Job Description

We are seeking someone who possesses excellent secretarial and organizational skills, with previous experience as a Personal Assistant or working at a senior secretarial level. You will need the ability to work on your own initiative as well as a member of a team. You should be self-motivated, with a flexible approach to work and have the ability to priorities a busy workload. Shorthand or speed writing skills would be
advantageous but not essential as you will be required to take minutes for a number of meetings.
You will be joining a progressive and innovative organization whose aim is to improve the health outcomes for our population. To provide an effective and efficient service to the Executive team to ensure the smooth running of the Director’s function/responsibilities.
We recognize that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.
Principal Duties of Role

• Ability to work as a keen team member and possess excellent interpersonal skills and communications skills.
• The post holder must be able to recognize the importance of confidentiality and sensitivity of issues and at all times and be able to act using the utmost discretion
• Assimilate, manage and communicate a wide range of information, some of which will be sensitive and complex and may involve matters relating to individual staff or patient matters or to matters of commercial confidence
• Communicate with tact, understanding and discretion with members of the public/patients/carers when dealing with enquiries/complaints.
• Act as first point of contact for all communications to the Director(s) and deal with all such communications appropriately, including exchange of sensitive or contentious information
• Respond to all queries, correspondence and telephone calls coming into the office in a timely and professional manner.
• Initiate action where possible and report progress as appropriate. Employ judgment to ensure that messages and actions are prioritised and brought to the attention of the Director(s) as appropriate with any relevant supporting information.
• Receive and screen all incoming mail, obtaining any relevant background information as necessary.
• Manage the Director’s incoming emails and e-mail housekeeping
• Act on behalf of the Director(s), in his absence, by making rapid and accurate assessments of urgent/sensitive situations that can be addressed by appropriate colleagues within the Trust in order to meet deadlines, provide solutions and avoid disruptions.
• Plan for situations that are known and to be able to re-priorities work to accommodate unexpected situations and interruptions.
• Ability to provide support and manage multiple diaries, prioritizing meetings/appointments, as necessary, ensuring the Director(s) has sufficient work/reflective time.
• Organize meetings/conferences as directed, including sourcing venues, inviting participants and guests and devising and sending details of confirmation of booking and joining instructions etc.
• Undertake specific project work as requested by the Director(s).
• Co-ordinate the rolling programme of performance and development reviews and 1:1 meetings; scheduling meetings and ensuring the Director(s) has relevant information.
• Prepare and distribute agendas and papers for relevant meetings, in accordance with Trust policies, procedures and timescales.
• Take and transcribe accurate minutes of formal meetings in a timely fashion, ensuring that all follow-up action is taken.
• Manage travel and accommodation arrangements for the Director(s)), assessing and making accurate judgments of the time commitments involved and to exercise time management skills.
• Ensure that any goods ordered/booked (including travel and accommodation) are within budgetary constraints and reflect value for money and the most cost effective arrangements.
• Maintain an effective “bring forward” system, ensuring the Director(s) receives papers etc at appropriate times and that deadlines are adhered to and action is taken as appropriate.
• Maintain effective, accurate and where appropriate, confidential filing systems, ensuring files and specific information can be easily retrieved.
• Optimize IT applications by using effectively all aspects of Microsoft applications to produce accurate and well-presented documentation, presentations etc.
• To maintain the membership database, and other information systems to facilitate efficient and speedy working.
• Collation of papers for committee meetings and Trust Board meetings/seminars.
• Provide administrative support for the Council election process and liaise with the Returning Officer.
• Work independently on all aspects of the role, managing own workload and working autonomously, whilst recognizing when it is appropriate to seek advice or assistance.
• Work as a team with the other Directors’ PAs, to maintain an efficient service in the Trust HQ offices cross covering where necessary and needed, especially in times of absence, i.e. annual and sickness leave.
• Ability to identify and implement improvements to the service to bring about improved quality and efficiency.
• Deputies for the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Chair as and when required, to provide assistance to the Chairman and Chief Executive
• Assist other staff at all levels in the use and development of office machinery and equipment and the use of specific IT applications to support their work and the development of their skill set.

Key Result Areas

• To secure good and effective working relationships for the Directorate internally and externally
• Maintain timely and accurate outputs for all work, balancing continuing and intense work against an unpredictable pattern of daily operational demands
• Respond to new demands in the role and to build those responses into sustainable systems and activities
• Maintain and evidence continual professional development records

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities