Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive 9 views

As the Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive you will need to deliver a high quality professional administrative service. You will act as a mentor to Personal Assistants supporting the Executive Team and coordinate activities across the Personal Assistant team to ensure consistency and quality.

The role involves close-working with the offices of Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Senior Civil Servants as well as Directors and senior management from DVSA. It is a demanding, varied and interesting role and requires someone who is pro-active, flexible and responsive. You must also possess high levels of integrity given the often highly confidential nature of the Chief Executive’s responsibilities.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Pro-actively manage the Chief Executive’s diary and travel arrangements, maintaining free space in the diary, setting reminders for actions and responses, and managing priorities and clashes. Adding reminders to calendar and keeping time free for actions to be addressed.
• Closely liaise with Corporate Office in making arrangements for all meetings between the Chief Executive and the Secretary of State, Ministers, Permanent Secretary, Select Committees and other Senior Government Officials.
• Liaise with Directors and senior management to ensure good quality information is available in advance of meetings, visits and presentations.
• Closely liaise with the Chair and Non-Executive Directors ensuring they have access to appropriate information where needed.
• Analyse papers and prepare them for the Chief Executive’s attention.
• Co-ordinate the workload of the PAs, ensuring cover is provided across all Directors at all times, taking account of annual leave, etc.

Please see the Candidate Pack attached to this job advert for more information about the role and responsibilities.

About you

We are looking for someone with experience of providing administrative support at director level. Someone who can mentor and co-ordinate the work of others by utilising their experience.

They must be highly organised and responsive to ever-changing demands, with the flexibility to work outside the remit of their role and able to establish and maintain excellent working relationships at all levels within the Civil Service and outside, such as industry / private sector organisations / trade and road safety organisations as well, which may well require a different approach and ways of working.

Time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines is essential with prior experience of in-depth diary management.

Advanced user knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 products (i.e. Word, Power point and email) is required for the role, as well as experience of drafting emails and letters accurately and concisely using these tools.

The successful candidate will have high levels of integrity, particularly when dealing with highly confidential topics. They will be able to extract accurate, concise summaries from complex information.

Additional Information

Please take note that DVSA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

This role will be based in Bristol, your presence at this location will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, and therefore a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements. Hybrid working is a non-contractual arrangement where employees have the flexibility to work remotely combined with a minimum of 60% of their working time a month at either their principal workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, to carry out separate duties at alternative working locations or DVSA sites. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation. For example, due to the nature of this role, you will be required to be extra flexible with your working and be available to go into office when the Chief Executive is in office.

If you have questions regarding how hybrid working is practiced within the business area, or any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may currently have or need in place if successful in your application, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

Occasional travel with potential overnight stays may be required.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week over 5 days.

The working days for this role will be Monday-Friday each week.