Business Support Assistant

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

St. John Business Support Assistant in London Paddington is a permanent hybrid role within the People Function, supporting senior stakeholders and the Chief People Officer’s Executive Assistant by managing complex diaries, coordinating meetings and travel, processing expenses and handling purchasing and general PA duties. The right candidate is highly organised, thrives under pressure and excels at building relationships across levels in financial services, with strong Microsoft 365 skills and meticulous attention to detail. To apply, tailor your CV to diary management, travel and PO processing, demonstrate discretion with sensitive info, and show collaboration with EA teams; be ready for 2-3 days in the office and occasional outside-hours flexibility.

Are you ready to chart your own career path? With our refreshed strategy, we’re building on our rich heritage and transforming our business to be more scalable and efficient, unlocking the capabilities needed for future success. This includes significantly investing in technology, streamlining the way we work and creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, empowered and accountable; where they can show up, speak up and perform - because we believe in the difference our work makes.

At a glance:

Location: London - Paddington

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Employment Type: Permanent 

Seniority: Associate

About the role:

As a Business Support Assistant, you'll play a key role in supporting senior stakeholders across the People Function. Working within a collaborative shared-support model, you'll manage priorities, coordinate complex diaries, organise meetings and travel, and provide efficient day-to-day business support. You'll also work closely with the Chief People Officer's Executive Assistant and wider support community to ensure seamless coverage and consistency across the function.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys variety, thrives in a busy environment, and takes pride in delivering exceptional administrative support.

What you'll be doing:

• Managing complex diaries and scheduling for multiple Senior Directors.
• Coordinating meetings, room bookings and virtual sessions.
• Supporting inbox management, flagging priorities and assisting with correspondence.
• Organising UK and occasional international travel and accommodation.
• Preparing and processing expense claims.
• Providing general PA support, including document preparation and note-taking when required.
• Raising purchase orders, managing invoices and coordinating administrative processes.
• Collaborating with Executive Assistants and support teams across the business.
• Providing cover for the Chief People Officer's Executive Assistant during periods of leave or absence.
• Handling sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.

About you:

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys providing first-class support to senior stakeholders. You'll be a confident relationship builder with a strong customer-service mindset, able to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring previous experience in an administrative, Team Assistant, Personal Assistant or Business Support position within financial services.

Essential Criteria:

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders.
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience managing diaries, arranging meetings, travel and expenses.
• Outstanding attention to detail and a proactive, solutions-focused approach.
• Professional communication skills and the confidence to build relationships at all levels.
• The ability to remain flexible and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.

Special Requirements:

• Hybrid working with minimum 2-3 days in the office
• Some flexibility outside standard working hours may occasionally be required to support business needs

What's in it for you?

We reward you for the work you do, whether that’s through our discretionary annual bonus scheme that reflects both personal and company performance, competitive annual leave allowance (28 days plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase an additional 5 days), or online rewards platform with a variety of discounts.
We also have benefits to support whatever stage of life you are in, including:

• Competitive parental leave (26 weeks full pay)
• Private medical insurance (optional taxable benefit)
• 10% non-contributory pension (increasing with length of service)

Reasonable Adjustments
We're an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at [email protected]
Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

What's next?

If you're excited about this role and believe you have the skills and experience we're looking for, we'd love to hear from you! Please submit an application by clicking ‘apply’ below and our team will be in touch.
As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.