Executive Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs, is the leading international policy think tank in Europe. We are seeking to hire an Executive Assistant (EA) to support our Chief Operating Officer (COO), Si Flanagan.

The Role

The EA will be primarily responsible for the management of the COO's diary, correspondence and support day-to-day activities.

Please note that this is not a research role, the Executive Assistant will primarily focus on providing administrative support within the Director's Office.

What you will do:

• Proactively manage the complex and busy diary of the COO, ensuring that meetings and engagements are appropriately and sensitively prioritised and support the strategic direction of the institute.

• Ensure COO is fully prepared for all meetings and events, providing relevant papers and key talking points.

• Organise complex international and domestic travel, including hotel bookings, flights, airport transfers, visas and detailed itineraries.

• Act as a gatekeeper, representing the executive internally and externally and responding to queries to the Director’s Office in a timely manner.

What we're looking for:

• Confident EA with proven experience in complex travel arrangements and diary management for C-Suite level principals.

• Strong administrative, and organisational skills, and proven ability to identify priorities and actions efficiently and effectively.

• High emotional intelligence and able to tailor communication to the situation with excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.

• Ability to prioritize competing demands, take initiative and anticipate needs and challenges, staying flexible when circumstances change.

Please see the full job description here:

Benefits:

Benefits include approximately 37 days annual leave (including public holidays and Chatham House closure days), pension salary exchange, employee assistance programme, parental leave, flexible working and other benefits designed to suit your lifestyle. All of this, in a professional, engaging and intellectually stimulating environment.

Salary: £40,000 per year.

Contract : Full-time, Permanent. This role is expected to start in April 2026.

Location : Hybrid (Office/Home), usually 3-4 days in the office per week.

Application closing date: Wednesday, 18 March 2026, 23:59 GMT.

Interviews: Interviews will take place at Chatham House on Wednesday, 25 March 2026.