job overview:
Reporting to the Business Operations Manager, the Executive Assistant is responsible for providing comprehensive high calibre administrative support to the Approvals Service Directorate, and EA support to the Director, Deputy Director and senior management team.
The postholder will undertake multiple requests relating to work activities and manage deadlines appropriately. This will include providing effective, proactive diary management and prioritising high level competing demands.
The postholder will organise travel, accommodation and events for the Directorate and provide support to recruitment processes and external stakeholder events. They will also provide secretariat support to a variety of internal and external meetings, producing agendas and high-quality minutes, monitoring risk registers and action and decision logs and liaising with action or risk owners.
The role will require collaborative working with a range of internal and external stakeholders in areas that may be sensitive, confidential and complex and the post-holder will be required to work under their own initiative and to problem solve under general oversight and direction from their line manager, displaying a high level of tact, diplomacy, sound judgment in when to seek further opinion.
Main duties of the job
Providing comprehensive high calibre administrative and executive assistant support to the Director, Deputy Director and wider Approvals Management team. Proactively managing diaries, anticipating and addressing conflicts
Providing secretariat support to a wide variety of meetings, drafting agendas, circulating papers, taking minutes and following up on actions.
Interpreting complex and sensitive requests for information, ensuring these are answered appropriately and promptly, prioritising where urgent contact needs to be made with the Director, Deputy Director or other managers.
Liaising with HRA colleagues and communicating with a variety of stakeholders and organisations, often at high level, on behalf of the Directorate management team.
Supporting the face-to-face event programme for REC members, organising venues, materials and catering alongside other ad hoc tasks relating to the event programme.
Booking travel and accommodation as required for the Approvals Directorate.
Supporting the management team, and working with colleagues to ensure that the business and administrative aspect of Approvals Directorate work is sustained at all times.
Supporting the Business Operations manager in facilitating the recruitment process for staff across the Approvals Directorate.
Working for our organisation
Working at the HRA, we are reminded daily of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics, and we have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement – if it works for us, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Please note, if applying to our Manchester, Nottingham or Bristol locations, we are only able to offer the role as home based.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This role sits within the HRA Approvals Service directorate which consists of various teams that all work together to provide the appropriate approval for health research in England and, for some applications, across the UK. This directorate is responsible for:
- Delivering HRA Approval
- Supporting the Confidentiality Advisory Group and advising on the use of confidential patient information without consent
- Working to refine the systems and processes researchers need to follow to ensure a swift, robust and simple experience
- Providing guidance to applicants
- Providing training
- Working collaboratively with external partners to improve the research environmentTo find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.
In submitting your application with us, please note the following:
We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.
We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.
Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
Degree, or portfolio of evidence demonstrating ability to work at this level
Knowledge, skills and expertise
Essential criteria
Excellent keyboard skills and competent use of MS Office 365
Experience
Desirable criteria
Experience of working within the NHS, higher education, and/or clinical research
Experience of organising events
Knowledge, skills and expertise
Essential criteria
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise against a background of change and frequently changing demands
Strong communication and influencing skills with the ability to communicate complex and/or sensitive information in a diplomatic and effective manner
Experience
Essential criteria
Experience of providing support to senior teams, including compiling agendas and taking minutes to a high standard with the ability to record detailed complex and sensitive information accurately and clearly
Excellent organisational skills with extensive complex diary management skills and experience
Analytical and judgemental skills
Essential criteria
Ability to manage a complex workload with competing priorities, using own initiative to take decisions and actions in line with the business aims of the organisation
Experience of communicating verbally and in writing with a wide range of stakeholders, with the ability to understand and interpret complex and potentially sensitive information and make decisions accordingly
Interpersonal skills
Essential criteria
Ability to work as part of a team, building strong working relationships within and across organisations
Excellent interpersonal skills to include diplomacy, tact and sensitivity, negotiating and influencing and the ability to work well with others at all levels in an organisation, including senior staff
Other
Essential criteria
Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
In return for your commitment, we offer excellent opportunities for personal development and a healthy work-life balance. The HRA is committed to promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality. We welcome and encourage applications, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity and gender expression, disability, race, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, sex or sexual orientation or any other personal circumstances. Reasonable adjustments to the interview process can be made upon request, for candidates with a disability. The HRA welcomes applicants who are interested in flexible working including job share, part time work, secondments or home-based working. Please discuss any preferred flexibility at your interview.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of applications.
The HRA does not hold a sponsor licence in respect of skilled worker visas and so is unable to employ candidates requiring sponsorship.
In order to be considered for this position you must address the criteria outlined in the person specification in your supporting statement. You will be considered based on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered. All contact is made via our Trac recruitment system. Please check your account regularly.
After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
If you have a query relating to your application, please contact the recruitment team on HRA.hrqueries@nhsbsa.nhs.uk or 0300 330 9416.
The NHSBSA is responsible for the processing of your application; a privacy notice is available at the following link to advise you on how we will process your personal data.
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