Executive Assistant to Chief Officer

Role description

Working as a partnership, both Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust have a shared vision for excellence in care for our patients and communities; with a set of strategic aims underpinning how we will achieve this.

The single corporate service is delivered across both organisation. You may be based at either IWT or PHU and individuals may be required to undertake business travel between sites. For leaders managing staff across multi-site locations, you will need to be visible and provide in person leadership. The arrangements and frequency will be agreed locally.

We are pleased to offer an internal secondment opportunity for an experienced, highly organised and compassionate colleague to provide senior-level Executive Assistant support to the Chief Officer at Isle of Wight NHS Trust for a period of 12 months.

This secondment offers a valuable development opportunity for someone who is keen to broaden their experience within the Executive Office, working at the heart of senior leadership support. You will help ensure communication is clear, actions are followed through and colleagues across the organisation feel supported. You will bring professionalism, judgement and discretion to a fast-paced and confidential environment, helping us provide responsive and well-coordinated support for patients, staff and our wider communities.

Main duties of the role

Provide confidential and proactive support to the Chief Officer.

Manage complex communications, correspondence, diaries and meetings.

Prepare agendas, papers, briefings, presentations and formal minutes.

Work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders to support timely responses and follow-up actions.

Maintain effective office systems and support continuous improvement.

Line manage and support the Personal and Executive Assistant team, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment.

Progress collaborative and joint working practices across the Executive support team for IWT and PHU

About you

This opportunity would suit an experienced Executive Assistant or senior administrator who is looking to further develop their skills in executive-level support. You will have excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills, be calm under pressure, able to manage competing priorities and confident handling sensitive information with care and discretion.

You will be educated to degree level or have equivalent experience. Experience of people management, supporting senior leaders, preparing high-quality papers and minutes, and working within a health service environment would be advantageous. Colleagues interested in applying should discuss the opportunity with their line manager before submitting an expression of interest.

What we offer

You will join a professional, friendly and collaborative Executive Office team where your contribution will be valued. The secondment will provide an opportunity to gain insight into senior leadership, strengthen executive support skills and contribute to effective administration and the delivery of excellent care for the communities we serve.

If you are motivated, compassionate and highly professional, and you enjoy working in a trusted role where no two days are the same, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please see enclosed Job Description for further role responsibilities.

Interviews are scheduled for w/c 24th August 2026.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact the recruiting manager Jo Ferguson at joanneferguson2@nhs.net

Essential

Degree or equivalent experience plus further training and experience to post graduate diploma level equivalent

Experience

Essential

Evidence of managing people

Ability to deliver multiple objectives concurrently

Experience within the health service environment

Previous experience as an Executive Assistant at Chairman/CEO level

Ability to delegate effectively

Knowledge

Essential

High level of computer literacy and knowledge of software packages

Ability to understand and interpret statistical data, format and general reports

Evidence of being able to make decisions

Ability to prioritise and plan own work and work of others

High level of effective communication and interpersonal skills, both written and oral

Ability to analyse and communicate complex and sensitive information

Well-developed influencing and enabling skills across hierarchies

Self-motivated and able to act on own initiative and ensure delivery

Ability to plan, manage and implement work activities in time constrained environment and to take account

of wider political and organisational sensitivities

Strong interpersonal skills underpinned by a confident and professional manner

Proven ability to act and ensure delivery to target deadlines

High level secretarial skills including minute taking

Ability to work autonomously and deliver to challenging deadlines

Ability to establish, monitor and review office management systems and processes

Preparation of presentations and briefing papers

A demonstrated commitment to high professional and ethical standards, in a diverse workplace

Ability to analyse and solve complex and conflicting priorities

Ability to use own judgement, and determine when to escalate concerns

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.

For more information, please see our People and OD Strategy 2026