Executive Assistant

• Sector: Executive Positions
• Job Type: Permanent
• Work Hours: Full Time

Job Description

Executive Assistant

Overview

It is an exciting time to join the Legal Services Board as we work in collaboration with the legal services sector to deliver our 10-year strategy. Our strategy is driven by a fundamental need to reshape legal services to better meet society's needs and underpinned by our eight regulatory objectives. This includes improving access to justice and dismantling barriers to a diverse and inclusive legal profession at all levels.

As the oversight regulator, it is important that we can anticipate and respond to opportunities and risks across the whole of the sector and we are looking for someone to help us fulfil that ambition. By closely monitoring external drivers, including political, economic, regulatory developments, we will be able to adapt and inform our policy development, regulatory oversight, and delivery of the strategy.

THE ROLE:

The Executive Assistant is at the heart of our small, high-performing organisation. Working closely with the Board, Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and all members of the team, you will be responsible for the efficient management of the Chair and Chief Executive's private office.

To be successful, you will need to be confident working at all levels of seniority both inside and outside the organisation. You will need the necessary interpersonal skills and personal integrity to develop constructive and enduring working relationships based on trust with the Chair, Board and all colleagues, as well as senior external stakeholders.

Management of the Chair and Chief Executive's private office

• Managing the busy diaries of both the Chair and CEO to ensure that they are constantly up to date and that meetings are organised promptly.
• Proactively horizon scan the diary for the Chair and CEO - promptly deal with meeting clashes, ensure adequate time between meetings and the allowance for travel time where needed.
• Providing overall diary management for the Chair's separate diaries including their various Chair roles at other external organisations.
• Ensuring that all internal and external correspondence to and from the Chair and CEO and other senior colleagues is dealt with efficiently and expeditiously.
• Managing the email accounts of the Chair and CEO, dealing with many emails directly on behalf of the Chair and CEO, where appropriate to do so.
• Working with the Relationship Managers, Communications team and relevant external stakeholders to ensure that agendas are confirmed, and necessary briefings are commissioned from colleagues to support the Chair and Chief Executive's programme of activity.
• Making travel and accommodation arrangements where necessary.
• Recording and updating the LSB CRM system for all correspondence to/from the Chair and CEO to ensure all corporate records are properly kept in accordance with the LSB's data management policies.
• Working closely with the Corporate Governance Manager to co-ordinate the Board Member induction meetings.
• Working closely with the Director, Enabling Services, to co-ordinate Board Member annual appraisal meetings with the Chair including coordinating paperwork.
• Ensure the same for the Chair of the OLC and Chair of the Consumer Panel.
• Working closely with the Corporate Governance Manager to review, monitor and plan the annual meetings for the Chair and CEO with external regulators, liaising with the respective private offices for those organisations, as well as the LSB Relationship Managers and Board member leads.
• Managing external complaints that come into the email accounts of the Chair and CEO. Liaising with the Legal team and external regulators.
• Schedule regular internal meetings chaired by the Chair and CEO and ensure the Chair and CEO are prepared for both in advance.

Supporting the LSB team:

• Responding to General Enquires from the Contact Us page and other miscellaneous enquiries and correspondence to the LSB as required.
• Maintenance and filing of relevant enquiries and correspondence.
• Providing support to the Board and subcommittee administration function including preparation and dispatch of papers.
• Supporting in-person meetings where required, including preparing meeting rooms and ensuring catering is provided. Welcoming guests of the CEO and Chair.
• Ensuring smooth operation of governance mechanisms including registers of interests and hospitality.
• Proactively manage a system for monitoring SLT annual leave.
• Support the SLT with arranging meetings and issuing correspondence on an ad hoc basis.
• Manage and ensure the CRM database is up-to-date with meetings, correspondence and complaints for the admin team.
• Proactively looking at current processes and identifying where changes/developments could be made to make things work more effectively.

Skills, experience and attributes:

• Substantial experience of supporting at a senior level, ideally a Chair or Chief Executive.
• Self-motivated, resourceful and always looking to take the initiative to deliver results.
• Team player, collaborative and capable of forming positive working relationships with contacts at all levels, including the most senior, inside and outside of the organisation.
• Experience of working with Boards.
• Excellent communication skills, orally and in writing.
• Excellent IT skills and strong knowledge of Microsoft packages - Sharepoint, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint - is essential.
• Experience of dealing with sensitive issues, always maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Practical, well organised and unaffected by dealing with a diverse and demanding workload and used to managing time effectively.
• Experience of working in a hybrid way, making best use of in office and remote working.

35 hours per week with a competitive salary, a defined contribution pension scheme with an employer's contribution of 12% of salary, benefits allowance of 10% which can be taken as salary and an annual leave entitlement of 25 days in addition to statutory bank holidays.

Further information

The LSB has a flexible working policy that enables colleagues to choose whether they want to work from home, the office, or a hybrid of both.

The LSB is committed to reducing inequality, valuing diversity, and enabling inclusion. We welcome applications from people from all parts of the community.

How to apply

Please write a cover letter outlining why you want the job and the skills and experience you will bring (based on the person specification) and with your CV send it by email.

You must be eligible to work in the UK.

Please send your covering letter and CV as one word document (not a separate cover letter and CV) as we anonymise the applications before they go to the shortlisting panel.

Please note that applications that do not have a cover letter or CV will not be considered.