Overall Purpose of the role

You will be providing full PA support to the Deputy CEO, Places, Engagement & Libraries who leads and oversees the development and implementation of our strategic programmes and who acts as the lead for our Cultural Communities Outcome. This will include the running of the Deputy CEO’s office and programme. You will be managing meetings between the Deputy CEO and key internal and external stakeholders and act as a key contact for the Chairs of our five Area Councils on behalf of the Deputy CEO.

Main day to day responsibilities                                                                    

You will be providing personal assistance to the Deputy CEO, including proactive email and diary management against competing demands and priorities, ensuring optimal use of time by coordinating meetings and making travel arrangements, ensuring the Deputy CEO is fully prepared for all internal and external meetings, undertaking research and commissioning briefings as necessary.

You will be managing meeting agenda planning on behalf of the Deputy CEO, by proactively liaising with key individuals from across the organisation. You will be servicing and event-managing internal and external business meetings, co-ordinating administrative processes, collating and distributing agendas and papers, minute taking and following-up on actions, and providing support for other committees or groups, as required. 

You will be acting as the initial point of contact, drafting correspondence, responding to queries, liaising with internal and external stakeholders, and acting as an advocate for the Arts Council through building effective working relationships. You will be able to make judgements on the requirements and timescales of internal and external stakeholders in order to advise the Deputy CEO on the appropriate prioritisation of her work, brief her on developments and forward plan accordingly. You will also, in return, be able to manage expectations and set expectations for delivery with these stakeholders.

You will support the planning and monitoring of the Cultural Communities Outcome in our Let's Create delivery plan. This will involve close working with individual project leads, ensuring reporting deadlines are fulfilled and risk monitoring. You will also work as part of the national Strategic Partnerships and Place team assisting with stakeholder communications, business meetings, drafting documentation and tracking actions.

You will work closely with the Executive Assistant to the Deputy CEO, Arts & Culture to ensure you are able to provide cover for one another during busy times and periods of leave.

You will combine your ability to plan and prioritise with a flexibility and curiosity to work beyond this area of work, contributing to areas outside of your day-to-day responsibilities.

You will contribute to the organisation’s commitment to diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of the post’s objectives and activities.

You will contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility. ·

You will reflect the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Key relationships

You will work closely with members of the Senior Leadership Team, particularly the Directors for Strategic Partnerships & Place, Engagement & Communities, and Libraries; the Senior Manager Place; other Executive Assistants, Area Directors and their Personal Assistants and National Discipline Leads. You will build effective relationships with colleagues across the organisation, including the Governance, Planning and Finance teams.

What do I need to bring to the role?

Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

To succeed in this role, you will have senior level administrative experience in a similar position, providing personal assistance and managing a busy diary on which there are many conflicting demands, as well as experience of organising committee meetings and providing written records of them.

You will be highly organised with the ability to prioritise and juggle multiple priorities and exercise effective judgement when managing complex tasks. Experience of monitoring budgets would be highly desirable.

You will be a self-starter, self-supporting and self motivating in view of long periods of lone working, working in a proactive way without regular face to face contact and direction by the Deputy CEO.

You will demonstrate a wide breadth of perspective, externally, politically and internally. You will have the ability to make prompt, balanced judgements and decisions without reference to the Deputy CEO, consulting where appropriate and taking into account wider issues and priorities across the organisation, understanding the core of issues and considering the impact of situations.

You will have strong written and verbal communications skills.

You will influence and challenge others, including those in more senior roles with varying accountabilities, to deliver against the expected standard of work and deadlines, where this impacts on the Deputy CEO’s programme

You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills – both speaking and in writing – and the ability to communicate in a confident and engaging manner and influence individuals over whom there is no formal line-management relationship. You will have the ability to vary communication style across a wide audience, internally and externally.  You will also have the ability to confidently liaise with senior figures from across the arts and culture and business sectors, within local government and other government bodies.

You will have good research skills, the ability to understand and interpret complex information and judgement to flag up issues to the Deputy CEO as appropriate. You will have the ability to link actions and communications together across a wide range of initiatives where the Deputy CEO has the national lead, to ensure smooth running of the Deputy CEO’s programme. You will demonstrate strong problem solving skills, identifying opportunities for improvement across the organisation. Give direction, guidance and support to colleagues on behalf of the Deputy CEO, including to those in more senior roles

You will have the ability to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and attention to detail and will be able to work with limited supervision, checking in with the Deputy CEO regularly as needed. You will demonstrate a high level of discretion, represent the Deputy CEO in a professional manner internally and externally and network effectively

Finally you will be committed to delivering the Arts Councils values and also have a good understanding of the Arts Council’s duty as a public body under current diversity legislation, the current diversity agenda and its relationship to the arts.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk

Interviews: (In person at the Birmingham office) 03 February 2026