Personal Assistant to the Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO) and Director of Membership & Inclusion (Maternity Cover)

Department:Chief Executive's Office

Location:37 Caledonian Road, N1 9BU - Hybrid (Minimum 3 - 4 day visits to our head office per week)

Salary:Between £41,750 and £43,750 per annum pro rota (depending on experience)

Job Advert Description:

The Institute of Physics (IOP) exists to help our lives, our society and our planet through promoting physics applications and supporting the people behind it.

Working alongside our members and leaders from across the physics community and beyond, we’ve identified three priorities that will shape our work over the next five years: Skills, Science and Society. These priorities sit at the heart of everything we do.

We’re proud of our ambitious and forward looking 2024 – 2029 strategy. You can find out more about our priorities and principles by clicking here.

We’re currently looking for a Personal Assistant to the Group Chief Financial Officer and Director of Membership & Inclusion, offered on a fixed term basis until the end of January 2027 as maternity cover, to help us deliver our mission. This is a part-time role (0.8 FTE, 28 hours per week, worked across four days Monday to Thursday), with an ideal planned start date in mid-June 2026.

What’s it like working at the IOP?

The IOP is a friendly, inclusive and ambitious organisation. Diversity and inclusion are central to how we work. We focus on supporting our people to thrive, offering competitive pay, great development opportunities and a generous benefits package.

Some of our benefits include:

• An excellent pension scheme
• Private medical insurance, life assurance, dental insurance etc
• Eye care vouchers, annual flu vaccinations, long service awards and access to an employee assistance programme
• 25 days’ annual leave as a standard, in addition to floating bank holidays
• Flexible working opportunities

The Role

What will I be doing?

You will provide high-quality Personal Assistant support to the Group CFO and the Director of Membership & Inclusion, ensuring their time is managed effectively and enabling them to deliver against the IOP’s strategic priorities.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing complex diaries, ensuring effective prioritisation of commitments and forward planning
• Coordinating meeting preparation, including collating briefings and papers to the required standard and timelines
• Providing professional administrative support, triaging communications and tracking actions
• Booking and coordinating travel and accommodation arrangements
• Processing expenses and invoices accurately and in a timely manner
• Supporting meetings through agenda setting, minute taking and action tracking
• Maintaining accurate filing systems and CRM records

Projects you may work on include:

• Supporting the planning and coordination of meetings, events and engagements involving the Group CFO and Director of Membership & Inclusion
• Ensuring accurate and timely preparation of documentation and briefings for internal and external meetings
• Undertaking ad hoc administrative and coordination tasks to support CEO Office priorities

Who will I work with?

You’ll work closely with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders, including:

• The Executive Assistant to the Group CEO & President and fellow PAs in the CEO Office Team, working collaboratively to ensure high-quality support across the Executive Team
• Members of the Executive Team, Leadership Team and colleagues across the IOP
• Internal and external stakeholders, requiring professional communication, discretion and attention to detail

Ideally, we hope you’ll apply if you bring:

Essential:

• Significant experience as a Personal Assistant or senior administrative support in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with strong attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear and accurate documentation
• Strong IT skills, including confident use of Microsoft 365 applications (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

Nice to have:

• Experience of working in a governance, membership or similar organisational environment
• Experience using CRM systems and maintaining accurate data records
• A professional qualification as a Personal Assistant or Executive Assistant

How to apply

Alongside your CV, please include a cover letter explaining how you meet the person specification.

How will I be working?

We operate a flexible, trust based working model that gives colleagues autonomy over how, when and where they work, while recognising the value of in person collaboration. You will be assigned a base office, with hybrid working offered as standard. This role does, however, involve regular working every week at our head office. 

You will engage in regular in person collaboration with your team (as operational appropriate), as well as with colleagues across the wider organisation, to ensure effective operational alignment and to support our inclusive approach to working.

As an organisation we meet in person once a quarter at our Head Office in Kings Cross, London.

Why join the IOP?

The IOP is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland. As a charity, we’re passionate about increasing public understanding of physics and supporting a diverse and inclusive physics community. There’s never been a better time to join us, watch our film to find out more about the difference we make.

We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive culture for everyone. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or recruitment process, please let us know we’re always happy to help.

Please note whilst we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, we warmly encourage applications from candidates who already have the right to work in the UK and Ireland.

Employment Type:Part time

Employment Basis:Maternity Cover

Closing date for applications: Thursday 28 May 2026 Interviews to be held: 9th June 2026 (In Person)