Job summary
We are looking for a Personal Assistant to join the Community Care Senior Management Team. You will provide direct support to the Operational, AHP and Nursing Directors of the Community Care Division.
You will display a considerable degree of initiative, possess mature judgement and have the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with staff and key stakeholders. You will possess excellent administrative, communication and organisational skills, and will have experience of working within a team. You will have a good standard of written and spoken English, be able to respond dynamically to the demands of the role and thrive when working under pressure.
You will hold direct line management of the Tier 2 Personal Assistants.
Main duties of the job
As well as supporting the Divisional Directors, you will also support the Community Care Division administrative staff. You will administer the regular Finance, Performance and Quality meetings, Team Away Days, Monthly Webinars, Wider Divisional Leadership Team meetings as well as all ad hoc meetings that arise. Experience of diary management, organising meetings, preparing agendas, use of Microsoft packages, writing accurate and concise minutes including the recording of decisions and actions is essential.
There is an expectation for the post holder to be highly motivated, flexible and enthusiastic. They will liaise with Trust personnel, including senior managers, directors, executives and governors. They will use their own judgement to prioritise their work and be able to work on their own initiative. We are looking for someone with a proactive, can-do attitude who thrives on working at pace. The role is varied and also includes some project work.
About us
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex. Our 6,000 staff serve a population of 1.3 million providing essential medical, nursing, and therapeutic care to adults and children.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community, helping people plan, manage, adapt to changes in their health, supporting avoidable hospital admissions and reducing hospital stay times.
We have opportunities for everyone across our wide variety of services including medical, clinical, support and corporate services.
Why work for us?
- Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, scoring highly in compassionate culture & leadership, and staff wellbeing support
- Variety of working environments across the community, in patients' homes, within our community hospitals and bases across the county
- Supportive flexible working patterns such as: part time, flexi time, annualised hours, and flexi retirement options
- Excellent training and development opportunities
- Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove and Brighton
- EMBRACE, Disability and Wellbeing,LGBTQIA+ and Religion Spirituality and Belief staff networks
- Level 3 accredited Disability Confident Leader, committed to creating inclusive workplaces
- Veteran Aware Trust, achieving accreditation from Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA)
- Located in stunning Sussex, with easy access to the South Downs and the coast
- Access to a wide range of benefits and discounts for NHS staff
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main responsibilities
To carry out a full range of Personal Assistant duties including:
- Managing diaries in a proactive manner to make maximum use of time, prioritising and rescheduling items as necessary including allowing time for travel and desk work. To brief on diary commitments in advance and ensuring Directors/Managers are kept updated about important or urgent matters.
- Using standard MS Office software to create and update documents to a high standard, including the creation of presentations, charts, graphs and tables. Using automated features to reference and index long, complicated documents. Checking reports and other documents sent from the Directors to ensure these are of a high standard of content and presentation.
- Receiving telephone calls, emails and other correspondence. Screening items and acting on own initiative, using tact and discretion where necessary, to decide how best to action calls, emails and other correspondence. This may involve responding on own or anothers behalf, referring the matter to another senior manager, forwarding for the Directors attention.
- Operating a comprehensive bring forward system to assist Directors to manage their workload in a timely way, prioritising and allocating tasks and chasing responses on actions where necessary, without prompting or reminding.
- Receiving and welcoming visitors and calls to the division in a courteous manner, in line with the Trusts values.
- Preparing induction and development programmes for new staff members, as appropriate on behalf of the Senior Management Team.
- Providing support to Directors direct reports, as and when required.
- Line management of Tier 2 Personal Assistants.
Support for meetings and committees:
- To organise and provide administrative support for meetings, ensuring that systems are in place to monitor to achieve agreed action points. This will include:
- Booking and preparing venues, travel arrangements, refreshments, and catering as appropriate.
- Producing and circulating agendas and other relevant paperwork for meetings to the required timescales.
- Providing secretarial support as required, taking and transcribing formal minutes including capturing actions and decisions, and distributing them as soon as possible.
- Monitoring and following up on actions agreed at meetings to ensure they are completed to deadline. Ensuring staff are fully briefed on actions required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main responsibilities
To carry out a full range of Personal Assistant duties including:
- Managing diaries in a proactive manner to make maximum use of time, prioritising and rescheduling items as necessary including allowing time for travel and desk work. To brief on diary commitments in advance and ensuring Directors/Managers are kept updated about important or urgent matters.
- Using standard MS Office software to create and update documents to a high standard, including the creation of presentations, charts, graphs and tables. Using automated features to reference and index long, complicated documents. Checking reports and other documents sent from the Directors to ensure these are of a high standard of content and presentation.
- Receiving telephone calls, emails and other correspondence. Screening items and acting on own initiative, using tact and discretion where necessary, to decide how best to action calls, emails and other correspondence. This may involve responding on own or anothers behalf, referring the matter to another senior manager, forwarding for the Directors attention.
- Operating a comprehensive bring forward system to assist Directors to manage their workload in a timely way, prioritising and allocating tasks and chasing responses on actions where necessary, without prompting or reminding.
- Receiving and welcoming visitors and calls to the division in a courteous manner, in line with the Trusts values.
- Preparing induction and development programmes for new staff members, as appropriate on behalf of the Senior Management Team.
- Providing support to Directors direct reports, as and when required.
- Line management of Tier 2 Personal Assistants.
Support for meetings and committees:
- To organise and provide administrative support for meetings, ensuring that systems are in place to monitor to achieve agreed action points. This will include:
- Booking and preparing venues, travel arrangements, refreshments, and catering as appropriate.
- Producing and circulating agendas and other relevant paperwork for meetings to the required timescales.
- Providing secretarial support as required, taking and transcribing formal minutes including capturing actions and decisions, and distributing them as soon as possible.
- Monitoring and following up on actions agreed at meetings to ensure they are completed to deadline. Ensuring staff are fully briefed on actions required.
Person Specification
Qualifications and/or professional registration
Essential
- Degree level qualification or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge of administration through experience.
- RSA level III keyboard skills - or an equivalent level of speed and accuracy gained through experience/alternative training methods.
Desirable
- Higher education qualification or NVQ level 3 or higher in business administration.
Experience
Essential
- Forming good working relationships with colleagues at all levels across a large organisation.
- Providing administrative support to senior managers.
- Deciding when to respond to correspondence or queries under own initiative or refer to a senior colleague.
- Providing guidance and advice to junior staff.
- Providing support to Director's direct reports as and when required.
- Shortlisting and interviewing candidates for administrative support roles.
- Taking and transcribing accurate, full and formal minutes, including actions and decisions.
- Developing and reviewing office procedures.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Able to use tact and discretion when communicating sensitive issues with others.
- Able to reflect on own performance and competence and take responsibility for own personal development.
- High level of competence in using standard office software (Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
- Able to plan, co-ordinate the work of others and use own initiative.
- Well organised and able to produce work to high standards and within tight deadlines, without supervision.
- Good document proof reading skills.
- A good understanding of how efficient office procedures and systems contribute to the overall performance of a service or department.
Other requirements
Essential
- Be highly motivated, flexible and enthusiastic.
- Able to travel to other sites to meetings when required.
- A willingness to work flexibly and co-operate with colleagues.
- Able to accept and deal with changing priorities related to both their own work and to the organisation.
- Be a supportive, team colleague.
- Carry out other appropriate delegated duties as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications and/or professional registration
Essential
- Degree level qualification or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge of administration through experience.
- RSA level III keyboard skills - or an equivalent level of speed and accuracy gained through experience/alternative training methods.
Desirable
- Higher education qualification or NVQ level 3 or higher in business administration.
Experience
Essential
- Forming good working relationships with colleagues at all levels across a large organisation.
- Providing administrative support to senior managers.
- Deciding when to respond to correspondence or queries under own initiative or refer to a senior colleague.
- Providing guidance and advice to junior staff.
- Providing support to Director's direct reports as and when required.
- Shortlisting and interviewing candidates for administrative support roles.
- Taking and transcribing accurate, full and formal minutes, including actions and decisions.
- Developing and reviewing office procedures.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Able to use tact and discretion when communicating sensitive issues with others.
- Able to reflect on own performance and competence and take responsibility for own personal development.
- High level of competence in using standard office software (Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
- Able to plan, co-ordinate the work of others and use own initiative.
- Well organised and able to produce work to high standards and within tight deadlines, without supervision.
- Good document proof reading skills.
- A good understanding of how efficient office procedures and systems contribute to the overall performance of a service or department.
Other requirements
Essential
- Be highly motivated, flexible and enthusiastic.
- Able to travel to other sites to meetings when required.
- A willingness to work flexibly and co-operate with colleagues.
- Able to accept and deal with changing priorities related to both their own work and to the organisation.
- Be a supportive, team colleague.
- Carry out other appropriate delegated duties as required.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
