Personal Assistant

Location: Craigavon Civic Centre; however, the post holder will be required to work at other locations across the Borough.

Reports to: Deputy Chief Executive

Salary: Scale 6 SCP 20–24 £32,597 - £35,412 per annum

Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm. A flexible working hours scheme is in operation. The post holder may be required to work additional hours and outside normal working hours to meet the needs of the post.

Duration: Fixed-term contract until 21 July 2027; may be extended.

The Council may retain a list of successful reserve candidates arising from this recruitment for any vacancies which may arise that are of the same grade and have similar duties. Such a reserve list will be compiled and held for a period of 12 months from the date of interview.

All employees are expected to model the Customer Care behaviours of “Serve Passionately, Engage Positively and Deliver Consistently.”

JOB PURPOSE

To provide a shared, confidential, comprehensive, diverse and professional administrative support service within the Deputy Chief Executive’s Department/Directorates/Executive Management Team, including a Personal Assistant role for the Deputy Chief Executive’s Department/Directorates/Executive Management Team.

The post holder will be required to provide administrative support to a number of corporate support areas, including administration for meetings, and will require a high level of customer service and the ability to deal with and resolve issues using personal and professional judgement, building relationships with internal and external officers at all levels, while promoting the profile of the Council.

The post will also be flexible to allow for new challenges and to assist with high levels of demand from other sections of the Deputy Chief Executive’s Department/Directorates/Executive Management Team which may arise from time to time.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Organising, managing and monitoring the diary of the Deputy Chief Executive/Directors/Executive Management Team on a daily basis and meeting regularly with them to discuss, prioritise and action diary commitments.

• Identifying and prioritising tasks on an ongoing basis, ensuring that there is sufficient time allocated for planning, preparation and strategic review of priorities.

• Acting as a first point of contact for incoming telephone calls.

• Providing cover for other PA roles as required.

Qualifications and Training

• Five GCSEs (Grades A–C) or equivalent/comparable, including Maths and English Language.

Applicants must list all subjects, grades and levels attained.

Experience

• Two years’ experience of providing high-quality PA administrative support to senior management, to include each of the following:

▪ Comprehensive administrative support including diary management, organisation of meetings and managing a heavy workload with changing priorities and deadlines.

▪ Drafting and preparation of documents including correspondence, reports, meeting papers, minute-taking, production of minutes and dissemination of follow-up actions.

▪ Liaising and working closely with senior officers while handling confidential and sensitive matters with professionalism and discretion.

Key Skills, Knowledge and Attributes

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships at a range of levels, including senior management and elected members.

• Ability to successfully plan, prioritise and manage a range of tasks simultaneously within required timescales.

• Ability to demonstrate initiative and work flexibly with minimal direction and supervision.

• Ability to research a variety of issues and collate information.

• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint).