Executive Personal Assistant to Chief of Staff

Executive Personal Assistant to Chief of Staff

This is a role for a highly organised and committed personal assistant who will provide support to the Chief of Staff (CoS) and Associate Director of Corporate Affairs. The postholder will need to be a team player, with strong communication skills and be able to undertake extensive diary management.

Main duties of the job

1. Co-ordinate and plan the Director's activities and resolve complex and conflicting commitments on a daily basis.
2. Provide comprehensive secretarial and administrative support to the CoS including taking minutes at regular meetings.
3. Manage the diary of the CoS, dealing confidently with staff at all levels both internally and externally using independent judgement to make necessary revisions.
4. Deal with incoming correspondence (written and email) on a daily basis, referring post to other members of staff or departments for action as appropriate.
5. Arrange and service meetings, including hospitality, ensuring agendas and associated papers are disseminated in a timely manner ahead of meetings.
6. Attend meetings as requested, producing minutes and disseminating information as necessary.
7. Type and draft correspondence and other documents as required, checking all typing for accuracy, spelling and grammar before it is sent.
8. Monitor stock levels of stationery and equipment and order as required.
9. Deal with all enquiries in a polite and courteous manner, using tact and discretion, referring enquiries to other staff as necessary and/or responding appropriately to the query.
10. Ensure that efficient and effective systems of communication and office practices, such as filing, are established and maintained, both in paper and electronic form.
11. Be responsible for updating attendances for staff and making necessary changes when staff change their hours of work, annual leave and other absences.
12. Maintain an effective Bring Forward system.
13. Ensure that confidentiality of information, both oral and written, is maintained at all times.
14. Work closely with the other Executive Directors Personal Assistants to assist the smooth running of the secretarial and administrative provision including providing cover as necessary.
15. Represent the CoS in a professional manner at all times.
16. Undertake delegated projects or assignments and prepare reports arising from these.
17. On behalf of the CoS, carry out research/fact finding work to inform current issues/projects.
18. Provide support to the Associate Director as needed.
19. Maintain effective Electronic Rostering on behalf of the Director as requested to include sickness, annual leave and compassionate leave for Director and direct reports.
20. Apply discretion and sensitivity when dealing with concerns received from staff, patients or other stakeholder groups referring these on to the relevant individual(s) within the Trust.
21. Occasionally deal with difficult patients when seeking or asking for information regarding complaint letters or appointment letters together with verbal complaints.
22. Monitor stock levels, ordering and maintaining office supplies/equipment, placing Requisitions orders on SBS receipting them and making payments when appropriate.
23. Log serious and red incident reports ensuring the documents are signed in a timely manner.
24. Deal with any issues that arise in the absence of the CoS, filtering based on importance.
25. Organise interviews, induction, ID and Login details for new members of staff.
26. Liaise with other Trust divisions and services as needed to facilitate the work of the Director.
27. Support the Director by placing purchase requisitions on Trust systems in line with the Trust's SFIs/SOs.
28. Provide cover for secretarial/administrative duties as necessary during absences and at times of pressure.
29. Work autonomously, prioritising own workload, deciding when necessary to refer to the Executive Assistant.
30. Provide general technical support and advice to colleagues on software packages.
31. Deal with staffing requirements and ensuring that staff attend mandatory training / complete PDRs (where applicable).
32. Assist the CoS in the recruitment of staff, providing information on their behalf and liaising with the recruitment providers making sure that timetables and schedules for interviews are properly organised.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Business Administration Diploma/Level 4 or equivalent.
• RSA Stage III or equivalent.
• RSA Stage I Audio Typing.

Experience

• Significant experience as a Personal Assistant at Director/Senior Management level in a large organization, including diary management.
• Previous experience of working in a fast moving, confidential, sensitive, pressurised deadline driven environment.
• Thorough knowledge and practical experience of Microsoft Outlook, E-mail, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access.
• Ability to minute meetings and transcribe minutes to a high standard.

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels using e-mail, telephone or face to face.
• Ability to deal with confidential and sensitive issues with tact.
• Attention to detail and able to see tasks through to completion.
• Advanced and accurate keyboard skills for producing reports, spreadsheets and correspondence etc.
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the department.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£29,970 to £36,483 a year plus HCAS