PA to Group Operations Director (COO) - 13 month FTC

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Our Group Operations division is looking for a Personal Assistant to join them on an initial 13-month FTC, supporting our Group Operations Director (COO) and 2 other members of the Operations Senior Leadership Team.

You'll be at the heart of the division and a critical support to a friendly and welcoming team that enables the organisation to do their best work and bring amazing stories to life.

About you

If you bring exceptional organisation and communication skills and are committed to a career in a critical support role within an operational and technical environment, then this role could be for you.

The role

In this position, you will provide full PA support to the Group Operations Director (COO) and our two Programme Portfolio Directors. You will liaise regularly with senior management across the organisation, regularly dealing with confidential information. You will be empowered to make decisions and communicate on behalf of the Group Operations Director where appropriate.

Key responsibilities:

• Proactively manage the Director's complex diary, ensuring sufficient time for meetings, independent work, and breaks.
• Organise internal and external meetings, both in-person and virtually, including venue bookings, technology setup and guest coordination.
• Provide high-quality support for meetings, including agenda preparation, document circulation and minute-taking.
• Coordinate team events and celebrations, handling venue bookings, catering and documentation preparation.
• Prioritise and manage the Director's email inbox, responding to basic queries and flagging important matters.
• Manage calendars for two direct reports into the Group Operations Director, handling meeting conflicts, room bookings and expenses.
• Build relationships with the team, other Personal Assistants across the organisation, and onsite support teams from Facilities and Technology.
• Serve as the main point of contact for Group Operations and represent the team in company-wide initiatives and communications.
• Process expenses, invoices, purchase orders, and manage new suppliers on our Finance system.
• Maintain digital filing systems and support the Director with technology needs.
• Handle additional departmental duties, including correspondence, travel arrangements, and office management tasks.
• Participate in operational leadership team projects and contribute to personal development goals.

What you'll bring:

• Previous experience as a Personal or Team Assistant, or equivalent, with a strong understanding of how to provide tailored one-to-one support. You'll know what it takes to build strong, close working relationships with colleagues at every level, proactively responding to their needs and seeing the work through their eyes.
• Highly competent with Microsoft Teams.
• Advanced MS Office skills, including Word and Excel.
• Evidence of confident and stylish slide design in PowerPoint.
• Ability to manage budgets and competent with invoicing systems.

• Excellent organisational skills, being able to juggle multiple or competing priorities with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to quickly build relationships both with internal and external stakeholders.
• A proactive and calm approach under pressure, and clear enthusiasm for working in an operational environment in a support position.

Our approach to hybrid working:

While our offices are places for you to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, having flexibility about where you work is just as important for doing your best work and for your wellbeing. So, we don't have a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how we work in different teams across Penguin Random House UK.

This is a hybrid role, based in our offices in London with occasional travel to Colchester, as there are activities and meetings that you will need to support in-person. We are happy to discuss hybrid working arrangements with you during your recruitment process.

About Penguin:

We're the UK's largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you'll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

Application deadline and next steps: Please apply with your CV and cover letter telling us why you're suitable for this position, by Sunday 28th April.

The first stage interviews will be held virtually at the start of May. We anticipate a start date at the beginning of July.

What you can expect from us:

Salary: Circa £40,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition. Our benefits include:

• Financial - discounted shopping, season ticket loan, rental deposit loan
• Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, employee assistance, gym loan
• Lifestyle - taste card, tech scheme, free and discounted books

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we're part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can't take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: The Random House Group Limited

Country: United Kingdom

State/Region: London

City: London

Postal Code: SW11 7BW

Job ID: 269753

Date: 12 Apr 2024

Location: