Executive Assistant (Governance & Compliance Professional)

About the Role

Working at the centre of Pioneer, you will:

• Act as Executive Assistant to the CEO, owning their diary, priorities and information flow; anticipating needs, filtering and prioritising, and ensuring the CEO’s time is always directed to what matters most.
• Provide administrative support to the wider executive team where needed, and act as the trusted first point of contact for the CEO’s stakeholders, including trustees, headteachers, the DfE and partners.
• Produce high-quality reports, briefings, presentations and correspondence, and manage internal communications on behalf of the CEO and trustees, in line with the Trust’s mission, vision and values.
• Provide strategic support through rigorous prioritisation, deadline management and forward planning, tracking strategic projects across the executive team and schools, and owning the Trust’s strategic calendar.
• Act as the Trust’s governance professional in line with the Academy Trust Governance Guide, providing independent advice and effective support to the Board, including well-planned meetings, focused agendas, accurate minutes and rigorous action tracking.
• Work closely with the Chair and CEO to shape the annual governance cycle, and partner with our outsourced clerking service to ensure Local Committees are properly constituted and well supported.
• Maintain accurate and secure governance records and registers, keep GIAS and Companies House up to date, and ensure all required suitability checks for Members, trustees and governors are completed.
• Lead the governance development cycle, including parent trustee elections, induction, skills audits, training and succession planning, and coordinate the paperwork and minuting for panel hearings.
• Own the Trust’s policy framework, audit Trust and school websites to ensure statutory information is published and current, and coordinate statutory returns and censuses to the DfE and other bodies.
• Be the trusted first point of contact for leaders seeking advice on governance and compliance, bringing sound judgement and discretion to all confidential and sensitive matters.

About You

We are looking for someone who has:

• Level 2 Maths and English (or equivalent), a relevant governance professional qualification (or a commitment to securing one) and evidence of continuing professional development.
• Experience of providing governance support and advice to managers, and of developing good employee relations.
• Up-to-date knowledge of governance and compliance best practice, and a working knowledge of other relevant policies, codes of practice and legislation, including data protection.
• Competent use of Microsoft packages (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint) and other IT/MIS systems, including the interrogation, analysis and reporting of data.
• The ability to communicate complex information concisely, orally and in writing, to a wide range of individuals and organisations.
• The ability to organise work independently and in collaboration with other agencies, to make balanced judgements without prejudice, and to deliver effective outcomes within tight deadlines and conflicting priorities.
• The flexibility to manage a varied and agile workload and to meet the needs of Pioneer.
• A commitment to the highest standards of child protection and safeguarding, to promoting equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging, and to the Trust’s ethos and aims.
• Integrity and credibility in everything you do.

Experience of team and workload management, and of working in an educational setting, would be an advantage.