Full Time Permanent position
Hybrid role based in our City Centre offices

What we offer
We have embraced a hybrid working model for most of our positions, which means that you can enjoy a balanced approach of working from home for part of the week and working from the office for the remainder of the week.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including competitive salaries and bonuses, robust Learning and Development support, excellent Defined Contribution pension and comprehensive Wellbeing initiatives and support to name but a few.

Further details on our benefits package can be accessed here Benefits (life-careers.com)

Role Overview

The Executive Assistant will provide high-impact, proactive support to the Europe Chief Information and Transformation Officer (CITO). This role is the primary senior executive support to the Europe CITO, with responsibility for orchestrating a complex portfolio of technology, data, sourcing, partnership and transformation priorities across all European entities.
The Executive Assistant will act as a trusted partner to the CITO, ensuring priorities are effectively managed, key initiatives are coordinated, and operational, governance and stakeholder activities are executed with precision and professionalism.

What you will help us to achieve

1. Strategic Executive Support and Agenda Orchestration
• Provide executive support to the Europe CITO, enabling effective leadership across technology, transformation, sourcing and data agendas.
• Shape and manage the CITO’s strategic agenda and forward calendar, ensuring that board, executive and steering forums are sequenced, prepared and followed up in line with European Technology priorities.
• Manage complex, multi-stakeholder diaries and priorities, ensuring focus on the most critical transformation, governance and partnership activities.
• Proactively anticipate the CITO’s needs, in advance of key engagements rather than reacting to last-minute requests.
2. Governance, Decision-Making and Continuous Improvement
• Coordinate and prepare high-quality briefing packs, presentations and materials for executive, board-level and regulatory-facing meetings, consolidating inputs from multiple stakeholders.
• Own the end-to-end process for recording, tracking and escalating actions and decisions arising from key meetings chaired or attended by the CITO, ensuring accountability and timely closure.
• Support enterprise-wide change governance activities aligned to the CITO’s mandate, including preparation of progress updates, risk/issues summaries and key messages for senior forums.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of the executive support team, governance processes and ways of working across European Technology and the CITO function, identifying opportunities to streamline workflows and enhance effectiveness.
3. External Partners, Sourcing and Commercial Engagement
• Support the CITO’s engagement with external partners, suppliers and strategic vendors, including preparation for sourcing, procurement and partnership discussions.
• Coordinate CITO engagement with pan-European strategic partners, alliances and key suppliers, ensuring consistent messaging and disciplined follow-up across markets.
4. Transformation Portfolio and Change Enablement
• Coordinate European-wide leadership events, town halls and transformation communications in support of the CITO’s agenda, ensuring clear, consistent messages across entities.
• Provide flexible on-site and virtual support for key meetings, partner engagements and leadership events as required, ensuring professional delivery and strong stakeholder experience.
5. Stakeholder Management and Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Build strong, collaborative working relationships with executive assistants and senior leaders across Irish Life Group, Canada Life UK, Canada Life Europe and Central Technology Services – Europe to coordinate scheduling, content and follow-through.
• Confidently engage senior internal and external stakeholders, representing the CITO’s office with professionalism, discretion and sound judgement.
6. Executive Office Operations Oversight
• Oversee executive travel, expenses and key administrative processes with a strong focus on efficiency, compliance and professionalism.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with absolute discretion, particularly in relation to organisational change, sourcing decisions and strategic partnerships.
• Ensure that the CITO office has appropriate operational and administrative support in place (e.g. travel, expenses, logistics), working with the wider support team so that these activities are managed effectively without diluting the strategic focus of this role.

What you will need to be successful in the role

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

Experience and Knowledge
• Significant experience supporting C-suite or equivalent senior executives in a complex, international or matrix organisation.
• Strong understanding of executive-level operations within technology, transformation or change-focused environments.
• Advanced proficiency in Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, including preparation of executive-level materials.
Skills and Capabilities
• Exceptional organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with confidence engaging senior internal and external stakeholders.
• High degree of professionalism, judgement and discretion when handling sensitive business matters.
Personal Attributes
• Proactive, self-directed and able to anticipate executive needs rather than simply respond to requests.
• Comfortable operating across ambiguous or evolving organisational structures and priorities, remaining calm and effective under pressure.
• Strong collaborator with the ability to work effectively across technology, transformation, procurement and data teams.
• Flexible and resilient, with a solution-oriented mindset.

About us

Canada Life Group is the top-level European holding company for Great-West Lifeco’s European insurance, reinsurance, and asset management companies, with business operations in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and the Isle of Man.

European Technology sits within Canada Life Group and encompasses the technology community across all European entities - Irish Life Group, Canada Life UK, Canada Life Europe, as well as Central Technology Services - Europe. European Technology supports the business strategy and collaboration of technology across all European divisions. There are multiple IT units within European Technology, each with its own individual set of technology platforms.

European Technology has evolved significantly and is now focused on bringing market-leading speed, agility, cost efficiency, and risk mitigation to enable the delivery of strategies across the European businesses. To meet these challenges, a new strategy has been established, driving forward our commitment to innovation and excellence.

The company reserves the right to draw up a shortlist as part of the selection process. Where Agency assistance is required the Canada Life Recruitment Team will engage directly with suppliers. Unsolicited CVs / profiles supplied to Canada Life by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this role.

Canada Life Group Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunities employer. We have created an environment of inclusion and growth to help people achieve their potential, to ensure they can bring their whole selves to work and to feel valued. We celebrate diversity of thought and perspective and want all of our employees to feel valued, respected and supported.

We have built a culture that promotes equality and inclusion for all of our current and future employees and strive to ensure that our behaviours, processes and practices are aligned to this culture.

If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process please contact lifecareers@irishlife.ie and we will be delighted to ensure you are fully supported to be your best.

CLGS supports Equal Opportunity and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Executive Assistant

Benefits

Job Description