Executive Assistant & Project Co-ordinator

Job description
About Daisy Chain

Daisy Chain is a charity that doesnt rest on its laurels. We punch well above our weight and proudly wear our cause on our sleeve: supporting autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families to thrive.

Over the past 21 years, we've evolved from a grassroots family support centre into one of the North of England's most dynamic and fast-paced autism charities. We now support over 8,000 individuals each year across a wide range of services including counselling, outreach, employability, therapeutic support, and pioneering charity retail.

Our HQ in Norton is a unique and vibrant hub: a community site that includes day services, project spaces, and an animal therapy facility. We are values-driven, ambitious, and always looking for ways to deliver more impact with pace and purpose.
The Role

We are seeking a highly organised, discreet, and proactive Executive Assistant & Project Co-ordinator to support the CEO and help co-ordinate the charity's executive operations, governance, and project delivery.

This is a central role within the CEO Office. You will support board-level governance, manage CEO-led strategic actions, co-ordinate internal project mobilisation, and track delivery progress across departments. While you will engage regularly with members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), all work will be delivered under the direction of the CEO, who maintains full responsibility for your workload and performance.

This role is ideal for someone with excellent communication and organisational skills, strong attention to detail, and experience working with senior leaders. You will need to thrive in a fast-paced environment, juggle competing priorities, and apply due diligence in everything you do.

This role is part-time, working 30 hours a week, spread across 4 days, working from our HQ in Norton with the opportunity to work from home 1 day a week.
Key Responsibilities

Executive & Strategic Support
• Provide executive-level administrative support to the CEO, including preparation of documents, internal communications, and structured follow-up on key actions.
• Co-ordinate planning days, steering groups, and task-and-finish meetings, including preparing materials, documenting outcomes, and ensuring post-meeting follow-up.
• Track and support CEO-level priorities and ensure the CEO is well-briefed ahead of key meetings and engagements.
• Maintain a light-touch strategic overview of the CEO's calendar to ensure time is aligned to key organisational goals.

Project Co-ordination & Delivery Monitoring
• Co-ordinate early-stage mobilisation of new programmes or internal projects initiated by the CEO.
• Liaise with directors and teams to follow up on key milestones, risk items, and agreed actions.
• Ensure organisational registers (e.g. policy register, risk register, action tracker) are updated, accurate, and accessible.
• Monitor follow-up from CEO and board-level meetings across departments.

Governance & Board Support
• Co-ordinate all board and committee meetings, including scheduling, agenda-setting, documentation, and action tracking.
• Support the full trustee recruitment process, including interview logistics, onboarding packs, and records.
• Maintain accurate governance records, meeting logs, and ensure timely communication with Trustees.
• Act as the key administrative point of contact between the CEO and Board of Trustees.

Internal Collaboration (Via CEO Delegation)
• Collaborate with Directors and SLT members as part of CEO-led priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Provide structured support to SLT meetings, including agenda preparation, action logging, and document co-ordination.
• Support internal strategic events such as volunteer awards, away days, and planning sessions.

Reporting & Relationships

This role reports directly to the CEO. While the postholder will work closely with other members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and across departments, all priorities, task allocation and workload management will be overseen by the CEO. The postholder will not report to or be line-managed by other directors.
Values & Cultural Fit

We are a values-led organisation. All staff are expected to operate with professionalism, inclusion, compassion and ambition. You will be someone who takes pride in your work, understands the value of trust, and brings positive energy to a cause you believe in.

We particularly welcome applications from individuals with lived experience of autism or other neurodivergent profiles, and those committed to inclusive and accessible working environments.
Person Specification

Essential

Desirable

Experience supporting a senior leader or CEO in a fast-paced environment

Charity, health, education, or social care background

Strong organisational and written communication skills

Understanding of autism or neurodiversity

Board/governance admin (e.g. minute-taking, trustee co-ordination)

Familiarity with risk registers, dashboards, or tracking tools

Project co-ordination (especially mobilisation/setup)

High IT literacy (Google Workspace or MS Office)

Full UK driving licence and ability to travel to HQ

Absolute discretion in handling confidential matters

To Apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a brief cover letter (no more than 2 pages). We encourage early applications, as interviews may be held on a rolling basis.

Deadline: 18th August 2025

Informal enquiries welcome: Contact for an informal discussion.

United Kingdom
England
Stockton Show on map Get directions