Executive Personal Assistant

Role overview

This opportunity is for an Executive Personal Assistant to support the Executive Team from the Head Office in London Bridge, with hybrid working in place. The role is focused on helping senior leaders stay organised, work efficiently, and make the best use of their time.

You will handle day-to-day coordination, diary management, meeting preparation, administrative support, and information handling with a high level of accuracy, discretion, and judgement. The position calls for a proactive approach, flexibility, and the ability to work smoothly with a wide range of stakeholders while maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.

Key duties

• Prepare presentations, reports, and correspondence to a high standard, with close attention to detail.
• Handle telephone calls, emails, and other queries, ensuring matters are prioritised and answered promptly.
• Manage executive calendars and resolve clashes by anticipating issues and making effective use of time.
• Plan meetings, organise logistics, circulate papers, and record actions or minutes where needed.
• Coordinate leadership events and conferences from start to finish.
• Arrange travel, accommodation, and venue bookings in line with policy requirements.
• Keep accurate records such as timesheets, annual leave information, and other documentation.
• Process expenses and purchases, and reconcile corporate credit card statements carefully.
• Monitor action points and follow up to help ensure tasks are completed on time.
• Receive visitors and support meetings held at locations across the network.
• Maintain inboxes and keep filing systems well organised.
• Provide ad hoc assistance with onboarding, presentations, report drafting, and travel arrangements.
• Deal with diary conflicts and make decisions on behalf of the Director when required.
• Stay familiar with key stakeholders and important contacts.
• Take on additional tasks as business needs change, remaining adaptable and responsive.
• Build and maintain a strong understanding of the business and its operating environment.

What the role requires

• Strong diary management and prioritisation skills to keep senior leaders ahead of schedule.
• Excellent organisational ability, with confidence handling multiple competing tasks at once.
• Clear, professional communication and the ability to build productive working relationships.
• Calmness under pressure and the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities in a busy environment.
• A proactive mindset that anticipates needs, solves problems early, and works independently.
• High levels of discretion, integrity, and care when dealing with sensitive information.
• The ability to collaborate effectively and remove obstacles to deliver a polished service.
• Confidence acting as a trusted support to executives, protecting their time and taking ownership of outcomes.

Additional information

Applicants who meet the minimum criteria under the Armed Forces Covenant or Disability Confident Scheme are guaranteed an interview if applying under those schemes. The vacancy may close early if a large number of applications is received, so early submission is encouraged.

Any job offer will depend on satisfactory references, right-to-work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates who previously applied unsuccessfully for a similar role at Southeastern should wait six months before reapplying.

Benefits

• Final salary pension scheme.
• 24 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Free rail travel across the network.

About the employer

Southeastern is one of Britain’s busiest train operators, serving London, Kent, and parts of East Sussex. Its network runs more than 1,700 trains each day, carries over 500,000 passengers, and serves 180 stations.

The organisation emphasises inclusion, support, and representation of the communities it serves. It also highlights its commitment to improving the customer and colleague experience through everyday actions, and to keeping customers, colleagues, and the public safe through safeguarding efforts.

Document note

An Executive PA job description document is attached.