Personal Assistant

The role holder will provide a range of administrative and secretarial support to the Director of Student Life and other members of their leadership team, enabling them to focus their attention on strategic and management tasks. They will handle emails and phone calls into the Director’s office with the highest level of confidentiality, diplomacy and tact, providing accurate responses or redirecting the enquiry to the most appropriate department within the Directorate or the wider University. The role holder will also be expected to act as designated Health and Safety Co-ordinator for the Directorate, ensuring that all staff undertake appropriate training and that local working practices and procedures adhere to the University’s Health and Safety requirements.

As a Personal Assistant you can expect to be involved in : 

• Providing a highly confidential Personal Assistant service to the Director of Student Life and other members of their leadership team to aid the smooth running of the Directorate and its effective liaison with external and internal stakeholders at a senior level.
• Planning and organising meetings and service meetings and committees as appropriate, following up on actions, and supporting the work of the Directorate in the delivery of projects and initiatives.
• Providing a range of administrative tasks to ensure the smooth running of the Directorate and its effective liaison with external and internal stakeholders. Such tasks may include: managing the Directors’ inbox; forward planning; screening calls, enquiries and requests - handling them where appropriate; drafting documents and correspondence; carrying out background research and presenting findings; and monitoring project plans to enable delivery to timescale.
• Liaising with appropriate Schools and Departments to collate and reference documentation for the Director and other members of their leadership team as required.
• Providing excellent customer service at all times, utilising sensitivity and tact in the light of the types of enquiries received, including those from senior staff, both internally and in external organisations. Act in a professional way to ensure that all enquires are handled in an appropriate and timely manner.

What will you bring to the role ?

• Educated to GCSE in English & Maths (Grade C/4 or above) or equivalent 
• Educated to A Level or equivalent 
• IT qualification such as ECDL or equivalent
• Recognised secretarial/administrative qualifications or relevant high level PA experience (e.g. IAM, Pitman) 
• Proven PA/administrative experience at senior management level in a busy and confidential office environment, with proven ability to handle issues of great sensitivity and with complete confidentiality
• Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft Office packages (intermediate level)

Please see the links below to view the full job description and to apply for this post. For further information regarding the application process, please contact peopleserviceshr@kent.ac.uk quoting reference number SL-053-26

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