Business Manager and Chief Executive

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

RCOG is a professional membership association dedicated to improving women’s health care across the world. We do this by setting standards for clinical practice, providing doctors with training and lifelong learning, and working with partners to advocate for women’s health and health care across their life course. We are a global leader in this specialist area, supporting 18,000 members in the UK and internationally.

About the role

We have an excellent opportunity to join the College as Business Manager to the Chief Executive (CEO). This role provides high-level strategic and operational support to the CEO and across the College while ensuring the smooth running of the Chief Executive’s Office. You will work closely with the Chief Executive (CEO), President, Vice Presidents, Executive Directors, senior leaders and the Executive Support Team, helping the College achieve its mission of improving women’s health care worldwide.

You will lead the Executive Support Team and be part of a collaborative, values-led team that enables leaders to focus on strategic priorities. You will help ensure decisions are well-informed, governance processes are effective and stakeholder relationships are strengthened.

The Business Manager to Chief Executive provides strategic and operational support to the Chief Executive and the wider College leadership. Reporting to the Executive Director of Membership, Global and Governance, and working closely with the President, Vice Presidents and senior leaders, the role ensures the Chief Executive is fully supported to lead the organisation effectively.

The role manages the Executive PAs, oversees planning and resourcing of priorities, and drives key projects and committees led by the Chief Executive. Success in the role means the Chief Executive’s Office operates smoothly, responsively and effectively, College priorities are advanced, decisions are well-informed, communication is clear, and governance and stakeholder relationships are strengthened.

The Membership, Global and Governance directorate ensures that the College is a thriving, sustainable and inclusive membership body with strong governance at its core. The Directorate includes teams working across membership, global partnerships, governance and executive support.

It plays a vital role in enabling the College to deliver its mission by supporting leaders, strengthening accountability and connecting members across the world. Within the Directorate, the Executive Support Team plays an important role in supporting the Chief Executive (CEO), President, Officers and Executive Directors.

The team ensures the smooth running of high-level governance processes, including Council, Board of Trustees and committee meetings, and provides high-quality PA support to senior leaders. By managing diaries, briefings, correspondence, international travel and follow-up actions, the team enables leaders to focus on strategic priorities and helps the College deliver on its mission.

Responsibilities

Chief Executive’s Office:

• Line manage the Executive PA to the Chief Executive, ensuring a seamless, responsive and high-quality business support service, including proactive diary and inbox management for the Chief Executive
• Line manage the Executive PA to the President and the PA to Vice Presidents
• Provide proactive, high-level professional advice and support to the Chief Executive
• Ensure that the Chief Executive is well prepared for meetings, by coordinating background research, documents, briefing papers, reports and travel arrangements
• Support the Chief Executive with internal and external stakeholder management at the highest level
• Oversee the design and delivery of forward-planning processes, including horizon scanning and long-term scheduling of College priorities, events and stakeholder engagement
• Ensure briefing materials and reports for the Chief Executive are of the highest quality, strategically aligned and are consistent and complementary in tone and messaging.

Business and Operational support for the Chief Executive:

• Act as the central point of contact for the Chief Executive’s Office, managing and prioritising requests, agreeing timelines and ensuring clear ownership and follow-up, while maintaining effective liaison between the Chief Executive, the Executive Directors, Senior
• Leadership Team, President and Vice Presidents and the Board of Trustees to support alignment and the smooth running of the College’s operations.
• Oversee travel planning for the Chief Executive and President and provide escalation support for complex or high-profile travel. Project support for the Chief Executive
• Work with stakeholders across the organisation to plan, coordinate and deliver projects on behalf of the Chief Executive
• Lead and deliver cross-organisational projects on behalf of the Chief Executive from start to finish, ensuring outcomes are achieved on time and to a high standard
• Develop and maintain project plans including deadlines and dependencies to ensure effective delivery of the project
• Oversee and manage any budgets relating to the projects
• Identify and mitigate risks, ensuring solutions are introduced to keep the project on track
• Produce reports to update the Chief Executive on progress and outcomes.
• Manage groups and committees led by the Chief Executive, recording minutes and actions as required
• Produce and quality-assure all CEO office briefings, papers, presentations and reports are timely, accurate, strategically aligned and written in a consistent College voice
• Manage the CEO’s budget
• Resolve issues on behalf of the Chief Executive where appropriate, using sound judgement, timely escalation and clear communication
• Oversee the planning and delivery of CEO-led activities such as formal dinners, workshops and stakeholder events.

Project Support for the Chief Executive:

• Work with stakeholders across the organisation to plan, coordinate and deliver projects on behalf of the Chief Executive
• Lead and deliver cross-organisational projects on behalf of the Chief Executive from start to finish, ensuring outcomes are achieved on time and to a high standard
• Develop and maintain project plans including deadlines and dependencies to ensure effective delivery of the project
• Oversee and manage any budgets relating to the projects
• Identify and mitigate risks, ensuring solutions are introduced to keep the project on track
• Produce reports to update the Chief Executive on progress and outcomes.

Governance Support:

• Develop systems and draft policies, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and records in line with the College’s goals and objectives
• Ensure clear, appropriate records are maintained that can readily provide current, accurate and accessible information.

Wider Collaboration:

• Foster collaborative relationships with the Executive Directors to ensure alignment and timely delivery of actions and strategic priorities
• Work with the Executive Directors to identify and resolve challenges and mitigate risks before issues require the CEO involvement
• Work with and provide support to the Governance function as needed to support Council, Board of Trustees and other meetings
• Support the development of KPIs and performance measures that strengthen the effectiveness of the Executive Support Team
• Develop improvements to administrative processes and ways of working and, with the Head of Governance, lead the departmental team meetings
• Represent the executive support function on cross-College project groups when required
• Contribute to the overall development of the College, supporting its culture and five-year strategy
• Undertake other reasonable duties that are consistent with the purpose and grade of the role.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience:

• Management of an executive’s office or an equivalent environment. Experience of line management
• Demonstrated ability to work with internal and external stakeholders at board level
• Confident in managing processes and influencing effectively
• Proven success in establishing and maintaining positive and productive relationships at senior level within organisations
• Experience of dealing with highly confidential and sensitive information
• Proven ability to balance a varied workload with consistent urgent priorities
• Confident with governance processes and supporting boards or committees
• Proven ability in producing board-level papers and reports

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong work ethic and committed to deliver at the highest standard
• Exceptional organisational skills with ability to prioritise and manage complex, changing workloads effectively
• Able to work at pace in a highly pressured environment with competing priorities
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build rapport and influence stakeholders at all levels
• Ability to work with versatility, meeting unexpected, very tight deadlines on occasion
• Highly competent IT skills across standard Microsoft packages
• Highly competent minute-taking and drafting skills including writing papers
• Collaborative approach with the ability to work well as part of a wider team and independently
• Skilled at producing high-quality professional communications, accurate editing and proofreading
• Strong attention to detail including accuracy in written work, records and follow-up actions
• Ability to lead and motivate a team and foster a collaborative working environment
• Able to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and sound judgement.

Other Requirements:

• Supportive of the RCOG’s mission to improve healthcare for women and girls worldwide, with a genuine commitment to contributing to the organisation’s success and upholding its values: high standards, innovation, openness, inclusiveness and trust
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment and know when to escalate issues
• Resilient and solutions-focused with the ability to navigate complex challenges constructively
• Reliable, conscientious and personable with a stakeholder-centred approach
• Willingness to contribute to the broader organisational goals, participating in cross-functional projects
• Willingness to work flexibly as required to fulfil the demands of the role.

Desirable Criteria:

• Leading and developing a team
• Experience of working in a membership organisation, professional body or not-for-profit setting
• Practical understanding of project management processes and frameworks
• Political awareness and sound judgement in handling sensitive or complex issues

Required Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent educational background or relevant knowledge gained through experience.
• Project management training or certification (PRINCE2, Agile) and equivalent experience

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays and office closure from 25th December to 1st January
• Pension contribution 10% after probation
• Enhanced well-being and family support
• Interest-free bike and season ticket loans after probation
• Tailored Learning and Development, and study leave
• Affinity staff networks
• Life assurance and income protection schemes
• Agile and flexible working environment, and free lunch on-site
• Lifestyle discounts

Conditions of employment

• Please note: all applicants must have the right to work in the UK. We are unable to sponsor a work visa.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely
• Regular office attendance required

How to apply

• Apply on our website. Please download the full job pack.
• The application deadline is 10.00 am on Monday, 20th March 2026
• We encourage candidates to apply early and reserve the right to close the advert and appoint before the closing date.
• If you have any additional questions about the role or how to apply, please contact the People Team on 020 7772 6453 or [email protected].
• If you require any adjustments to apply for this role or need the job advert in an alternative format, please contact us via [email protected]. We are happy to support with reasonable adjustments to accommodate individual needs throughout the recruitment process.

Interviews

• We will provide shortlisted candidates with information about the interview format, timings, panel and any task in advance.
• First-stage interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing 27th July 2026.

Policies

We believe that diverse teams will deliver the best outcomes for women's healthcare, and we strive to be an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and particularly encourage candidates from underrepresented groups, including those from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. Please see our Diversity Policy and Equal Opportunities Policy. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer under the UK Government’s Disability Confident Scheme.

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