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Job summary
The role is based at Royal Papworth Hospital with flexible working patterns available.
We are looking for an exceptional Executive Assistant to partner with our Chief Finance Officer, providing high-level executive support at the centre of a complex, fast-moving organisation. This is a role for someone who thrives on influence, pace, discretion and impact -- someone who wants to be more than a PA, and who is motivated by working at Board and system level.
The Opportunity
As Executive Assistant to the CFO, you will operate as a trusted professional partner, enabling executive decision-making and ensuring the smooth running of a demanding and strategically critical portfolio. You will gain unrivalled exposure to executive leadership, financial strategy, governance and system-wide working, contributing directly to the effectiveness of the organisation's senior leadership.
You will work with confidence across the Executive Team, Board members, senior clinicians, regulators and external partners, acting as a central point of co-ordination and assurance.
Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities include:
* Managing complex executive diaries and communications
* Producing and coordinating executivelevel papers, reports and briefings
* Supporting Board and Committee governance
* Recording and tracking actions and decisions
* Handling sensitive information with professionalism
Who we're looking for
You will be an experienced, confident Executive Assistant who is confident working with senior leaders, highly organised, and values driven.
About Royal Papworth Hospital
It's a great time to join our organisation. We are proud to foster an inclusive workplace where difference is valued, staff are treated with respect, kindness and dignity, and people feel able to speak up. Our values - all colleagues are expected to uphold our values of Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration.
About us
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.
Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.
The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.
For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour
Details
- Date posted: 13 July 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 5
- Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
- Reference number: 175-2627-WF1687
- Job locations: Royal Papworth Hospital, Papworth Road, Cambridge Bio Medical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0AY, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience with administrative procedures in a busy department.
- Proven experience and ability to communicate across organisational boundaries.
- Ability to make decisions and work on own initiative.
- Ability to prioritise and meet tight deadlines
- Ability to analyse and interpret data using Microsoft Excel
- Excellent oral and written skills
- Ability to delegate and motivate staff
Desirable
- ECDL or equivalent
- Experience in the management of financial resources.
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in relevant subject or equivalent experience or equivalent training and experience.
- Evidence of continued learning and development.
- Secretarial qualification or equivalent
- OCR RSA Word Processing Level 3
- OCR RSA Text Processing Level 2
Additional Criteria
Essential
- As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way that is consistent with our values of compassion, excellence and collaboration the successful candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to driving culture change through equality, diversity and inclusion.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Executive Assistant to Chief Finance Officer with Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 5 Administrative and IT role. The advertised salary is £32,073 to £39,043 a year. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 29 Jul 2026.
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