Personal Secretary

Title of Post: Personal Secretary

Reports to: Chief Executive

Main Duties

The post holder will provide a comprehensive efficient, effective and responsive confidential administrative support to the Police Ombudsman, Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team. This is a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation of daily activities, managing schedules and providing administrative support.

The post holder will be required to be proactive in the planning and managing of tasks within a constantly changing environment, and the utilisation of well-developed interpersonal skills and adapting when necessary to changing roles and working patterns.

Key Responsibilities

1. To provide comprehensive confidential administrative and secretarial support to the Police Ombudsman, the Chief Executive and to the Senior Management Team.
2. To provide a full range of typing services including, copy typing, word processing, and photocopying.
3. To organise and maintain diary management, including brought forward systems and scheduling appointments, managing cancellations and rescheduling of appointments to ensure efficient use of time and prioritisation of key meetings and events.
4. To prepare and co-ordinate management meetings and staff briefings including collation and circulation of agenda items. Where necessary, make arrangements for meetings online.
5. To take accurate notes at meetings, compiling and circulating minutes, preparing and issuing correspondence, documents and briefing papers.
6. To assist with the provision of hospitality to visitors and meetings or making arrangements as required. Making the necessary security arrangements and meeting/greeting and escorting visitors.
7. To answer and vet incoming telephone calls based on knowledge of caller or issue(s) raised. Whenever possible, responding to callers directly by providing information or redirecting to the appropriate department. Taking messages and obtaining contact numbers.
8. To use MS Office Suite in the assistance and preparation of Office reports, plans, presentations and agendas, and meeting applications such as Microsoft Teams.
9. To manage the opening, distribution and recording of correspondence, identifying those requiring urgent action, highlighting deadlines and action points, attaching related papers and passing to relevant senior person for action.
10. To draft routine correspondence/responses to emails and letters received.
11. To ensure that the manual and computerised filing systems and registers are developed, maintained and updated as necessary and ensuring easy access to critical information bearing in mind the move to a paperless office.
12. To liaise with other bodies/staff/stakeholders as appropriate, establishing a close working relationship with senior officers/staff both internal and external in the promotion of the Police Ombudsmans Office.
13. To maintain effective communication skills with managers/staff in order to ensure the Office meets tight timescales and deadlines for responses to Sponsor Branch.
14. To work in a collaborative manner with other secretarial staff to ensure effective on-going cover to the Police Ombudsman, the Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team and in the event of planned/unplanned staff leave.
15. To maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion, adhering to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.
16. To have responsibility for all records held, created or used as part of the business, including corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails, in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
17. To have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between:

• Persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
• Men and women in general;
• Persons with a disability and persons without;
• Persons with dependants and persons without.

18. Any other relevant duties appropriate to the grade as may be required including the participation in the interchange of duties within the Directorate.

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Essential Criteria

1. 5 GCSE (or equivalent) passes at grade C or above, (to include English Language and Maths) or NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration

AND

Have a minimum of 2 years working experience in providing administrative and secretarial support to senior management.

OR

In the absence of the educational qualifications listed above have a minimum of 4 years working experience in providing administrative and secretarial support to senior management.

1. Demonstrable experience in setting priorities, meeting deadlines, multi-tasking and organising efficiently in a busy work environment.
2. Proficient in the use of MS Office Suite, particularly managing Outlook calendars, using Word, Powerpoint and Excel.
3. Experience of working under pressure and to tight deadlines.

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience of working directly to a Chief Executive or Senior Management Team.