PA to Executive Director, Commercial & Residential Services

Grade UE05: £29,588 - £33,951 per annum

CSG / Accommodation, Catering and Events

Full-time: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Open-ended (permanent)

Your next step starts here. Be part of something bigger.

We offer careers and roles in just about every area you can think of. Whether you’re looking to take the next step in your current specialism, explore a new challenge, or broaden your experience, we offer opportunities where you can flourish and make a real difference. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation, helping us thrive and innovate together.

From student accommodation to café’s restaurants and hotels, this is a 24/7 organisation that embraces the traditional and the modern in equal measure. From historical buildings to state of the art technical and research hubs our mission is to ‘enrich student learning and growth as well as impact our local communities’ and our values drive everything we do.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a highly skilled PA to provide exceptional support to the Executive Director of Commercial and Residential Services. In this dynamic role, you will handle highly confidential correspondence and liaise with a variety of organisations and senior figures.

The role involves efficiently managing and coordinating the Executive Director's complex and demanding schedule, as well as organising and attending meetings, accurately handling all related administrative tasks such as preparing meeting papers, drafting agendas, taking comprehensive minutes, and coordinating meetings and events to maximise productivity. 

It also involves overseeing the Executive Director’s inbox, monitoring emails and communications to prioritise urgent items and ensure timely responses. The postholder will provide additional administrative support to the wider directorate of Accommodation, Catering, and Events.

The ideal candidate will possess excellent organisational skills, the ability to manage sensitive information discreetly, and experience in a similar high-level administrative role.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• School education to standard grade or equivalent, with recent experience working in a PA or senior administrative support role.
• Meticulous approach to handling confidential and highly sensitive matters, combined with excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate appropriately at all levels.
• Experience of maintaining a demanding calendar for senior postholder(s).
• Positive, confident, committed and flexible attitude to work.
• IT literacy; (expert knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint and MS Teams).
  
   

View the full job description.

How to apply: 

Please include the following documents in your application:

• CV
• Cover letter

At ACE our mission is to ‘enrich student learning and growth as well as impact our local communities.’ Our values drive everything we do:

Are you PASSIONATE about making a difference?

Do you like to COLLABORATE and achieve things as a team?

Is INCLUSION at the forefront of all you do?

Do you thrive when given OWNERSHIP?

Are you inspired by INNOVATION and excited to bring new ideas to life?

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle: 

• Working within one of the world’s leading universities. 
• Good salary/pay rates. 
• Responsibility and autonomy.
• Excellent benefits and support.
   

As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 

• A competitive salary. 
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits. 

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.   

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 5^th August 2026.

Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone.

Interviews will be ongoing from 2 weeks after closing date.