Executive Assistant to Director \& COO
Location: Greenwich Business Park, 53 Norman Road, London SE10 9QF
Employment: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: From £40,000 per year, depending on experience
Working pattern: Monday to Friday
Please note: We are reopening recruitment for this position. Applications received during the previous recruitment process have already been reviewed and considered, so we kindly ask previous applicants not to reapply.
About EcoScent
EcoScent is a growing scent marketing and fragrance business providing commercial scenting solutions, fragrance systems and private label products to clients across a wide range of sectors.
We work with businesses to develop scent solutions that enhance their environments, customer experience and brand identity, from individual installations through to multi-site rollouts, bespoke fragrance and private label projects.
As the business continues to grow, we are strengthening the structure around our senior leadership team and are looking for an experienced Executive Assistant to directly support our Director and COO.
The Role
This is a genuine Executive Assistant role with a high level of trust, ownership and autonomy.
We are not looking for someone who simply manages diaries or waits to be given tasks. We want an experienced EA who can actively manage the working lives of our Director and COO, understand their priorities and create the structure around them that allows them to operate effectively.
You will be expected to think ahead, manage competing demands, protect executive time and ensure commitments, actions and deadlines are followed through.
If a diary is becoming unrealistic, we want you to reorganise it and propose a solution. If an important action is outstanding, follow it up. If information is required for a meeting, make sure it is available in advance.
You should be comfortable managing upwards and appropriately reminding, chasing and respectfully challenging the people you support when necessary.
A successful EA in this role will often know what needs attention before being asked.
Hauptverantwortlichkeiten
- Take ownership of the Director and COO's diaries and actively manage and prioritise their time
- Plan ahead and ensure both executives are prepared for upcoming meetings, decisions and commitments
- Maintain clear oversight of priorities, actions and deadlines across multiple workstreams
- Proactively follow up actions with the Director, COO, colleagues and external parties
- Ensure agreed actions are progressed and closed out rather than simply recorded
- Identify diary conflicts, competing priorities and unrealistic workloads and propose practical solutions
- Provide concise priority, deadline and action summaries
- Prepare meeting agendas, briefing information, notes and action trackers, ensuring relevant information is available sufficiently in advance
- Manage and prioritise correspondence where appropriate
- Draft professional emails, letters and internal communications
- Coordinate effectively with employees, clients, suppliers and professional advisers
- Organise business travel, accommodation, meetings and events
- Track important dates, contracts, renewals and other commitments
- Support recruitment and interview coordination where required
- Carry out research and support business projects
- Maintain confidential and commercially sensitive information with complete discretion
- Act as an effective link between senior leadership and the wider team
The role is predominantly business-focused but will include a limited amount of personal administrative support for the Director, such as appointments, travel, reservations and straightforward personal or household arrangements.
What We're Looking For
Essential:
- At least 3 years' experience working directly as an Executive Assistant or senior PA to a Director, CEO, Founder, COO or equivalent senior executive
- Demonstrable experience managing complex diaries, competing priorities and executive workloads
- Strong experience of managing upwards and proactively keeping senior executives on track
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Exceptional organisation and attention to detail
- Sound judgement and complete discretion
- Confidence communicating with people at all levels
- Ability to anticipate requirements rather than wait for instruction
- Confidence to respectfully challenge, chase and raise issues when appropriate
- Strong Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace skills
- Confidence learning and using new technology and systems
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with the wider team
- Ability to commute reliably to our Greenwich office and work predominantly office-based
Our Culture
EcoScent is a growing business with a close-knit team and a genuinely collaborative way of working. As we grow, we are continuing to strengthen our structure, clarify ownership and give people greater accountability within their roles.
People are trusted to take ownership of their area, make decisions and bring forward ideas. In return, we expect accountability, good judgement and a willingness to ask for support when it's needed.
We work hard and standards are high but we also value personality, humour and people who contribute positively to the wider team. Success is recognised and celebrated and good ideas are welcomed regardless of where they come from.
What Success Looks Like
Success will mean the Director and COO are better organised, better prepared and able to focus more of their time on leading and developing the business.
You will establish reliable systems around diaries, priorities, actions and deadlines and be trusted to manage these without constant direction.
The right person should ultimately reduce the amount of day-to-day organisation required from the executives they support rather than create another role that needs managing.
What We Offer
- Salary £40,000-£45,000 per year, depending on experience plus KPI bonus
- 20 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
- An additional day's holiday for each completed year of service
- Birthday month day off following completion of probation
- Wellbeing day following successful completion of probation
- Christmas/New Year office closure
- Private healthcare following completion of probation
- Gym membership following completion of probation
- Company pension
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Ongoing professional development
- Opportunity to work closely with senior leadership and have genuine influence within a growing business
Working Arrangements
This is a full-time position based at our Greenwich office. The normal working pattern is four days in the office and one day working from home. Some flexibility may occasionally be required depending on meetings, travel and business requirements.
This is not a fully remote position. Being present within the business and developing a close working relationship with the Director, COO and wider team is an important part of the role.
Application Process
Please note: We are reopening recruitment for this position. Applications received during the previous recruitment process have already been reviewed and considered, so we kindly ask previous applicants not to reapply.
Please submit your CV and complete the screening questions.
We are looking for someone who wants to become a trusted part of the senior leadership support structure and who takes genuine satisfaction from bringing organisation, clarity and follow-through to a busy working environment.
Pay: From £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Gym membership
- Health \& wellbeing programme
- Private medical insurance
- Sick pay
Application question(s):
- How many years have you worked directly as an Executive Assistant or senior PA to a Director, CEO, Founder, COO or equivalent?
- Are you able to work from our Greenwich office normally four days each week?
- Have you previously had responsibility for independently managing a senior executive's diary, priorities, actions and deadlines rather than primarily working from tasks allocated to you?
- Your Director has several overdue actions, an increasingly full diary and continues accepting new meetings. What would you do?
- Give one example of something important you identified and dealt with before the executive you supported needed to ask you about it.
Work Location: In person
