PA to Business Operations Director

At McLaren, our mission is to set the standard for high performance in sport. And everyone, in every part of the team, has a role to play. So if you want to test your ideas with the world watching... And measure your progress in milliseconds... And play your part in racing history... You belong here. High performance starts with you.

Purpose of the Role:  

A highly skilled and proactive Personal Assistant (PA) to provide support to the Business Operations Director (BOD). This role requires a dynamic professional who excels in organisation, communication, and problem-solving, ensuring seamless operations at the executive level.  You’ll be supporting the BOD as your main priority, to ensure their working day runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible, enabling to focus on their responsibilities in the knowledge that all logistics and arrangements have been taken care of.  Additional assistance to the wider Team Principal’s office, including supporting the Advisor to the Team Principal with ad hoc tasks.  

Principal Accountabilities:  

• Full calendar management to free up BOD capacity and make proactive improvements to time management aligned with the TPs priorities  

• Working closely with the TPs EA to ensure alignment between calendars 

• Inbox management to ensure all emails are answered in a prompt manner. Flagging urgent emails to the BOD. 

• Introducing a manageable system for inbox and calendar to bring more organisation to the directors mailbox and improve efficiencies.  

• Working with the travel team for all director race travel. Ensuring all travel details are added to the calendar and changes proactively monitored. Including but not limited to flights, hire cars, ground transfers over race weekends in alignment with the TP. 

• Booking transfers and parking where required for travel and not managed by the travel team.  

• Some out of hours support around race weekends particularly to support on flight changes and any knock on transfer change requirements. 

• Assistance with drafting presentations, briefs and reports as required.  

• Build strong working relationships across the team to support the directors priorities including but not limited to the TP Office, CEO Office, Race Engineers, Executive team and their EAs, Driver Management teams, Comms team and the Commercial department. 

• Ensuring the BOD is prepared for all meetings, by proactively sharing agendas ahead of meetings that the BOD chairs or following up actions and printing presentations and reports. 

• Proactively manage recurring meetings with Exec, Driver Management and other key departments for the BOD to ensure convenient and regular timing around race schedules. 

• Support with Post race weekend briefings where required including Leadership huddles and team debriefs 

• Manage all room bookings for the BOD including refreshments and AV connections if required. 

• Update and maintain email distribution lists and others as appropriate. 

• Distribute merchandise and team gifts when required. 

• Provide support and holiday cover for EA/PA/Admin absence within the team. 

• Maintain strong working relationships with McLaren Racing teams and other business functions. 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:  

• Proven experience as a PA in a high-performance, fast-paced organisation. 

• Experience within a sport, technology or engineering company is desirable. 

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, comfortable communicating at all levels. 

• Robust administrative skills and ability to draft documents without guidance. 

• Proactive, driven approach reflecting a high-performing culture. 

• Ability to use initiative to prioritise, resolve issues, and improve processes. 

• Experience working as part of a collaborative team, but also comfortable working independently. 

• Flexible and willing to provide support at unsociable hours, including evenings and weekends. 

• High proficiency in Microsoft Office, including SharePoint and Teams. 

• Happy to pick up tasks and work independently  

Personal Attributes: 

• Active interest in Motorsport. 

• Takes ownership, is proactive and resourceful—always striving to achieve their best. 

• High attention to detail and pride in work. 

• Able to maintain confidentiality and use discretion. 

• Strong interpersonal communication skills, confident liaising with employees and visitors at all levels. 

• Confident in own abilities. 

• Resilient, able to perform under pressure, and enjoys a fast-paced environment. 

• Uses own initiative and offers solutions to problems or improvements to processes where required. 

• Reliable member of the PA/EA team. 

• Digitally minded. 

What McLaren can offer?

We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part.

We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride.

We  offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.