Executive Support Officer in Preston

Purpose of role: To provide a highly professional, flexible, and resilient executive support service to the relevant Director and Assistant Directors within the Council, supporting service delivery, process improvements, and change. To provide efficient and effective administration services as directed and maintain management information systems relating to the directorate and services being supported under the strictest of confidence.

Key Objectives:

• To provide a highly effective, efficient, and confidential administrative support service to the relevant Director and Assistant Director including correspondence, reports, mail, diaries, appointments, and minute taking.
• To administer a range of management information systems, including correspondence, data protection, training development records, complaints, credit card spend, and areas of budgets as directed.
• To liaise and consult with Senior Managers, Service Managers, Elected Members, and staff within teams to ensure service-related queries/issues are dealt with in an efficient and effective manner.
• To be a first point of contact in relation to queries from Elected Members, Chief Operating Officer, Directors, senior officers, and others to ensure that these queries are dealt with effectively and in a professional manner.
• To respond to telephone, written, and electronically delivered queries, co-ordinating patch problems and complaints, and ensuring that the appropriate information and advice is provided.
• To support the team(s)/service(s) assigned to with the utmost professionalism and positivity, with a willingness to learn new processes and systems.
• To ensure the accurate maintenance of designated management information and control systems, including the processing of information relating to health and safety and timesheets.
• To liaise with external agencies.
• When required, to process purchase orders/invoices/recharges promptly and in accordance with any Council contractual requirements.
• To collate data as directed, ensuring the accurate input and maintenance of designated management information systems.
• To ensure that customer care standards are maintained to the highest level and complaints and grievances are dealt with in a courteous and sympathetic way.
• To ensure all targets and milestones are kept up to date on the relevant Performance Management System.
• To provide written reports and statistical information in an agreed format.
• To organise and coordinate internal and external meetings, including booking facilities, refreshments/hospitality, assisting admin support to civic events, and preparing agendas and any additional supporting information.
• To assist in working towards service performance indicators as stated within the service performance plan.
• To record receipt of incoming mail, and prepare, monitor and follow up responses, including correspondence between the Chief Operating Officer, MPs, Elected members, Senior Management team, officers, and external customers.

Equal Opportunities: The Council is committed to achieving equality of opportunity both in the delivery of services to the community and its employment arrangements. We expect all employees to understand and promote our policies in their work.

Customer Focus: To meet the Council's Standards of Customer Care at all times.

Core Tasks: To undertake any other duties which may be required within the needs of the service that are commensurate with the grade.

Health & Safety: All employees have a responsibility for their own health & safety policy.

Legislation: To comply with Data Protection legislation and all other relevant and applicable statutory legislation together with Council policies and procedures.

Training & Development: To comply with the Council's policies and practices relating to training and development, including a regular development appraisal.

Creativity: The postholder can contribute ideas relating to the tasks that they undertake, to their line manager for consideration.

Decisions and Consequences: The postholder will usually carry out allocated tasks and duties under the supervision of their line manager.

Work Context: The above duties and responsibilities do not include or define all tasks, which may be required to be undertaken by the postholder. The duties and responsibilities may vary without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. These factors are reflected in the grading of the post.

Physical Demands: The post is normally office-based, so no unusual physical demands have been identified.