Executive Assistant

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: London

Salary: London c£37,000, plus civil service employer pension contribution of 28%. A higher base salary may be available for exceptional applicants.

About the role:

The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s main public sector audit body. Independent of government, we have responsibility for auditing the accounts of various public sector bodies, examining the propriety of government spending, assessing risks to financial control and accountability, and reviewing the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of programmes, projects, and activities. We report directly to Parliament, through the Committee of Public Accounts of the House of Commons which uses our reports as the basis of its own investigations. We employ some staff, most of whom are qualified accountants, trainees, or technicians. They work in one of two main areas, financial audit, or value for money (VFM) audit.

The Executive Assistant will provide comprehensive support to Directors, and teams/areas within NAO. The role of an Executive Assistant requires a combination of skills, as well as having the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities.

The NAO welcomes applications from everyone. We value diversity in all its forms and the difference it makes to our organisation. By removing barriers and creating an inclusive culture all our people have the opportunity to develop and maximise their full potential. As members of the Business Disability Forum and the Disability Confident Scheme we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria. The NAO supports flexible working and is happy to discuss this with you at application stage.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply with an up-to-date CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role against essential criteria below:

• Diary, Inbox & Meeting Management — Coordinating diaries, managing inbox priorities, scheduling & attending meetings, preparing agendas, distributing papers and recording minutes/actions.
• Stakeholder & Communications Support — Managing engagement with internal and external stakeholders, producing briefings, drafting and formatting presentations or papers.
• Travel & Logistics Coordination — Arranging and coordinating local and overseas travel, itineraries, and related logistics (where applicable).
• Project & Workforce Administration — Supporting administration of project updates, staff allocations, monitoring impacts - including tracking deadlines, consultations, corporate compliance and annual leave.
• Financial & Procurement Administration — Handling basic budget support, procurement processes, and financial administration including cash and travel budgets.

Selection Process

1. Application - Candidates are required to submit their CV and covering letter on the essential criteria above by Wednesday 18 February.
2. Shortlisting - An initial screening will be conducted to check the eligibility of candidates & selection criteria of the role. Candidates who pass the shortlisting will be invited for the final interviews.
3. Interview - The final interviews will assess various competencies and skills relevant to the role. The interviews will be face to face and looking to held week commencing 9th March.
4. Decision - The final decision-making process will take place once the final interviews have concluded.

Equal opportunities and diversity

Disability and Reasonable Adjustments - Applicants with a disability who wish their application to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme should confirm this when submitting their application. Under this scheme we guarantee to interview to an applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for the role. You should also let our HR team know if you wish us to consider any Reasonable Adjustments at any stage of the process (HR Service Desk). Applicants will not be discriminated against on the grounds of any protected characteristic or any other extraneous factor.

Nationality Requirement:

• UK Nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Please note, we are not able to sponsor work visas or accept temporary visas as we are looking to hire on a permanent basis. Please contact the HR Service desk should you have any questions on your nationality eligibility.

Responsibilities

Executive Assistant tasks:

• Diary / appointments management including internal, engagement with external stakeholders
• Inbox management including prioritisation, action and response where appropriate
• Arrange local and overseas travel and itineraries (where appropriate)
• Leveraging technology to co-ordinate/manage meetings i.e. attend where required, agendas, distribute papers, minute taking/actions management, briefing production
• Supporting the Director to prepare effectively for meetings, events, or other stakeholder engagement including initial drafting (where necessary), and formatting of presentation and briefing papers
• Exercising sound judgement, discretion, and confidentiality when handling sensitive information and senior stakeholder matters
• Supporting internal and external events
• Maintaining accurate and up to date stakeholder contact details
• Quality assurance, including proof reading (and version control)
• Greeting guests, registering visitors at the reception, and organising hospitality

Project/ team management support tasks:

• Supporting (rather than owning) team administration and coordination activities
• Supporting basic budget, procurement and financial administration (including cash and travel budgets)
• Supporting the administration of project updates, staff allocations and impacts from our work
• Monitoring deadlines, consultations, corporate compliance, and annual leave
• Keeping team(s) informed of intranet announcements, blogs, forums, training, mandatory compliance, code of conduct, etc
• Allocating new team members to distributions lists etc
• News monitoring (client, study, or topic-specific)
• Arranging team events and social activities
• Supporting the Hub Director with general Hub administration (if not captured above)

Wider Office Support:

• Supporting networks and forums
• Mentoring, coaching, training where appropriate
• Supporting trainee groups and associated administration
• Managing correspondence and FOI handling, including tracking deadlines
• Recruitment administration and, where appropriate, supporting new EA recruitment
• Provide cover for Group EA / SEA leave, including attending Group meetings to take minutes (on a Group EA rota basis)
• Supporting corporate Management e.g. business continuity, locker, and distribution lists

Skills required

Essential

• Demonstrate organisational and prioritisation, and time-management skills
• Able to demonstrate Written and verbal communication
• Able to use Interpersonal skills and professional judgement
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality
• Able to demonstrate problem-solving capability
• Proficiency in Microsoft packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint)
• Flexible, collaborative, and able to work effectively within and across teams
• Records management (digital and/or physical)

Desirable

• Experience using automation or digital tools to support efficient working practices