Personal Assistant (PA) to Commercial Deputy Director, Operating Centre and Deputy Director, Digital and Technology (Ref: 56876)

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

At the Ministry of Justice, we aim to lead the way across government in achieving the highest level of performance against government commercial standards. We support some of the most innovative commercial work in government and the Commercial and Contract Management Directorate’s (CCMD) work is crucial to the successful delivery of the £1.3bn prison reform and £700m court reform programmes.

We are looking to appoint Personal Assistant to work to two of our Deputy Director’s (DD’s). The successful candidate should have the ability to plan and prioritise his / her workload and work calmly under pressure. They should also have excellent organisation skills, communication skills with the ability to engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

Job Purpose

Key Aspects Of The Role

• Managing the DD’s emails and diary, ensuring that any scheduling conflicts are resolved immediately.
• Ensure DDs are fully briefed and have relevant documents in advance of all meetings.
• Arrange meetings and leading on logistics for meetings – including room bookings and invitations, circulation and filing of papers / minutes.
• Manage all travel bookings.
• Accompanying the DD to meetings to take minutes/action points and follow up any actions as required.
• Directing and assigning work appropriately, including commissioning action such as drafting, updates and briefings etc.
• Work with other PAs and Business Managers within CCMD to provide efficient support to the Senior Management Team.

The duties/responsibilities listed above is not intended to be exhaustive – the Jobholder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks suitable to the role.

Skills and personal attributes

• Experience working as a diary secretary would be an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and teamworking skills.
• Evidence of working collaboratively with senior management across the business and organisations.
• Strong IT skills (i.e. the ability to work confidently in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Teams).

Most importantly we are looking for someone with the right personal qualities – enthusiasm, energy, proactive, team player who is also able to work under their own initiative and to be flexible and adaptable in a demanding environment.

Competencies

Delivering at Pace (lead behaviour)

Regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives. Identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs. Follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work. Ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs. Have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks. Regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary. Ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging

Managing a Quality Service

Work with customers to understand their needs and expectations. Create clear plans and set priorities which meet the needs of both the customer and the business. Clearly explain to customers what can be done. Keep colleagues and stakeholders fully informed of plans, possibilities and progress. Identify common problems that affect service, report them and find possible solutions. Deliver good customer service which balances quality and cost effectiveness.

Communicating and Influencing

Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money. Interact with others in an enthusiastic way. Express ideas clearly and with respect for others. Listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working. Respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions. Handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity.

Making Effective Decisions

Take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner. Analyse and research further information to support decisions. Talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed. Explain how decisions have been reached in a clear and concise way, both verbally and in writing. Demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements.

For selection purposes, the lead competency will be Managing a Quality Service.