Personal Assistant to the Executive Director, Executive Office

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Job Scope

The Royal Society was established in the 1660s, and is recognised across the world as one of the leading scientific academies. Its Fellows include the most distinguished scientists in the UK and internationally. Its activities include work on policy, scientific publishing, and the award of grants.

The jobholder's team will provide support to the Executive Director (chief executive), Dame Julie Maxton DBE.

The jobholder, together with other team members, will provide a confidential and proactive PA service including diary and inbox management, ensuring that internal and external communications are effectively managed, travel and various administrative and secretarial support services.

Your line manager will be the Senior Manager, Executive Office, and you will work closely with them. You will work alongside other PAs providing support to the Officers of the Society.

You will work in the Society's offices near St James's Park. Occasional hybrid working is possible, but the nature of the work will mean that on most days you will need to be present in the office to provide direct support to the Executive Director.

Reports to: Senior Manager, Executive Office, and PA to the President

Line manages: n/a

Location: Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG

Hours: Full time. The Royal Society promotes a hybrid way of working, but the nature of this role is such that the jobholder will be expected to work in the office most days, with an occasional home working day.

Pay band: E - £53,000 per annum

The application closing date is Tuesday 7 May.

Interviews will be held w/c 13 May

Responsibilities

Personal Assistant to the Executive Director

• Support the Executive Director in prioritising a heavy workload and email correspondence.
• Identify priority issues in the work of the office and ensure they are addressed appropriately
• Manage the Executive Director's diary, arranging meetings and ensuring the relevant paperwork is available to ensure that meetings run effectively.
• Communicate with staff, Fellows and any other institutions and government agencies that the Executive directors is associated with in relation to RS work. These will include very senior stakeholders in government and in other key sectors.
• Act as an information point for the Executive Director for both internal and external enquiries, addressing these direct or notifying relevant colleagues where appropriate.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and discretion when dealing with all correspondence and discussions relating to the President and wider executive administration.

Specific activities

Inbox and correspondence Management

• Oversight of the Executive Director's (busy) inbox, ensuring that queries are dealt with and priority issues are addressed quickly.
• Organise, prioritise and archive the correspondence to/from the Executive Director.

Travel and accommodation

• Communicate with internal and external providers for bookings
• Organise UK and overseas travel and visas where necessary

Expenses processing

• Raise, receipt, and process purchase orders using internal system
• Reconcile the Executive Director's Royal Society credit card statements
• Timely and accurate processing of the above and personal expense claims in line with RS policy

Communications

• Prepare and send letters on behalf of the Executive Director
• Printing day and briefing packs for meetings
• Arrangement of meetings including invitations and venue booking
• Communicate with colleagues in Facilities, Conferencing/Catering, Reception, and IT/AV teams to ensure adequate arrangements in place for meetings and events led by the Executive Director.

General

Work where necessary to provide cover for other PAs in their absence on leave, etc

Key Knowledge and Skills Required

• Substantial PA experience at senior levels.
• Outstanding customer service
• Confidence in working with senior people
• Effective spoken and written communication skills
• Ability to develop strong working relationships across an organisation with about 250 employees
• Strong attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Familiarity with PA work in a university or research environment would be an advantage, but is not essential
• Discretion and an understanding of the nature of the Royal Society's work
• The ability to work closely and collaboratively with colleagues.

Competencies

Self-management

• Identifies difficult situations

• Recognises stress in others and takes steps to reduce it

• Controls pressurised situations

• Effectively enthuses those in the team

• Proactively sets goals and targets for own work

Working with others

• Actively seeks ideas and criticisms from within the team

• Resolves conflicts within and between teams

• Embeds feedback processes within the team

• Seeks out new networks that will create opportunity for the Society

• Able to present complex issues simply

• Uses discretion, tact and empathy when negotiating with and/or seeking to influence others

• Understands the need to manage expectations and to only promise what is deliverable

Resource management

• Determines strategy and deployment of resources, balancing cost and benefit; risk and potential for maximum impact across significant business areas

• Manages complex cross-cutting projects to time, budget and specification

• Ensures others accept responsibility towards results or quality

• Sets the quality standards for own business areas in accordance with strategy and contributes to the formulation of quality standards across the Society

• Sets and monitors priorities

• Identifies and manages risk effectively

Critical thinking

• Uses questioning, analytical and probing skills to 'dig deeper'

• Knows when enough information has been obtained and adapts presentation of information to the needs of the audience

• Evaluates the benefits, practicalities and value for money of ideas and obtains feedback

• Makes sound decisions in a complex or ambiguous environment and is able to gain support and manage challenges confidently

Adaptability

• Actively seeks the input and opinions of others, often outside his/her section and accommodates and incorporates this thinking into any output.

• Actively seeks new challenges and projects; leads discussions surrounding new ideas, approaches and projects

• Anticipates need for innovation and seeks new ideas, approaches and solutions

Managing people and relationships

• Sets expectations of others and ensures they deliver

• Demonstrates a positive attitude towards work, celebrating success and instilling confidence, which encourages the same from others

• Encourages others to share ideas and participate in the discussion and decisions of the team

• Assesses needs of clients/stakeholders/staff and makes plans to meet these needs