The Fostering Network
Executive Assistant to CEO
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Salary: £33,130 - £38,306 + London weighting if eligible
Hours: 35
Location: Hybrid - This role can be based in any of our offices (London, Cardiff, Belfast or Glasgow) or from home. Some travel to our London office will be required at least once a quarter for Board meetings and as needed by Leadership team.
Who We Are
The Fostering Network is the UK's leading fostering charity and membership organisation, dedicated to empowering, enriching and supporting the relationships at the heart of the fostering community.
Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for an experienced and highly organised Executive Assistant to provide outstanding administrative support to our Chief Executive Officer, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, manages competing priorities effectively and handles confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
You will have:
- Experience working as an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant or in a similar role at a comparable level.
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise, multitask and meet deadlines.
- Experience of diary management and supporting senior leaders.
- Experience of handling confidential and sensitive information.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
What You'll Be Doing
As Executive Assistant, you will provide high-quality administrative support to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, helping to ensure the smooth running of the organisation and supporting effective governance arrangements.
Key responsibilities include:
- Managing the day-to-day administrative needs of the CEO and Senior Leadership Team, including diary management, meetings, travel and correspondence.
- Coordinating governance activities by supporting the Company Secretary and Board of Trustees with meetings, agendas, papers, minutes and statutory requirements.
- Producing presentations, reports and organisational updates.
- Taking minutes, maintaining action logs and ensuring follow-up actions are tracked.
- Supporting organisation-wide events, staff activities, strategic planning processes and cross-organisational initiatives.
- Working collaboratively across teams to deliver high-quality administrative support and continuous improvement in organisational processes.
At this point, we hope you're feeling excited about the job description you're reading. Even if you don't feel that you meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply.
What We Can Offer You
- 38 days leave (including bank holidays)
- A range of family friendly and fostering friendly leave options
- Flexible and hybrid working
- Enhanced maternity and adoption pay
- Enhanced sick pay
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Helpline
- Pension and life assurance
- Contribution to eye tests and lenses
- Season ticket loans
Our Commitments to You
The Fostering Network is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community and especially those from under-represented and minoritised backgrounds. All applications and hiring decisions will be considered on merit.
- If you identify as care experienced and meet the minimum criteria for the role, you will be guaranteed an interview under our commitment to the Care Leaver Covenant
- If you have a disability, please tell us what reasonable adjustments would support your participation in the recruitment process
- We are open to job-sharing arrangements for all roles, please indicate this in the application form if you are applying as part of a job share
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Looking for More Information?
For an informal conversation about the role, please contact sarah.thomas@fostering.net. You can also find more information about us on our website www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk
Ready to Apply?
Please submit your interest to the role using the link below. You will then be sent an application form to complete.
Closing date: Wednesday 26th August 2026
Shortlisting date: Tuesday 2nd September 2026
Interview date: Wednesday 9th September 2026
Interview location: In person (in our London office, 87 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8HA)
We look forward to hearing from you!
Role Profile: Executive Assistant to CEO
Core Purpose:
The Executive Assistant is responsible for providing high quality administrative support to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees.
Primary Objectives:
- Manage the day-to-day administrative needs of the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
- Enable the governance of the organisation through effective coordination and administrative support to the Company Secretary and Board of Trustees
- Support the delivery of cross-organisational processes
Responsibilities:
Responsibilities and accountabilities:
- Manage the day-to-day administrative needs of the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
- Handle the CEO's daily incoming and outgoing communications: managing and arranging the diary, meetings, appointments, travel and accommodation arrangements
- Organise travel for SLT as and when required
- Draft correspondence for approval
- Produce documents, reports, tables, charts and PowerPoint presentations as requested using a variety of media
- Collate data reports and updates from across the organisation
- Take minutes of meetings and action logs as directed by the Chief Executive
- Organise, maintain and update the CEO's information storage systems
- Maintain, update and review useful address/contact and reference lists
- Ensure appropriate levels of confidentiality at all times and manage sensitive information
- Format information for internal and external communication, memos, emails, presentations and reports
- Complete credit card reconciliations and support the CEO with budget management where required
Enable the governance of the organisation through effective coordination and administrative support to the Company Secretary and Board of Trustees
- Collate and distribute all agendas, papers and minutes for board, committee and SLT meetings through collaboration with the CEO, SLT and Chair of Trustees
- Update governance information in respect of the trustees
- Ensure that incoming and outgoing Trustees / Directors are registered with Companies House and the Charity Commission and support the Company Secretary to ensure statutory returns are filed
- Organise the recruitment and induction of new trustees and members of SLT
- Make arrangements for board meetings including venues and accommodation
- Ensure actions from trustee and SLT meetings are effectively logged and distributed to the relevant parties
Support the delivery of cross-organisational processes
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- Work with other members of the administrative team to provide high quality, customer-focused support services to the organisation. This may involve providing cover for colleagues, role modelling organisational processes and policies and identifying process changes to improve consistent administrative support across the organisation.
- Facilitate the delivery of organisation-wide activities such as staff days, conferences and other events as directed by the CEO
- Support the CEO and SLT in delivering strategy and planning processes
Team Working:
- Work closely with the CEO and SLT to ensure that plans and priorities align with wider organisational plans and strategies
- Effectively represent the team and actively contribute at internal meetings and external events.
- Understand and adhere to The Fostering Network's policies and practices
- Engage with and demonstrate commitment to The Fostering Network's mission, vision, values and strategy
- Proactively engage with the performance development approach, taking responsibility for seeking appropriate development opportunities and taking part in learning.
- Take a relationship-based approach to your work, understanding that creating positive relationships with our internal and external stakeholders is central to achieving our objectives
- Undertake any other duties appropriate to the level in accordance with agreed procedures and guidelines.
Main Stakeholders
In addition to their immediate team, this role-holder will particularly work with:
- Senior Leadership Team
- Country Directors
- Heads of Team
- Admin Officers in other Teams
- Finance
- HR
- Trustees
- Members
- Government Officials
- Third Sector stakeholders
- Customers/Key service providers
What We're Looking For:
Essential Knowledge & Experience
- Experience of working as Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant or similar role at similar level
- Experience of maintaining confidential and sensitive information
- Experience of minute taking, action logging or similar skillset
- Experience of diary management
- Excellent knowledge of MS Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
Essential Skills & Attitudes
- Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to proactively anticipate, prioritise, multitask and meet tight deadlines
- Ability to self-assess own performance
- High levels of personal integrity and discretion
- Ability to take initiative - dealing with queries, making decisions and taking appropriate action - and be willing to take direction
- Ability to work in collaboration with others, to respond willingly to requests from colleagues, deal with conflicting demands and find solutions to problems as and when they arise
- Commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of information held by The Fostering Network
- Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- Commitment to The Fostering Network's mission, vision and values
Desirable
- Care experienced or lived experience of foster care
The Fostering Network
Registered office: 87 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HA
Registered charity in England and Wales 280852 and in Scotland SC039338 Registered in England and Wales as a limited company no. 1507277
VAT Registration: 231 6335 90
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