Job Description

This post will play a key role in directly supporting the Executive Director of the School and in ensuring the smooth running of the School Office. The Executive Director is the overall School lead responsible for the strategic direction of the School and the successful delivery of its internationally renowned education activities. She has a wide range of responsibilities and her EA plays a key role in enabling her to maximize her effectiveness in the role.

The post holder will provide high-level, effective, comprehensive and confidential EA support and be responsible for the smooth day-to-day running of the School Office. We are therefore looking for a confident, highly proficient, and experienced person for this role to join our new School and be part of educational development at company.

The post holder will need to priorities their workload and juggle a varied range of responsibilities. They will be the primary point of contact for the Executive Director and will work closely with them and the School team to enable the School to meet its strategic objectives. They will have a detailed understanding of methods, systems and procedures appropriate to EA and general office management, gained through significant experience complemented by formal qualifications and/or training. They must be highly organized and systematic in their approach to work, using their initiative and judgment to address and solve problems.

This post will be offered on an open ended contract.

Key responsibilities

• Undertaking effective diary management, prioritizing and managing the Executive Director’s calendar/schedule, ensuring she has access to and time to review all the materials for meetings.
• Regularly reviewing emails on behalf of the Executive Director, forwarding and replying to emails where appropriate.
• Acting as the first point of contact for the Executive Director for colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Dealing efficiently with communications and correspondence, using clear and precise language.
• Preparing, editing and proofing correspondence, communications, presentations and other documents.
• Drafting reports, discussion papers or briefing papers.
• Collecting, interpreting and analyzing sets of data to inform decision making.
• Leading on event planning and management, including team meetings, committees, conferences and away days.
• Supporting the set-up of the School office and overseeing the development and implementation of business and office processes/policies which facilitate efficient and effective working.
• Providing day-to-day support for operations activities within the School.
• Maintaining effective filing and data management systems for the School.
• Working closely with the Director of Operations and Strategy to develop approaches to improve operational effectiveness, create relevant new guidelines or procedures for the team, and explain any relevant systems or processes to colleagues.
• Embedding compliance with all regulatory requirements and reporting expectations across the School, liaising with university officers as appropriate.
• Acting as Secretary for School committees and meetings as required, setting up meeting dates, preparing, and distributing papers and taking minutes.
• Organizing travel, purchasing resources, processing expense claims, and working to find the most environmentally sustainable and financially prudent use of funds and time.
• Supporting HR and Recruitment activities, from post approval to interview and appointment.
• Monitoring the School Office finances and prepare financial reports, including monthly reconciliation of purchases.
• Liaising with other professional staff to ensure consistency of procedure and effectiveness of service, providing support and advice to colleagues who need to navigate complex procedures.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience of providing high quality executive support to senior roles in a busy environment.
• Exceptional organizational skills, including administrative/operations experience with an in-depth knowledge of a range of practices, methods, and procedures to deliver effective and efficient support.
• Excellent communication skills, in verbal and written form, including engaging with contacts across a range of seniority and roles.
• Experience of servicing committees, including formal communications such as report/minute writing.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing/behavioral skills.
• Excellent IT skills with proficient use of the full Microsoft package – MS Outlook 365, MS Teams, PowerPoint, Word and Excel.
• Proactive and responsive to contacts in immediate area, across the organization and externally, building relationships and a network.
• Solutions-focused self-starter, with excellent planning and organizational skills, a good eye for detail and able to manage competing priorities and work with minimal supervision.
• Experience of having responsibility for delivering administrative support in a complex setting with a large number of employees.
• Evidence of an active commitment to career development.
• Commitment to and understanding of equality issues within a diverse and multicultural environment
• Experience of supervising colleagues.
• Have a full working knowledge of GDPR regulations and experience of complying with complex regulations/procedures.
• Experience of working in the higher education sector.
• Project management experience involving a range of stakeholders.