About The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an independent membership organisation dedicated to the education, training and advancement of surgeons, dental surgeons, doctors, and various individuals throughout healthcare who are involved in the surgical care of patients. The College has a current membership approaching 32,000 and growing, with members spanning over 100 countries around the world.

From our founding in 1505, the College has been committed to the advancement of surgery and driving patient safety standards worldwide. In our 515-year history, there has never been a better time to join the College than now.

Working with us

At the College we aim to embrace views from across the organisation, sharing common goals and values for the betterment of healthcare through the advancement of surgical and dental professionals. We aim to develop teams that are reflective of the needs of our members and maximise the potential of every employee.

To reflect the varying needs across the organisation, we offer a range of policies and benefits for our workforce including a generous 42 days annual leave, flexible working practices, enhanced employer pensions contribution and various discounts throughout the College including the Ten Hill Place Hotel, 1505 Café and free entry to Surgeons’ Hall Museums.

If you’d like more information about this role, please contact recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk

Working within the Office of the President and Chief Executive, the post holder will play a pivotal role in supporting the effective operation of the College’s governance framework and committee structures. You will be responsible for ensuring high-quality administrative and project support is provided to several committees of the College, which are critical to the effective running of the College. In addition, you will play a key role in the delivery of a variety of cross-functional projects, priority programmes of work and significant change programmes which have a lasting impact on the College and its operations. Projects can include departmental-level initiatives to organisational-wide programmes of change.

The role is an excellent opportunity for someone who has experience in supporting executives or senior leaders, combined with in-depth specialist knowledge and proficiency in committee administration.

This role requires a keen eye for detail, strong analytical skills, and the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.

There may be a requirement for the role holder to work outside of normal working hours and travel for work occasionally.

This role is full-time, permanent.

This is a superb opportunity for an individual who is confident, methodical, organised and conscientious.

Educated to a minimum level of Advanced Higher/ A Level (or equivalent) you will have proven and substantial administrative experience at a senior/board level, combined with working knowledge of governance practices, board structures and decision-making processes. You must be comfortable handling confidential information, working with senior stakeholders, be receptive to change and excited to implement new ways of working.

You will work as part of a small team, so you need to be able to work independently with minimal supervision, organising and prioritising workloads (your own and others) to competing, changing and often challenging deadlines.

You will be a proficient user of the MS Office suite and must be able to prepare documents (including letters, emails, policies, reports and guidance notes) to an executive standard. A high level of professionalism and diplomacy is required for the role, as is a willingness to take on new challenges and be a supportive team member.

An understanding of and interest in risk or change management is desirable.

Please note that agencies need not apply.

Dates of interviews will be confirmed in due course. Candidates who have been shortlisted for interview will be contacted in the first instance by email.

The application is a tool for helping us to shortlist candidates for interview and as a basis for the interview itself. Any decision to shortlist you for interview will be based solely upon the information you supply on your application.

If you have any difficulty in completing the forms or require the forms in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment Department by e-mail: recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an equal opportunities employer. If you consider you have a disability (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) and have any specific requirements, or require assistance or reasonable adjustments (for example, information in larger font) to be made for you during the selection process, we will do our best to assist you. You are given the opportunity to express your needs by attaching a separate sheet to your application form or by contacting the HR Department on +44 (0) 131 527 1587 or by e-mail: recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk

The Equal Opportunities Monitoring form can be returned with your application. It will be retained within the HR Department and used solely for monitoring purposes; it will not be made available to the short-listing panel.

Thank you for your interest in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. We look forward to receiving your completed application by 9am on the 23rd February 2026. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact us.