Executive Assistant and Business Coordinator

Royal College of Anaesthetists

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

Royal College of Anaesthetists is the professional body responsible for the speciality throughout the UK. We are the third largest medical royal college in the UK by membership. With a combined membership of more than 24,000 Fellows and Members, we ensure the quality of patient care by safeguarding standards in the three specialities of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.

About the role

We are looking for an exceptional Executive Assistant and Business Coordinator to provide high-level administrative, organisational and governance support to the Director of Membership, Media and Development (MMD) and the wider directorate. This is a varied and impactful role at the heart of a busy, member‑focused organisation. You will work closely with senior leaders, board members, committees, and cross‑functional teams to support the delivery of key strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

Executive Assistant to the Director of Membership, Media and Development:

• Manage the Director’s diary and appointments, while offering support in managing the email inbox, especially in periods when the Director is absent on leave
• Arrange travel and accommodation for the Director, as required
• Manage all correspondence for the Director; provide secretarial support, such as drafting and typing emails, letters, documents or presentations
• Manage accurate and accessible filing systems
• Assist with supporting papers for Director’s meetings, conducting research and providing briefings where necessary
• Process expenses, credit card expenditure, invoices, raise purchase orders and verify services and goods received, as and when required
• Proofread external documents. Bulletin articles, annual reports, etc.
• Maintain effective communication with the Director at all times and arrange regular meetings
• Undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required by the Director, including providing support to the teams within the Membership, Media and Development directorate

Board, Committee and Working Group Support:

• Serve as Secretary for the Membership, Media and Development Board, including the relevant Committees and Working Groups, primarily the Nominations Committee,
• Heritage and Archives Committee, Events and Professional Development Committee and other committees and short-life working parties as directed and agreed by the Director
• Develop excellent working relationships with the Chairs of the Committees and working groups, including briefing them on various issues that may arise. Draft and deliver agendas and any associated papers for discussion at relevant committees
• Organise catering, room booking and any AV requirements
• Draft minutes accurately and in a timely fashion
• Initiate follow-up actions in conjunction with the Chair, Director, Head of or Manager as appropriate, exercising independent judgment and taking appropriate action within the role’s areas of competence
• Draft covering papers and meeting summaries for the Director and Board Chair
• End-to-end management of the College’s nominations process, which includes but is not limited to: Coordinating nominations, producing letters advising nominees of their awards, updating College records, managing the production of medals and certificates, liaising with the Education and Events Team on citations and presentations, and with the Communications Team to source and produce content to promote awards and award winners
• Manage production of medals for examination award winners, presented at Diplomates Day and facilitate photography for all award winners. 

Directorate Support:

• Act as the main administrative contact (both internally and externally) for the directorate, dealing diplomatically and sympathetically with all enquiries and liaising with other members of the College to ensure good communications
• Arrange and attend a regular cycle of team and directorate meetings, as agreed with the Director, drafting agendas when required
• Support the customer-facing work of the teams within the directorate by providing additional cover to phone lines and email inboxes
• Support the maintenance of directorate webpages, providing an objective eye and picking up errors
• Support the Director in compiling, monitoring and updating the operational plan, risk register and key performance indicators for the directorate, liaising with heads of, managers and employees to ensure these are kept up to date
• Support the directorate’s contribution to the College’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), working with the Governance Team
• Coordinate and facilitate inter-departmental, directorate and/or external meetings to support specific projects and short-life working parties
• Act as the first point of contact for complaints related to the directorate

Heritage and Archive:

• Provide secretariat support to the Heritage and Archive Committee; booking meetings, taking minutes and logging actions
• Provide support to the Honorary Archivist (Chair of the Committee) and RCoA employees requiring archive materials
• Support the delivery of the Lives of the Fellows project and other Heritage Archives projects as required
• Ensure the relevant Heritage webpages on the College's website are kept up to date, relevant, reporting on quarterly traffic and usage
• Respond to all heritage and archive information requests from both members and employees
• Coordinate the College's digital archive to ensure all teams are aware and actively provide digital materials for retention as part of the College Archive
• Work with the Committee, Head of Content and Education Content Coordinator to facilitate production of heritage-themed podcasts.

British Journal of Anaesthesia (BJA) and RCoA Liaison Group:

• Provide secretariat support to the Group, booking meetings, taking minutes and logging actions

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge & Experience:

• Proven experience as an Executive Assistant or Business / Team Coordinator, preferably in a membership organisation or within the medical education sector
• Proven track record of effective project and/or programme management and understanding of project management principles, including implementing project plans
• Proven experience of managing all aspects of committee administration, including preparation of agendas and collation of supporting papers, recording minutes and actions arising from meetings, booking venues, restaurants, catering and AV
• Experience in minute-taking and supporting senior-level boards and committees
• Proven experience in managing a varied and extensive workload, juggling multiple tasks and prioritising under pressure
• Experience of successfully managing senior stakeholders/relationships
• Experience in drafting official responses and communications
• Knowledge of GDPR and an understanding of confidentiality
• An understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, including verbal, written and presentation skills
• Demonstrable ability to understand, interpret, and simplify complex information from a variety of sources
• Ability to work effectively, independently and with minimal supervision
• Excellent time management, including being able to manage the time of others and work to deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple levels
• Ability to work methodically and accurately when under pressure
• Intermediate level MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint) skills; familiarity with CRM databases
• A commitment to maintaining high customer care standards and upholding organisational values

Required Qualifications

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent work experience

Compensation & Benefits

• 26 days of annual leave, plus bank holiday, 1 additional paid day of leave for the purpose of celebrating your birthday
• Healthcare support through Benenden Health
• Up to 12% pension contribution
• Wellbeing hour once a week
• Cycle to work and employee discount schemes
• Training and development opportunities
• Access to Mental Health First Aiders and Employee Assistance Programmes

Conditions of employment

• Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• If you believe that you are the right person for this role, please submit your CV and Cover Letter to RCoA Careers at [email protected] by Tuesday, 17th March 2026. 
• If you have any questions or would like more information about this opportunity, please contact: [email protected].

Interviews

• Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to provide detailed feedback to candidates on their applications. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted after the closing date.

Policies

At RCoA, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is a core part of our culture, so it is important to us that this is reflected in everything that we do. We welcome all individuals irrespective of age, race, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability, marital or civil partnership status, or parental and caring responsibilities to ensure we actively embrace an inclusive and representative culture that encourages, supports and celebrates our differences.

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