Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO CEO | MAYFAIR, LONDON | FINANCIAL SERVICES | £70,000 - £75,000 + GENEROUS PACKAGE | OFFICE BASED 4 DAYS (1 WFH)

Strategic PA Recruitment is delighted to be recruiting on behalf of a Financial Services client based in Mayfair for an experienced Executive Assistant to the CEO. This is a high-level Executive Assistant opportunity, working closely with the CEO as their right hand and operating at the heart of the organisation. The successful candidate will work in close partnership with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team, bringing exceptional organisation, judgement, emotional intelligence and a genuine understanding of the business.

On the Global Skills Matrix, we would position this role at Level 4/5. It requires an Executive Assistant who operates beyond traditional administrative support, someone who understands their Executive’s priorities, anticipates what is coming next and creates the structure, space and connectivity that enables senior leadership to perform at its best.

THE ROLE

You will:

• Own the CEO’s diary end-to-end, prioritising what matters, protecting focus time and ensuring every meeting has a clear purpose and the right people in the room.
• Work closely with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team, building trusted relationships and acting as an important point of connection across the organisation.
• Coordinate Board and leadership meetings, including papers, agendas, actions and follow-ups, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks between meetings.
• Manage complex international travel and detailed itineraries, anticipating requirements and ensuring the CEO arrives prepared and informed.
• Act as a key point of contact for the CEO, representing them professionally with senior stakeholders, investors, Board members, clients and the Executive Team.
• Coordinate leadership meetings, offsites and key business activities that keep the Senior Leadership Team connected and aligned.
• Handle highly confidential and sensitive information with absolute discretion.
• Anticipate potential challenges, identify where things could work more effectively and take ownership of improving how the CEO’s office operates.
• Take an active interest in AI and emerging technology, exploring how new tools can improve productivity, streamline processes, enhance communication and create greater capacity for the CEO and wider leadership team.
• Keep close to the priorities of the business, understanding what matters commercially and ensuring the CEO’s time and attention remain aligned accordingly.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

We are looking for an established career Executive Assistant with significant experience supporting at CEO/C-Suite level within a highly professional, high-performing environment. You will have a genuine passion for business and a natural curiosity about how an organisation operates, taking the time to understand the commercial context, the CEO’s priorities and the wider objectives of the business. You will be someone who asks intelligent questions, connects the dots and understands how your role and decisions contribute to the effectiveness of the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and organisation as a whole.

You will bring:

• Global support experience is essential, including managing complex international travel, multiple time zones and senior stakeholders across different markets.
• Exceptional diary management and prioritisation skills, with the confidence to make decisions around a busy Executive’s time.
• Strong experience working alongside Senior Leadership Teams and senior stakeholders.
• Board-level exposure and an understanding of governance, Board papers, actions and meeting cycles.
• Excellent emotional intelligence and the ability to read situations, people and priorities.
• Strong judgement, discretion and confidence when handling sensitive and confidential information.
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach, with the confidence to challenge constructively and suggest better ways of working.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong AI and digital capability, with evidence of actively embracing new technology and using it to improve how you work. You do not need to be an AI expert, but you will be curious, confident experimenting with new tools and keen to understand how AI can enhance the Executive Assistant role and the effectiveness of the CEO’s office.
• A continuous-improvement mindset - someone who questions whether there is a smarter, faster or more effective way of doing something rather than defaulting to “the way it has always been done”.
• The ability to remain calm, adaptable and highly effective when priorities change.

Above all, you will understand that an exceptional CEO/EA partnership is built on trust, communication, discretion and alignment. You will take genuine pride in the Executive Assistant profession and understand the impact a high-performing EA can have on both an Executive and the wider organisation.

REMUNERATION PACKAGE

• Salary: £70,000 - £75,000
• Location: Mayfair, London
• Working pattern: Office based 4 days, 1 WFH
• Generous overall benefits package including bonus, private medical & enhanced pension

ABOUT STRATEGIC PA RECRUITMENT

Strategic PA Recruitment is a boutique recruitment consultancy specialising in Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants and senior Business Support professionals. Founded and run by former C-Suite Executive Assistants Sarah Howson and Marianne Whitlock, we understand the profession because we have lived it. Between us, we bring extensive experience supporting senior leaders and understand first-hand what makes an exceptional Executive/Assistant partnership work.

Our recruitment business is also supported by our established professional network of Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants and Business Support professionals, which we have been building for more than a decade. This gives us a genuine connection to the profession and an extensive community of experienced Assistants, including those who may not be actively looking for their next opportunity.

Our approach goes beyond matching a CV to a job description. We take the time to understand the Executive, organisation, culture, expectations and working style before identifying candidates who can genuinely thrive within the role.

We assess candidates across skills, experience, working style, personality, values and cultural fit, recognising that every Executive Assistant role - and every Executive/EA partnership - is unique.

We operate a fair, thorough and highly personal recruitment process and are committed to treating every candidate with professionalism and respect. We aim to respond to everyone who applies, regardless of the outcome of their application.

Through both Strategic PA Recruitment and Strategic PA Network, we are passionate about championing the Executive Assistant profession, raising standards and recognising the strategic value exceptional Assistants bring to their Executives and organisations.