Senior Executive Assistant

Salary: £45,000 + performance & pipeline bonus (up to £60k)

Location: South Manchester (Hybrid) Job Type: Full-time (40 hours)

Role Purpose

Nurtured Childcare is a growing group of nurseries with an active acquisition strategy. We’re looking for a sharp, proactive Senior Executive Assistant to support two Directors and act as the engine behind our acquisitions pipeline.

This is not a traditional PA role. You’ll run the Directors’ day-to-day admin and comms, protect their time, and own the front end of our M&A funnel. Sourcing, screening, and booking qualified opportunities. You won’t run deals, but you will make sure the right deals reach the table, fast.

If you’re highly organised, commercially curious, and love making systems run smoothly, this is a high-trust, high-impact role with clear progression.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Support (2 Directors)

· Full ownership of email, diary, and travel management

· Gatekeeping and priority management, ensuring the Directors focus on the highest-value work

· Preparing briefing notes, agendas, and action logs for key meetings

· Chasing actions, coordinating stakeholders, and keeping workstreams moving

· Administrative support including purchasing, gifting, supplier coordination, expenses, and document management

Acquisitions Pipeline (Sourcing & Screening – not deal execution)

· Prepare and send mailshots direct-to-owner targets

· Maintain and develop broker relationships and warm outreach lists

· Take initial screening calls to qualify opportunities against agreed criteria

· Own the pipeline tracker/CRM and keep opportunities moving

· Book second calls and site visits for the Directors

· Ensure clean handover of qualified opportunities to the deal team

· Keep the funnel healthy: chase info, kill weak deals quickly, keep strong ones warm

Process Improvement

· Identify friction in how the Directors work and implement better ways of operating

· Improve internal workflows, templates and meeting pulse

· Help build a repeatable, efficient acquisitions sourcing machine

Skills & Experience

Essential

· 3+ years in a senior EA / Exec PA / Operations support role

· Experience supporting senior leaders in a fast-paced environment

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills

· High level of accuracy and attention to detail

· Driving Licence & access to a vehicle

Desirable

· Exposure to growth, partnerships, or acquisitions pipelines is a strong plus

· Experience supporting a CEO/founder, ideally across multiple entities

· Bonus: Experience in private equity, professional services, or entrepreneurial environments.

You will be great for this role if you are:

· Ruthlessly organised and allergic to loose ends.

· Confident communicator, comfortable on screening calls with brokers/owners

· Commercially curious; you enjoy spotting patterns and opportunities

· Calm under pressure and great at juggling multiple priorities

· Discreet, trustworthy, and comfortable working with senior leaders

· Comfortable with fast decisions, high standards, and direct feedback.

· A natural problem-solver who asks “What’s the goal?” before acting.

· Tech-savvy (Microsoft 365; experience with CRMs or task tools a plus)

Living the Nurtured Core Values

All team members are expected to live and breathe our core values:

· We Keep our Pinky Promise

· Think outside the box

· We go above to Infinity & Beyond

· Changing the World, One Smile at a Time

· Curiosity fuels our ability to learn and grow

· Celebrating Unique Journeys

#NURHP