Personal Assistant

JOB ROLE PURPOSE

Provide professional organisational support to corporate leadership through the delivery of executive personal assistant services.

Be the point of contact for the Leadership Team, acting as an ambassador for the Council by providing an excellent customer service.

KEY TASKS

• Answer telephone calls and deal with initial enquiries from members of the public, Senior Managers, people who use services, MPs and Elected Members etc. Filtering and directing incoming telephone queries where they cannot be resolved at first contact, identifying urgent/sensitive matters.
• Collate, disseminate and control the distribution of mail and other documentation and information received or originated by the Leadership Team member.
• Proactively screen the Leadership Team members emails for meeting requests/ meeting papers etc and ensure that these are either electronically filed or a hard copy produced as per individual needs.
• Maintain the electronic diary on behalf of the Leadership Team member, arranging meetings and events, booking venues, issuing invitations, preparing and obtaining background papers, briefing notes and speeches as directed.
• Manage correspondence, seek responses from relevant sources and draft responses as necessary.
• Ensure that systems operate for all correspondence to be correctly directed and responded to in a timely manner.
• Provide a progress chasing function to ensure speedy, accurate and effective follow up actions to maintain organisational standards.
• Actively pursue matters arising from meetings and ensure they are acted upon in a timely manner.
• Collate agendas and take minutes for meetings as required and be responsible for the distribution of relevant papers.
• Prepare and produce documentation including reports and presentations to a high standard and quality.
• Set up and maintain systems for the management of confidential papers etc.
• Anticipate and co-ordinate courses / conferences, travel and accommodation requirements through Business Support.
• Provide hospitality including meeting and greeting visitors, providing refreshments, direction and information and responding to enquiries ensuring customer satisfaction.
• Contribute to the achievement of corporate statistical and qualitative performance targets.

Corporate Support Hub Tasks

• Work as part of a Corporate Support Hub to provide an effective personal assistant support service to the Leadership Team.
• Work as part of the Corporate Support Hub providing cover for Leadership Team as required.
• Work in a Corporate Support Hub, working closely with the other hubs in various locations. Required to adapt and work flexibly across the hubs as directed by the Executive Assistant.
• Promote and demonstrate effective hub working. Contributing to knowledge sharing and constant development of skills and expertise.
• Manage and prioritise high volumes of work, providing full personal assistant support to more than one member of the Leadership Team.
• Deputise for the Chief Executives Personal Assistant when necessary.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

People

No supervision of staff.

Provide advice and support to colleagues and act as a point of escalation for more complex and sensitive issues.

Deliver professional executive personal assistant services and organisational support, liaising directly with Members of the Council and the Management Teams of other Council Services.

Provide and promote a customer focussed service. Giving advice and guidance and exchanging information with customers, stakeholders and others on business processes and operational service issues and outcomes. Adapting style of communication to suit audience.

Wherever possible resolve or allocate initial enquiries and complaints. Liaising with appropriate officers in responses to members of the public, Councillors, MPs, redirecting as appropriate and tracking/monitoring outcomes.

Develop and maintain good working relationships at all levels, considering alternative ways of working and communicating in order to form effective and strong relations.

Financial

No direct financial responsibility.

Ensure relevant expenditure has been through the Councils appropriate financial approval mechanisms prior to action.

Strategic

Maintain an in-depth knowledge of all the Councils services, plans, policies and corporate issues in order to respond appropriately.

Ensure that business transactions and document management is timely, accurate and in compliance with Council policy and procedures and legislative requirements.

Ensure that Performance Management targets/deadlines are met.

Assist with contribution to the development and improvement of business support/systems by sharing ideas, identifying problems and offering possible resolutions.

Resources

Regularly operate and maintain business support systems (electronic and manual).

Routinely process personal and confidential data. Ensuring documents are processed in accordance with the Councils data protection, retention and destruction policies for both manual and electronic systems e.g. scanning, filing etc.

Maintain confidential electronic/manual files on behalf of the Leadership Team.

Manage internal and external customer relationships through different channels and technology.

Planning and Organising

Take ownership and use strong organisational skills, regularly acting on own initiative highlighting issues, and being accountable to, resolve and suggest possible solutions, or escalating as appropriate.

Manage demanding, conflicting and complex diaries, using own judgement to prioritise and deliver efficient scheduling of meetings to meet the demands of the Leadership Team.

Ensure meetings / events are resourced e.g. room bookings, meet and greet, refreshments, technology, papers, reasonable adjustments, travel etc.

Decision Making

Anticipate the core requirements of the Leadership Team member without the need to be directed.

Take ownership of enquiries and problems, resolving or escalating issues as appropriate.

Apply knowledge and understanding of the specialist area in order to determine an appropriate course of action that produces a consistent and accurate result.

Resolve subsequent issues arising from own work and that of others within the team.

May escalate complex problems to line manager.

EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential Criteria

Knowledge & Skills:

• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Minute taking.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Knowledge of relevant specialist legislative requirements relating to businesses processes e.g. GDPR.
• Understanding of confidentiality and sensitivity.
• Ability to analyse information and make an appropriate decision on a course of action.
• Comprehensive IT skills e.g. use of Microsoft Office etc.
• Ability to work efficiently and accurately.
• Ability to work to multiple and/or conflicting demands.
• Ability to work on own initiative.

Experience:

• Working in a customer service or office environment.
• Experience of providing personal assistant support to all levels of seniority.
• Ability to project a professional persona which reflects a positive corporate image of the Council.

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications:

Business Administration or equivalent.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Understanding of the role of local government chief officers and the political environment.
• Understanding of senior leadership priorities and ways of working which will ensure effective delivery of key tasks.
• Preparing Cabinet and Committee Reports and presentations.
• Excellent persuasive and influencing skills.
• Understanding of equal opportunities in relation to people who use the service and how they may be affected by social inclusion.

Experience:

Experience of working with Elected Members.

Experience of organising events, including booking events, accommodation and travel arrangements.

ADDITIONAL WORK ELEMENTS

Work flexibly to suit the needs of the organisation.

May be required to distribute items across the Borough.

NOTE:

The job role holder may be required to undertake other reasonable duties commensurate with the job role descriptor grade as directed by the Head of Service.

This job role descriptor will be reviewed regularly and may be subject to amendment or modification at any time after consultation with the post holder. It is not a definitive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main expectations of the Service in relation to the post holders responsibilities and duties.

Elements of this job role descriptor and changes to it may be amended in light of organisational and service requirements.