Job summary
Interview will be held on 6th March 2025
Are you interested in a career in the NHS? Do you have strong administrative and organisational skills withprevious Personal Assistant (PA) experience? If yes, we would love to hear from you!
We are looking for a dynamic and creative individual, who has previous experience of working at a senior Personal Assistant level and is able to bring relevant knowledge, skills, and experience to support a senior management team in children's services.
You will be highly organised, efficient, reliable and practical, with a flexibility of approach to the role; working independently as well as part a wider administrative team. Duties will include overseeing and managing diaries, collating information, organising meetings both internally and externally, including the coordination of the forward planner, agendas, papers and taking accurate minutes.
You will have excellent verbal and written communication skills and will be a self-motivated member of our team with enthusiasm to share your knowledge, particularly when managing and mentoring more junior team members.
Our team are supportive and friendly and enjoy good working relationships with partner agencies. This role is based in Erlegh House at the University of Reading.
You must be a driver and have use of a car.
Main duties of the job
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Job description
Job responsibilities
The must haves for this role:
1. must be a driver and have use of a car
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to call: Rebecca Girnary on 07768 728600 or email on Rebecca.Girnary@berkshire.nhs.uk wholl be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The must haves for this role:
1. must be a driver and have use of a car
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to call: Rebecca Girnary on 07768 728600 or email on Rebecca.Girnary@berkshire.nhs.uk wholl be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential
- NVQ4 or equivalent qualification/experience
- Knowledge of administration and/or office procedures.
- Extensive knowledge and experience of working in a busy service and/or customer care environment, undertaking a full range of administrative duties and supervision and management of staff / work.
- ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) or equivalent knowledge and experience of using a variety of software programmes/packages - Teams / Ms Word / Ms Excel / Ms Outlook (Intermediate to Advanced level)
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- To attend and contribute to staff meetings and Forums, supervision sessions, training courses, seminars, and workshops, to ensure the development and enhancement of current working practices.
- To participate in all personal review meetings and take responsibility for personal and professional development. Responsibility for developing the role and the services provided.
Previous Experience
Essential
- Ability to effectively prioritise and manage a varied and demanding workload to meet urgent deadlines.
- Ability to clearly present information both verbally and in writing.
- Able to use initiative and demonstrate ability to work without direct supervision
- Proven ability to take and produce accurate minutes of meetings.
- Able to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders - patients, public, clinical, and managerial.
- Ability to gather data, analyse, compile information, and prepare reports.
- Ability to organise resources and establish priorities
- Ability to develop, plan, and implement short- and long-range goals.
- Ability to develop and maintain record keeping systems and procedures.
- Setting up and maintaining filing and data base systems.
- Electronic filing and data base systems
Desirable
- Previous NHS administration experience
- Previous PA experience.
- Able to demonstrate influencing skills across hierarchies and disciplines.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Good interpersonal, communication and reporting skills with the focus on customer care and dealing with difficult service-users
- Ability to empathise, be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others
- Ability to use a practical problem-solving approach in everyday situations
- Intermediate to advanced IT skills, with an ability to navigate around various systems and software packages, such as Outlook, MS Office, the internet, and databases
- Intermediate to advanced typing skills (50 - 60 wpm)
- Strong organisational and planning skills with the ability to re-prioritise own workload and that of others to ensure tasks are delivered on time
- Ability to work effectively in a team, demonstrating accountability for own work and an ability to work on own initiative
- Ability to work flexibly as required, with the ability to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements of the post
- Prioritising and organisational skills
- Diplomacy
- Numeric skills
- Ability to work under pressure and use own initiative
- Discreet and able to maintain confidentiality
Desirable
- Ability to communicate at various levels e.g., Directors, Heads of Department, external organisations
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Self-motivated, proactive, and innovative
- High levels of resilience
- Able to work with a high degree of autonomy to deliver service outcomes in a timely manner
- Ability to initiate self-learning and development
- Able to travel to sites across Berkshire (preferably with driving licence and car)
- Occasional flexibility in hours worked
- Ability to work in a busy, open plan office
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential
- NVQ4 or equivalent qualification/experience
- Knowledge of administration and/or office procedures.
- Extensive knowledge and experience of working in a busy service and/or customer care environment, undertaking a full range of administrative duties and supervision and management of staff / work.
- ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) or equivalent knowledge and experience of using a variety of software programmes/packages - Teams / Ms Word / Ms Excel / Ms Outlook (Intermediate to Advanced level)
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- To attend and contribute to staff meetings and Forums, supervision sessions, training courses, seminars, and workshops, to ensure the development and enhancement of current working practices.
- To participate in all personal review meetings and take responsibility for personal and professional development. Responsibility for developing the role and the services provided.
Previous Experience
Essential
- Ability to effectively prioritise and manage a varied and demanding workload to meet urgent deadlines.
- Ability to clearly present information both verbally and in writing.
- Able to use initiative and demonstrate ability to work without direct supervision
- Proven ability to take and produce accurate minutes of meetings.
- Able to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders - patients, public, clinical, and managerial.
- Ability to gather data, analyse, compile information, and prepare reports.
- Ability to organise resources and establish priorities
- Ability to develop, plan, and implement short- and long-range goals.
- Ability to develop and maintain record keeping systems and procedures.
- Setting up and maintaining filing and data base systems.
- Electronic filing and data base systems
Desirable
- Previous NHS administration experience
- Previous PA experience.
- Able to demonstrate influencing skills across hierarchies and disciplines.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Good interpersonal, communication and reporting skills with the focus on customer care and dealing with difficult service-users
- Ability to empathise, be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others
- Ability to use a practical problem-solving approach in everyday situations
- Intermediate to advanced IT skills, with an ability to navigate around various systems and software packages, such as Outlook, MS Office, the internet, and databases
- Intermediate to advanced typing skills (50 - 60 wpm)
- Strong organisational and planning skills with the ability to re-prioritise own workload and that of others to ensure tasks are delivered on time
- Ability to work effectively in a team, demonstrating accountability for own work and an ability to work on own initiative
- Ability to work flexibly as required, with the ability to travel independently between locations to fulfil the requirements of the post
- Prioritising and organisational skills
- Diplomacy
- Numeric skills
- Ability to work under pressure and use own initiative
- Discreet and able to maintain confidentiality
Desirable
- Ability to communicate at various levels e.g., Directors, Heads of Department, external organisations
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Self-motivated, proactive, and innovative
- High levels of resilience
- Able to work with a high degree of autonomy to deliver service outcomes in a timely manner
- Ability to initiate self-learning and development
- Able to travel to sites across Berkshire (preferably with driving licence and car)
- Occasional flexibility in hours worked
- Ability to work in a busy, open plan office
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.
