Executive assistant

Job description

Job Title: Executive Assistant

Band: 2

Salary: £30,837- £33,921

Available Locations Liverpool or Birmingham

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time

Closing Date: 22-11-26

Interview Date(s): 8th and 9th December 2026 (subject to change)

Insight into GCA - Webinar

Watch our Webinar on the above link and gain valuable insight into GCA and our recruitment processes.

Are you an organized, proactive communicator ready to drive operational excellence? Join our team to provide vital support, keep key priorities moving forward, and make a tangible impact on our executive operations every day.

Job Summary

This role provides essential daily administrative and operational support working closely with the Director and Business Manager to keep the Customer Experience Director’s office running smoothly.

Key Accountabilities:

• Providing full support to the Director with responsibility for full management of their diary.
• Maintaining an overview of the Director’s diary, having an understanding of the purpose of, background to and priority of each meeting
• Booking all travel and accommodation, processing of expenses and meeting/greeting visitors
• Working with the Business Manager to ensure urgent issues are picked up, understood and managed until conclusion
• Providing support in meetings by taking minutes/actions, and taking these forward as necessary and until conclusion
• Ensuring papers are thorough and are available well in advance with any important points highlighted
• Liaising effectively with other senior managers’ private offices, both internally and externally, building good working relationships.
• Ensure the Director team mailboxes are regularly checked and are in order with appropriate flagging, categories and emails filed correctly.
• Handling ad hoc projects and being highly flexible to the business needs.
• The post holder will be required to follow relevant government functional standards and other related requirements and guidance

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• The ability to work as part of a team to build and develop strong customer and internal stakeholder relationships.
• Proven written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clarify detail, provide/obtain information.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise own and others workloads and to undertake independent decisions with regard to own and others workloads without reference to line management.
• Experience of working with senior leader/director within the public or private sector, providing support and demonstrating good judgement on when to act and when to escalate issues.
• Competent level of IT skills with the ability to learn new IT systems and processes
  

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

Behaviours:

• Changing & Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the bigger picture - lead success profile

Experience

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Valuing our people:

• Competitive salary
• Generous pension scheme
• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus
• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location
• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)
• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

GCA operates a smarter working model that balances flexibility with collaboration. Successful candidates are expected to spend at least 26 days per quarter (approximately 2 days per week, pro-rata) at their contracted office, another GCA site, or off-site for meetings. For the remainder of the time, you may work from home or another suitable location that meets business needs.

Artificial Intelligence

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 withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process

The lead success profile for this role is seeing the bigger picture. A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk.

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at the interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

#GCAIND

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Complaints Procedure

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk

Internal candidates should apply using their Workday account. Please use the careers hub for your application.

About Us

Government Commercial Agency (GCA) is the largest public procurement organisation in the UK. With over 800 staff, we help thousands of public and third sector buyers in the UK with billions of pounds of spending each year. We have a wide range of commercial agreements to help our customers buy what they need, when they need it - saving time and money.

Why join GCA? We offer fantastic benefits as well as career development opportunities, have an inclusive culture that values work-life balance and offers flexibility in how you work.