Personal Assistant - Cambridge

Personal Assistant - Cambridge

Circa:

Salary - Salary Plan, 40,335.00 GBP Annual

We are looking for an exceptional Personal Assistant to become a trusted partner to our Leadership Team. Primarily supporting our Chief Operating Officer and Publishing Director, this is a varied, fast-paced role at the heart of our organisation — one where no two days are the same and where your ability to anticipate, adapt and deliver will genuinely make a difference.

You will play a critical role supporting our Leadership Team in enabling them to focus on what matters most: leading strategy, building relationships and driving the organisation forward. That means understanding not just what is on the agenda, but why and being the person who ensures the right things get the right attention at the right time.

The Role

You would enable the Leadership Team to work effectively by providing high level, proactive and confidential support, ensuring they are able to work effectively and focus on strategic and organisational priorities. You would be a trusted partner who anticipates needs, removes obstacles, and facilitates smooth communication across directorates and with senior stakeholders.

You will work closely with managers, directors and other PAs to deliver a seamless, professional support function across the organisation. Flexibility is key, as the role may support multiple members of the Leadership Team simultaneously with differing styles and priorities

Critically, you'll use sound judgement to assess incoming matters, decide when to act independently and when to escalate, and ensure the Director's time is always focused where it matters most.

What You Will Be Doing

• Acting as a strategic partner — assessing incoming demands on leaders' time, prioritising with sound judgement and protecting their capacity for high-value work.

• Building trusted relationships with leaders, senior stakeholders and peers across the organisation, enabling you to anticipate needs and act with confidence.

• Assess incoming matters, determining when to act independently and when to escalate.

• Managing complex diaries, inboxes and correspondence — making active decisions about what requires the leader's personal attention and what can be handled or redirected.

• Preparing briefings, board papers and communications that reflect a strong understanding of context, priorities and audience.

• Coordinating meetings, travel and events with logistical precision, including representing Directors appropriately in their absence on occasion.

• Maintaining a clear view of business priorities and helping leaders stay focused on strategic objectives amid day-to-day demands.

• Work with the wider PA team to share knowledge, develop best practices and identify opportunities for training and process improvement.

What we are looking for:

• Proven experience supporting senior managers or directors, with the flexibility and interpersonal skills to work effectively across different teams and build trusted relationships at all levels.

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to work under pressure, manage competing priorities and consistently deliver to deadlines with strong attention to detail.

• A proactive, confident approach — comfortable exercising independent judgement in key areas while maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality.

• A solid understanding of hybrid working and the IT and organisational skills to operate seamlessly across office and remote environments.

• Strong forward-planning ability, with a talent for anticipating problems before they arise and resolving them through clear, effective communication.

Why Join Us?

This is a role with genuine scope, responsibility and influence. You will be a trusted partner to senior leadership — not just supporting decisions but helping to create the conditions in which great decisions can be made. You will gain real exposure to strategic thinking at the highest level of the organisation and be part of a team that understands and values what exceptional PA support looks like.

If you are interested in this role, please apply before the end of the closing date. When applying, you will need to provide an up-to-date CV and as a cover letter (in no more than 500 words) telling us about your relevant knowledge, skills and competencies and why you are applying for this role.

Please note, the closing date is 23:59 on 17 May 2026.

About the RSC

We are a thriving international community of over 60,000 members in 125 countries, an internationally renowned publisher of high quality chemical science knowledge and the professional body for chemists in the UK, with a reputation as an influential champion for the chemical sciences.

Our purpose is ‘to advance excellence in the chemical sciences’.

Benefits

We promote a healthy work/life balance and flexible working options. Our benefits package includes:

• 26 days’ paid holiday per annum plus bank holidays.

• Pension plan with up to 12% employer contributions (depending upon your contribution).

• Life assurance at 3 times basic annual salary.

• Enhanced parental leave.

• Paid volunteering days.

Visit our Work For Us website to learn more about us, our benefits, equal opportunities statement and inclusive culture pledge.

At the RSC, we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce and welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds to apply. We particularly encourage applications from disabled and ethnic minority candidates.

As a part of the Disability Confident Scheme, we endeavour, where possible, to offer an interview to candidates meeting the essential criteria of the role, who has a substantial physical/mental impairment which impacts their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

We are committed to making our recruitment processes accessible to all and as part of this, we are flexible in the ways we give and receive information. If you would like to apply using a different format, please contact the Recruitment Team at jobs@rsc.org or on +44 (0) 1223 432229 and we will do our best to put any reasonable adjustments in place.

If you have any questions, please contact us at jobs@rsc.org