About this role
Job summary
A rare opportunity to work at the heart of senior clinical leadership
Are you exceptionally organised, calm under pressure and at your best when supporting senior leaders in a busy, high-trust environment?
We are looking for an outstanding Executive Support Officer (Clinical) to provide high-level support to our Clinical Director and administrative support to our Associate Directors (Clinical), helping to keep an ambitious and fast-moving clinical directorate running smoothly and effectively.
Salary: £24,490.55 per annum Working Pattern: Part time, 30 hours per week Contract: PermanentThis role is primarily office-based in Taunton, with some travel to Yeovil and occasional flexibility required to support key meetings and events.
If you are looking for a role that is busy, stretching, meaningful and genuinely integral to how a senior clinical service operates, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
This is far more than a traditional administrative role. It is a chance to become a trusted part of the infrastructure that underpins excellent leadership, strong governance, regulatory assurance and outstanding care for our community in Somerset.
You will be at the centre of senior decision-making and delivery, coordinating complex diaries, meetings, papers, actions and communications; supporting key clinical governance forums; and helping ensure that important work is well organised, followed through and delivered on time.
If you enjoy variety, pace and purpose, this role offers all three. One day you may be preparing high-quality briefing packs and presentations; the next, tracking actions from senior meetings, supporting leadership events, coordinating stakeholder communications or helping maintain the records and systems that support a safe, well-run and forward-looking clinical service.
You will work closely with senior leaders at Director level, building trusted relationships across clinical teams and with colleagues in Communications, Fundraising, IT, Finance, Governance, HR and Estates, as well as with external partners.
About us
We are compassionate, collaborative and ambitious always caring, working together and striving for better.
You wont just be joining a fantastic team you'll become part of a welcoming, community-minded charity making a real difference every day.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment alongside a range of benefits including:
Holiday entitlement
33 days including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro-rata if part-time) Ability to buy and sell annual leavePension scheme
NHS pension continuation where applicable* 6% employer / 5% employee contribution for non-NHS staffAdditional Benefits
Life assurance cover (2x salary) Health Cash Plans Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access, counselling, wellbeing support, and legal/financial advice Blue Light Discount Card Enhanced maternity leave* Excellent learning and development opportunities Free on-site parking in Yeovil and Taunton Opportunities to volunteer and support fundraising initiatives*Eligibility criteria applies
Job description Job responsibilities
Support of the Clinical Director service
Provide high-level executive support, diary management and administrative support to the Clinical Director, anticipating needs, prioritising appropriately and ensuring the Clinical Director is fully briefed. This role will also provide diary management and some administrative support to the Associate Directors (Clinical). Coordinate internal and external meetings, visits and events for the Clinical Director and, where required, the Associate Directors (Clinical); arrange travel and accommodation where required. Prepare, collate and quality-check briefing packs, presentations and correspondence; draft routine responses and communications on behalf of the Clinical Director and, where appropriate, support the Associate Directors (Clinical). Record, track and follow up actions arising from Clinical Directorate meetings, ensuring deadlines and owners are clear and updates are captured. Act as a trusted and professional first point of contact for the Clinical Director and Associate Directors (Clinical), fielding enquiries sensitively and coordinating timely responses. Handle confidential and sensitive information with the highest level of discretion, ensuring appropriate storage, access control and retention. Board, Committee & Governance Support
Plan and coordinate the annual cycle of key clinical meetings, including Clinical Quality and Safety, Clinical Governance, and senior leadership and management meetings, in partnership with the Clinical Director and Associate Directors (Clinical). Coordinate agendas, papers and meeting packs to agreed deadlines; ensure documentation is accurate, complete and appropriately approved. Attend meetings as required to take accurate minutes, record decisions and maintain clear action logs. Chase actions and provide assurance that decisions are communicated and implemented, escalating risks or slippage appropriately. Support the administration of clinical governance processes, ensuring data, records, action logs and associated documentation are maintained accurately and in a timely way. Maintain clinical governance records and registers as required, ensuring version control and audit-ready filing, and supporting the wider clinical directorate to meet necessary regulatory and organisational requirements. Support preparation for and follow-up from regulator or assurance activity as needed, including the collation and coordination of relevant clinical quality and safety evidence, working with relevant leads. Provide administrative support to senior leadership and management forums across the clinical directorate, ensuring efficient coordination of papers, actions and follow-up activity.Corporate, Office & Systems Support
Maintain efficient and secure electronic filing and information-management systems for the Clinical Director and governance documentation, including retention and disposal in line with policy. Ensure meeting logistics are in place (rooms, hybrid set-up, refreshments, accessibility requirements, and technology support), liaising with internal teams such as Estates and IT as needed. Process expenses, invoices and purchasing requests in line with financial controls; allocate cost codes and maintain accurate records in support of the Clinical Director service. Provide administrative and project support to key clinical and corporate workstreams (e.g., strategy delivery, quarterly KPIs, estates programme, inclusion work, stakeholder engagement), including tracking actions, preparing papers and coordinating input for the Clinical Director and, where appropriate, the Associate Directors (Clinical). Contribute to continuous improvement of administrative processes, templates and ways of working, including the effective use of Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams and SharePoint. Offer flexible cover and support during peak periods, including occasional support to wider administrative arrangements as required.Events, Engagement & Stakeholder Communications
Support the planning and delivery of key leadership events, meetings and engagement activity, ensuring actions and communications are coordinated effectively. Provide preparation, administration and minute taking for wider organisational and clinical leadership meetings as required. Coordinate stakeholder meetings and communications with key partners, suppliers and supporters, ensuring accurate records and follow-up. Build positive working relationships across the hospice, demonstrating sensitivity to the hospice environment and to interactions with patients, families, supporters and volunteers. Safeguarding, Confidentiality & Compliance
Work in line with hospice values, policies and procedures, including confidentiality, information governance, data protection and records management. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and sensitivity within a hospice environment. Provide administrative support to the Clinical Director in their capacity as the designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), including the coordination of meetings, documentation, records, action tracking and associated correspondence. Provide administrative support to the Clinical Director in their capacity as Director of Infection Prevention and Control (DIPC), including the coordination of relevant papers, action logs, meetings, reporting and associated documentation. Provide an appropriate level of administrative support to the Controlled Drug Accountable Officer function, including the coordination of documentation, records, meetings and follow-up actions as required. Comply with safeguarding policies and complete mandatory training as required for the role. Promote equality, diversity and inclusion, and contribute to a welcoming, respectful workplace.Additional Information
A flexible approach to working hours is required to meet the needs of the role, including occasional work outside normal working hours where necessary; however, this would be expected to arise as an exception rather than a regular pattern.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications Essential
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint) and confidence learning new systems Excellent numeracy and literacy skills, with ability to read budgets and account
Self Awareness Essential
Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with sound judgement and discretion Self-motivated, with ability to use initiative to anticipate issues, solve problems and recommend practical improvements Resilience and flexibility, including willingness to work outside normal hours occasionally to support key meetings/events
Working with others Essential
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with confidence liaising with senior stakeholders internally and externally
Strong team member, excellent interpersonal skills and ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally
Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; able to build trust and work collaboratively
Outcome and Results Essential
Exceptional organisation and prioritisation skills; able to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-moving environment
High attention to detail, including proofreading, formatting and maintaining version control
Capacity to understand and retain several complex workstreams and administrative functions
Leading in your area Essential
Significant experience providing senior administrative, PA/EA or executive support in a complex organisation Experience of minute taking for senior meetings, with the ability to capture decisions and actions clearly and succinctly
Desirable
Formal experience of project management or informal oversight and coordination of multiple projects Experience supporting Boards/Trustees and committees, including meeting cycles, papers and governance records Knowledge of charity governance and/or working within health, social care or hospice settings
Compassion Essential
Demonstrates empathy, respect and professionalism, recognising the sensitivity of a hospice environment and always representing the hospice appropriately.
Collaboration Essential
Builds trusted relationships and works effectively with the CEO, Executive Team, trustees, colleagues, volunteers and external partners to achieve shared goals.
Ambition Essential
Takes pride in delivering a high-quality service, shows initiative, and looks for ways to improve systems and ways of working to support the hospice's strategic aims.
General Essential
Acts with integrity and accountability, maintains confidentiality, and is open to feedback and learning.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name St Margaret's Somerset Hospice
Address Heron Drive
Bishops Hull
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 5HA
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/home-page (Opens in a new tab)