PA To AD Neighbourhoods and Housing

We are looking for a highly motivated, organised and enthusiastic Personal Assistant to provide support to our Assistant Directors within the Neighbourhoods and Housing Service. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a fast-paced and dynamic service, gaining valuable insight into a wide range of housing functions and strategic priorities. As a trusted member of the team, you will support senior leaders, build strong relationships across the organisation, and develop a broad understanding of the housing sector.

You will need experience of providing support in a complex and changing environment, with the ability to anticipate needs, manage competing priorities and respond effectively to challenges as they arise. Excellent communication skills and attention to detail are essential. Beyond the role itself, this position offers a unique opportunity to develop your skills and experience within housing. Whether your future interests lie in neighbourhood management, tenancy services, housing strategy, asset management, customer services or business support, this role can provide a strong foundation for a varied and rewarding career within the wider team. This is a full time, permanent post.

ROLE AND PURPOSE

The jobholder for this post will set the standard for support to senior management in the Council. They will have very good communication skills, be adept at using emotional intelligence to anticipate issues before they arise, and then have excellent research and organisational skills to deal with the issues. They will also have an excellent understanding of the way the Council works and the key issues of the moment. They will work to ensure all Assistant Director needs are met efficiently and effectively. This will require them to effectively use their own judgement and initiative, while making sure that the Senior Management Team is kept fully informed as to progress. Success will be in getting things right first time, whether that is no clashes in diary management, rapid and full response to callers, or giving visitors first class experience of meeting in this office.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Anticipate the future needs of the Assistant Director, responding fully and efficiently to enable them to be more effective in their roles.
• Working with other PA’s to establish modern, fit for purpose systems and processes.
• Work with the Assistant Director to provide administrative support helping to make best use of their time through email and diary management and other administration tasks, to prioritise meetings, calls and workload, using their own judgement and initiative to provide responses and advice, offer to complex issues.
• Provide excellent operational filing systems and management information.
• Oversee the progress of issues being dealt with by the Assistant Director, ensuring they are prioritised and effectively responded to in a way that is consistent with the Councils strategic priorities.
• Provide background information for all key meetings sufficiently in advance to ensure that they are effectively prepared and can use the meeting to progress the Council’s agenda; this information to form part of a complete day file that is accessible and timely.
• Ensure that all plans, training and crucial functions as directed are carried out in-line with council policies and procedures.
• Undertake specific projects under the guidance from the Assistant Director including power point presentations and excel documents.
• Liaise with internal staff and external agencies to obtain and research, analyse and collate often complex, conflicting, confidential and controversial information and present findings to the Assistant Director.
• Support the requirements of the Assistant Director through the provision of minute taking as required at various meetings.
• Financial tasks including the process of raising purchase orders and invoices.
• First point of contact and responsibility for responding and/or seeking resolution and co‑ordinating responses to complaints, queries and requests from a wide range of stakeholders including elected members and MPs, exercising appropriate judgement and diplomacy and ensuring timely responses are received.
• Deputise for the Executive Support Officer as and when required.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation places responsibilities for health and safety on Hull City Council, as your employer and you as an employee of the Council. In addition to the Councils overall duties, the post holder has personal responsibility for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of other employees; additional and more specific responsibilities are identified in the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety policy.

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service.
• You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period.
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods.
• Supportive and forward‑thinking culture.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.