Executive Assistant

Ada Lovelace Institute

Hours
28 hours per week

Length of contract
2 year

Start date
October / November 2026

About the Organisation

Ada Lovelace (1815–52) has been adopted globally as a trailblazer for women in maths and science; the daughter of Romantic poet Lord Byron, she was educated by her mother, Anne Isabella Noel Byron, to excel in mathematics. Her most influential work and writings were produced in relation to Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, designed in 1837. At the Ada Lovelace Institute, we are uniquely connected to Ada’s legacy and conscious every day of the high standards she set for intellectual rigour and analysis.

The Ada Lovelace Institute was established by the Nuffield Foundation in early 2018, in collaboration with The Alan Turing Institute, the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Royal Statistical Society, the Wellcome Trust, Luminate, techUK and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. We are an independent research institute with a mission to ensure that data and AI work for people and society. We believe that a world where data and AI work for people and society is a world in which the opportunities, benefits and privileges generated by data and AI are justly and equitably distributed and experienced.

We recognise the power asymmetries that exist in ethical and legal debates around the development of data-driven technologies, and will represent people in those conversations. We focus not on the types of technologies we want to build, but on the types of societies we want to build. Through research, policy and practice, we aim to ensure that the transformative power of data and AI is used and harnessed in ways that maximise social wellbeing and put technology at the service of humanity.

About the role

This role is an excellent opportunity for an experienced EA to play a pivotal role in the smooth day-to-day running of Ada’s Director’s office, working at the heart of a small, mission-driven organisation dedicated to ensuring that data and AI work for people and society. The Director will be on maternity leave. During this period, the role will support two Co-Directors, who will be covering the Director’s responsibilities between them. This will call for particular dexterity and adaptability. It is also an excellent opportunity to help shape and refine approaches to the smooth running of a senior office, pivoting to support the Director on her return.

You will provide high-quality executive support across diary and inbox management, correspondence, and briefing preparation, ensuring the Co-Directors are well prepared and well represented in all their engagements. You will coordinate Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meetings and communications, ensuring key outcomes and decisions are shared clearly across the team, and triage external invitations and requests to ensure they align with organisational priorities.

The role also carries responsibility for coordinating the Co-Director travel. The role will be managed by Ada’s Head of Operations and Strategic Development, working closely with the Operations Administrator and members of the Senior Leadership Team to support a well-organised, supportive, and inclusive working environment.

Responsibilities

Executive Support to the Director:

• Proactively manage the Director’s diary to ensure the most effective use of their time, balancing priorities, internal commitments, and external engagements.
• Serve as the first point of contact for all requests relating to the Director’s schedule, assessing urgency, importance, and relevance to enable informed prioritisation.
• Manage the Director's inbox, triaging incoming correspondence by priority and urgency, flagging items requiring the Director's personal attention, and – where agreed with the Director - drafting or responding directly to routine correspondence on their behalf.
• Support the Director in managing external relationships by coordinating and drafting timely correspondence and ensuring courteous, representative communication.
• Working with Communications and Law and Policy Teams, triage external speaking, event, and engagement invitations received by the Director across SLT and the wider team, assessing strategic fit and priority, and coordinating referral for decision.
• In collaboration with colleagues from e.g. Communication and Law and Policy, coordinate briefing notes, meeting packs, and background materials to ensure the Director is well prepared for internal and external engagements.
• Coordinate summaries and presentations as required, ensuring materials are accurate and presentation-ready.
• Track actions and follow-ups arising from the Director's meetings, ensuring commitments are progressed and deadlines met.
• Maintain relevant registers and declarations on behalf of the Director.
• Work closely with the Head of Operations and Strategic Development and Operations Administrator to ensure diary management processes support the smooth running of the organisation and effective decision-making.

Administrative Coordination of the Senior Leadership Team:

• Coordinate and schedule weekly SLT meetings, making adjustments to timings as needed.
• Support the Director and Head of Operations & Strategic Development to maintain accountability across the SLT for organisational tasks by coordinating timelines, requesting updates, and ensuring required inputs for reporting, planning, and cross-team projects are completed.
• Support the communication of key outcomes, decisions, and action points from SLT meetings to the wider team, ensuring timely and accessible internal communication.
• Organise SLT off-sites, workshops, and planning sessions, including logistics.
• Support SLT-led projects with responsibilities such as coordination, tracking milestones, circulating papers, and following up on actions between meetings.
• Support delegated administrative responsibilities on behalf of the Director, such as monitoring annual leave and sickness absence recording.
• Work closely with the Head of Operations and Strategic Development to ensure SLT processes run smoothly and support organisational priorities.

Travel and Administrative Support:

• Manage the Director’s travel schedule, ensuring arrangements are efficient and well‑planned.
• Research and book appropriate transport, accommodation, and logistics for UK and international travel, ensuring value for money and a smooth overall itinerary.
• Support the Director with visa applications and travel documentation, coordinating closely with relevant internal and external parties to ensure timely completion.
• Prepare comprehensive travel packs, including itineraries, registrations, logistical details, and supporting documents.
• Coordinate group travel and attendance for Ada staff at conferences and events, ensuring smooth planning and clear communication with participants.
• Support the Director with the processing of expenses, ensuring accuracy, timely submission, and adherence to financial policies.
• Manage and reconcile the Director’s credit card statements each month, ensuring all transactions are recorded, compliant, and supported with appropriate documentation.

Other:

• Contribute to the development of an inclusive and anti-oppressive culture and community within Ada.
• Support Ada workstreams and initiatives that contribute to the delivery of the wider Nuffield Foundation’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
• Above list of key responsibilities (and associated activities) is not exhaustive. The Ada team is small and flexible, and it may be necessary to carry out other work within the scope of the role, as reasonably requested.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience:

• Significant experience in complex diary management, ideally supporting a senior leader or executive in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience drafting correspondence and briefing materials on behalf of a senior leader.
• Experience coordinating travel (domestic and international), including research, booking, itinerary planning, and logistical problem-solving.
• Experience acting as a first point of contact for senior leaders, managing external relationships with professionalism and discretion.
• Experience supporting administrative processes such as expenses, credit-card reconciliation, and routine financial administration
• Experience providing project coordination, such as tracking actions, timelines, and milestones.
• Experience coordinating meetings, events, and group trips, ideally across teams, with external partners.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong understanding of executive support best practice, including prioritisation, time-blocking, and managing competing demands.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to draft correspondence and briefing materials in a professional, representative tone.
• Ability to draft outline documents and presentation materials to a professional standard.
• Good working knowledge of travel booking processes, visas, itinerary construction, and travel risk considerations.
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel) and experience using digital tools to manage schedules and documents.
• Exceptional organisational skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple moving parts and maintain accuracy under pressure.
• Stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trust and work effectively with colleagues at all levels and external partners.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, adapting to changing circumstances and evolving priorities.
• Ability to work to a high level of detail and accuracy
• An understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• An understanding of the policy and the stakeholder landscape that Ada operates in.

Personal Qualities:

• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Demonstrates a commitment to Ada’s values
• Proactive and willing to ‘muck in’
• A collaborative and inclusive working style
• Discretion and sound judgement when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• A willingness to continually learn and immerse oneself in the issues raised by using data and AI. 

Compensation & Benefits

• Genuine flexibility: we are open to requests for part-time hours, compressed working weeks, or job shares.
• 28 days holiday per annum and all public holidays, with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days (prorated for part-time staff).
• A salary exchange pension scheme that offers employer contributions of up to 11%.
• Life assurance scheme.
• Family leave policies that provide an enhanced level of pay.
• Cycle to work scheme, loans towards train season tickets and the option to make charitable donations via your pay.
• Regular opportunities for learning and development including coaching, mentoring, and dedicated reading days for personal development and reflection.
• Support with your physical, mental and financial wellbeing including an employee assistance provider, a private GP service, personal health reviews with Bupa, a will and funeral planning service and a staff network of trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• A warm and welcoming workplace culture, with active peer groups and social networks to help you connect and belong.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Applications are submitted on the Applied platform. The closing date for applications is 9:30 BST on Tuesday 9th September 2026. 
• You will be required to complete some questions as part of this application process, and you are also required to upload an up-to-date copy of your CV. The Applied platform lets you save an application and resume it ahead of submitting before the application deadline.
• Please note that for vacancies which receive a high volume of applications, we may undertake an initial screening of CVs.
• If you have any questions about the role ahead of applying (or need to make an application in a different format), please email [email protected] and a member of the Nuffield Foundation’s HR team will respond to you.
• All recruitment decisions are made by a person (we do not use AI tools to rate or reject applicants). Applicants may use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to prepare their application (for example to research our work). However, we ask applicants to respond to the questions using their own experience, thinking and opinion, writing in their own tone of voice and ensuring that they are representing themselves accurately and authentically. AI tools should not be used during the interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment.

Interviews

• Interviews are expected to take place the week of 28th September 2026

Policies

We are committed to inclusive working practices, and during the application process we commit to: As a Disability Confident employer, we will offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the essential criteria for the job making any reasonable adjustments for example providing documents in different formats, arranging for a sign language interpreter for interviews, etc reimbursing reasonable travel costs (and any childcare or care costs) for interviews where in-person attendance is required.

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