Executive Assistant

Purpose of the Post

The post holder will provide administrative support to the Office of the General Manager

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The post holder will provide administrative support to the Office General Manager

Administration

· Work with the team to provide high quality efficient and timely administrative support to the General Manager

· Be responsible for action tracking of meetings and projects

· Coordinate projects as required

· Provide administrative support as required

· Assist in the management and associated filing / storage of documentation, including the use of paper filing, document management, emails archives, personnel and other filing systems

· Maintain logs and records in accordance with the needs of the office

· Deal appropriately with correspondence received including letters from the public, representations from TD’s and Counsellors, regulatory bodies and legal correspondence, with a strong emphasis on quality communication

· Create and maintain a positive working environment among staff members, which contributes to maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships

· Develop and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external to the HSE

· Maintain confidentiality and a high level of professionalism, commensurate with the role

· Deal professionally, efficiently and respectfully with communications, phone calls, callers/visitors to the office and modify communication approach to suit situation or audience needs

· Transcribe correspondence and documents from dictation files including drafting, formatting and proofreading documentation

· To ensure confidentiality of personal data at all times by being aware and compliant with the Data Protection Act and good practice standards

· Contribute to the development of policies and procedures as required

· Ensure accurate attention to detail and consistent adherence to procedures and current standards within area of responsibility

· Assist with the preparation and management of documents/reports required for meetings and presentations

· Through SAP create purchase requisitions and purchase orders as required

· Pursue continuous professional development in order to develop management expertise and professional knowledge

· Take ownership of tasks and have the determination to see them through to a satisfactory conclusion

· Deputise for colleagues as required

· Ensure line management is kept informed of issues as they arise

· Undertake any other duties/tasks of a similar level and responsibilities as may

be required/assigned from time to time

Customer Service

• Promote and maintain a customer focused environment by ensuring service users / customers are treated with dignity and respect.
• Seek feedback from service users / customers and implement change to incorporate same, in agreement with Line Manager.

Human Resources / Supervision of Staff

· Supervise and ensure the wellbeing of staff within own remit.

· Ensure an even distribution of workload amongst the team, taking into account absence due to annual leave etc.

· Create and promote a positive working environment among staff members which contributes to maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships.

· Promote cooperation and working in harmony with other teams and disciplines.

· Deal with under performance in a timely and constructive manner.

· Identify training and development needs of staff in own area.

· Pursue and promote continuous professional development in order to develop management expertise and professional knowledge.

· Engage in the HSE performance achievement process in conjunction with your Line Manager and staff as appropriate.

Service Delivery and Improvement

· Ensure accurate attention to detail in own work and work of team.

· Actively participate in innovation and support change and improvement initiatives within the service; adapt local work practices ensuring team knows how to action changes.

· Monitor efficiency of service provided by team, identify and implement changes to the administration of the service where inefficiencies arise.

· Encourage and support staff through change processes.

Standards, policies, procedures & legislation

· Maintain own knowledge of relevant HSE policies, procedures, guidelines and practices to perform the role effectively and to ensure current work standards are met by own team

· Maintain own knowledge of relevant regulations and legislation e.g. Financial Regulations, Health & Safety Legislation, Employment Legislation, FOI Acts etc.

· Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.

· Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

· Engage in the HSE performance achievement process in conjunction with your Line Manager and staff as appropriate.

· Adequately identifies, assesses, manages and monitors risk within their area of responsibility.

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Eligibility Criteria

Qualifications and/ or experience

This campaign is confined to staff who are currently employed by the HSE, TUSLA, other statutory health agencies*, or a body which provides services on behalf of the HSE under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004 as per Workplace Relations Commission agreement -161867.

(a) Eligible applicants will be those who on the closing date for the competition:

Have satisfactory experience as a clerical officer in the HSE, TUSLA, other statutory health agencies, or a body which provides services on behalf of the HSE under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004

Or

Have obtained a pass (Grade D) in at least five subjects from the approved list of subjects in the Department of Education Leaving Certificate Examination, including Mathematics and English or Irisp. Candidates should have obtained at least Grade C on higher level papers in three subjects in that examination.

Or

Have completed a relevant examination at a comparable standard in any equivalent examination in another jurisdiction.

Or

Hold a comparable and relevant third level qualification of at least level 6 on the National Qualifications Framework maintained by Qualifications and Quality Ireland, (QQI).

Note1: Candidates must achieve a pass in Ordinary or Higher level papers. A pass in a foundation level paper is not acceptable. Candidates must have achieved these grades on the Leaving Certificate Established programme or the Leaving Certificate Vocational programme. The Leaving Certification Applied Programme does not fulfil the eligibility criteria.

And

(b) Candidates must possess the requisite knowledge and ability, including a high standard of suitability, for the proper discharge of the office.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

.

* A list of ‘other statutory health agencies’ can be found:

https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/9c9c03-bodies-under-the-aegis-of-the-department-of-health/?referrer=http://www.health.gov.ie/about-us/agencies-health-bodies/.

Post specific Requirements

· Knowledge and experience in the HSE and how it works, including a knowledge of HSE reform

· Proficiency in Excel, MS Word, Powerpoint

· Skilled in creating and presenting professional documents, with strong writing, editing, and proofreading abilities.

· Have access to appropriate transport to fulfil the requirements of the role

Other Requirements Specific to the post

· Significant administrative experience working in a busy office environment, and working collaboratively with multiple internal and external stakeholders and customers, as relevant to this role.

· Experience in managing competing demands and delivering multiple concurrent pieces of work within a required timeframe.

· Experience providing diary management and in professional writing to include dealing with correspondence and email communications, the preparation of documents, reports, drafting of presentation materials, as relevant to the role.

·

Skills, competencies and/or knowledge

Professional Knowledge & Experience

· Significant experience in writing letters, emails and general correspondence in a professional manner

· Knowledge of the health service and how it works including a knowledge of HSE reform

· Excellent MS Office skills to include, Word, Excel & PowerPoint and proficiency with Adobe professional

· Knowledge and experience of using an email system effectively e.g. Outlook

· Knowledge of IT based document management systems

· Excellent typing, and data input skills

· Strong ability to generate and present documents in a professional manner, including professional writing, editing and proof reading skills

· Understanding of legislation and HSE Guidance on Freedom of Information Legislation, Data Protection Acts

· Attention to detail

· High level of organisational skills and experience processing large volumes of information

· The ability to work in line with relevant policies and procedures

· Commitment to developing own professional knowledge and expertise

Planning and Managing Resources

· Demonstrate the ability to effectively plan and manage own workload and that of others in an effective and methodical manner within strict deadlines, ensuring deadlines are met

· The ability to manage deadlines and effectively handle multiple tasks

· The ability to manage within allocated resources and a capacity to respond to changes in a plan

· Maintains an awareness of value for money

Commitment to a Quality Service

· Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the service user and a strong commitment to providing a quality service

· Embraces and promotes the change agenda; demonstrates flexibility and initiative including the ability to adapt to and implement change

· Supports team through service improvement / change processes

Evaluating Information, Problem Solving & Decision Making

· Demonstrate numeracy skills, an ability to analyse and evaluate information and make effective decisions. Recognises when it is appropriate to refer decisions to a higher level of management

· Demonstrate initiative in the resolution of issues arising / problem solving and proactively develop new proposals and recommend solutions

· Makes decisions and solves problems in a timely manner before they accumulate

Team working

· Demonstrate the ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team, promoting a positive team spirit

· Demonstrate leadership potential, the ability to manage the performance of others and support staff development

· Works as part of the team to establish a shared sense of purpose and unity

Communications & Interpersonal Skills

· Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to present (verbal & written) information in a clear and concise manner

· Demonstrate the ability to influence people and events and the ability to build and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders

· Treats others with dignity and respect

Campaign Specific

Selection Process

Ranking/Shortlisting / Interview

A ranking and or shortlisting exercise may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application form. The criteria for ranking and or shortlisting are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and/or knowledge section of this job specification. Therefore it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements.

Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not progressing to the next stage of the selection process.

Those successful at the ranking stage of this process, where applied, will be placed on an order of merit and will be called to interview in ‘bands’ depending on the service needs of the organisation.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

The HSE is an equal opportunities employer.

Employees of the HSE bring a range of skills, talents, diverse thinking and experience to the organisation. The HSE believes passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to its success – we aim to develop the workforce of the HSE so that it reflects the diversity of HSE service users and to strengthen it through accommodating and valuing different perspectives. Ultimately this will result in improved service user and employee experience.

The HSE is committed to creating a positive working environment whereby all employees inclusive of age, civil status, disability, ethnicity and race, family status, gender, membership of the Traveller community, religion and sexual orientation are respected, valued and can reach their full potential. The HSE aims to achieve this through development of an organisational culture where injustice, bias and discrimination are not tolerated.

The HSE welcomes people with diverse backgrounds and offers a range of supports and resources to staff, such as those who require a reasonable accommodation at work because of a disability or long-term health condition.

Read more about the HSE’s commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Code of Practice

The Health Service Executive will run this campaign in compliance with the Code of Practice prepared by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA).

The CPSA is responsible for establishing the principles to be followed when making an appointment. These are set out in the CPSA Code of Practice. The Code outlines the standards to be adhered to at each stage of the selection process and sets out the review and appeal mechanisms open to candidates should they be unhappy with a selection process.

Read the CPSA Code of Practice.

The reform programme outlined for the health services may impact on this role, and as structures change the Job Specification may be reviewed.

This Job Specification is a guide to the general range of duties assigned to the post holder. It is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive and is subject to periodic review with the employee concerned.

PLEASE COMPLETE AND UPLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM ATTACHED TO THE JOB ADVERT AS CVs WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED