Business Manager / Senior Executive Assistant

Our world-leading Time & Frequency department and NTC Programme are seeking a Business Manager/Senior Executive Assistant with proven expertise in business administration, continuous improvement and chief of staff experience.   

This is an exceptional opportunity to join the global authority in precision timing at a defining moment for UK digital infrastructure.

Backed by a government investment of £180 million in the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, we are developing a world-first resilient time distribution capability that will provide industry with a robust complement to satellite systems (such as GPS) – which are increasingly vulnerable to disruption from solar storms, jamming and spoofing. This will underpin essential services, including

• Telecommunications, 
• Online banking, 
• Emergency response, 
• Transport networks, and 
• Wider digital and data-driven operations.

Together, these services form the backbone of modern society - and your leadership will help ensure they remain secure, reliable and robust even if global navigation satellite systems fail. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Business Operations & Administrative Leadership: Lead and coordinate administrative activity across teams to support delivery, quality, and financial control (including on-boarding and off-boarding of permanent and contract staff, laboratory tour management, and knowledge report generation).
  
  
• Executive Support & Stakeholder Coordination: Executive support to the NTC Programme Director (MD) and Senior Leadership Team (including diary and inbox management, coordination of senior stakeholder engagements, and prioritisation of internal and external engagement activity).

• Reporting: Own and deliver NTC and departmental reporting on behalf of the Programme Director (MD) (including consolidating data from projects, work packages, and initiatives to produce structured, high‑quality reporting for internal and external board meetings)

• Continuous Business Improvement: Lead business improvement initiatives to enhance NTC ways of working, streamlining and standardising processes across teams, embedding best practice and continuous improvement, and taking ownership of improvement projects (such as business microsites or enabling tools).

• Organisational Interface & Enablement: Act as the central interface between the NTC and NPL support functions (including coordination of training / skills development, championing a high‑quality candidate and employee experience, and maintaining administrative systems, document control, reporting calendars, and secure information repositories).

This role will require you to work in both an office and laboratory environment, at our Teddington site with occasional travel to support activities in our regional hubs.

To be successful in this role, you will have the following skills, experience, and qualifications: 

Essential:

• Proven experience leading business operations and senior administration across complex, multi‑team environments, ensuring compliant and efficient delivery

• Demonstrable ability to provide executive support to senior leaders (including complex diary/inbox management, stakeholder engagement and event coordination)

• Strong experience delivering clear, prioritisation reporting, consolidating data from multiple projects and systems for senior audiences.

• Evidence driving continuous business improvement, streamlining processes and delivering practical improvement projects or enabling tools.

• Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the confidence to operate effectively in office and laboratory environments and manage sensitive information with discretion.

Desirable:

• Experience working in a scientific, technical, research or regulated environment (such as laboratories, infrastructure, or government‑adjacent programmes).

• Exposure to programme, portfolio or board‑level reporting (including preparing packs or summaries for senior decision‑making forums).

• Experience supporting organisational growth or change (such as scaling teams, introducing new processes, or establishing new business operations).

• Familiarity with business improvement, change or project management approaches (formal or informal).

• Experience working across multiple sites or locations (including supporting hybrid teams and occasional travel).

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance. 

However, to work in this role in the Time and Frequency department, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.  

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview

NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme. 

At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.

We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.