PA to General Counsel - London in Chalfont St Giles

About us

Porterbrook is the UK's leading rolling stock financier and asset management company. We've been at the heart of the rail network for over three decades with 4000 vehicles in our diverse portfolio of passenger and freight trains. As a partner that adds value to the railway today and for the future, we've invested over 3.5bn in new rolling stock and we're actively looking to invest a further 1bn in the years ahead. Since 2020, this includes over 550 million in new trains, fleet upgrades, traction innovation and rail infrastructure. Sustainability is embedded in our decision making, and we've been named the global sector leader in the annual GRESB sustainability assessment for the last four years.

About the team

The key objective of the Legal Department is to support the business to achieve its key goals from a legal perspective. We work closely with a range of different teams across the business, in particular, the Commercial, Procurement and Finance teams.

About the role

A great opportunity for an exceptional PA to General Counsel, to join the Porterbrook team.

Role Purpose

To provide comprehensive organisational, administrative and programme support to General Counsel by overseeing the General Counsel's workload/diary, taking a proactive approach to problem-solving and presenting solutions and completing tasks as directed.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide end to end support to General Counsel, providing a responsive and confidential assistance including diary management, inbox support, booking meetings, planning events, organising travel and preparing travel itineraries.
• Prepare correspondence and documents on behalf of General Counsel /Company Secretary using company templates and oversee the process via the electronic signing system Signiflow.
• Work closely with the finance team to prepare and co-ordinate financial documents and Board minutes.
• Provide administrative support in the delivery of assignments and initiatives on behalf of the General Counsel's office as and when required.
• Co-ordinating and scheduling of all Board, Audit and Remuneration Committee meetings. Maintaining calendar invitations, planning and overseeing the yearly Board meeting schedule.
• Work closely with the CEO, Chairman's office and C-Suite to co-ordinate, format, prepare the agenda, matters arising and following up on action points and distribute bi-monthly Board packs using Diligent and SharePoint.
• Arrange and event manage the Board and Committee meetings, including attendance schedule, catering, accommodation and travel.
• Keep organisational and group structure charts and contact details up to date.
• Dealing with investors to support and provide 'Know Your Client' requests and providing all necessary information.
• E-Filing with Companies House using Diligent Entities of new Directors appointments/resignations and annual Confirmation Statements and Euronext filing and filing of all other legal requirement documents.
• Filing through Companies House portal and Diligent Entities and various other platforms.
• Keep spreadsheet up to date of all company filing deadlines and calendar reminders.
• Filing all documentation on iManage database system and legal filing systems.
• To produce reports as and when required.
• To follow up on action points from meetings on behalf of the General Counsel.
• To provide administrative support to the General Counsel for other non-executive roles.
• Support with delivery and co-ordination of Board papers.
• To support the General Counsel on personal diary commitments where appropriate.

Other Duties

• Support team members with expenses, IT requests, travel and any adhoc requests.
• Work with Commercial team to produce Sales and Purchase agreements, send to customers and using Signiflow to co-ordinate documents and iManage database for filing.
• To provide general administrative support as and when required.
• Create purchase requisitions as required using the Delphi financial system.
• Keep appropriate records of correspondence and papers filed correctly within the company document management system.
• Provide scanning, photocopying, mail and filing services.
• Provide back up support for reception as and when required (meet and greet, lunches, ordering stationery, etc).
• Take responsibility for office management at Lynton House, including being the point of contact with management companies and utility supplier.

Skills / Experience

• Good English language skills.
• Excellent IT skills.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Experience in Rail Industry.
• Experience working for Board Level Executives and producing Board packs.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience of using Diligent Board, Diligent Entities, SharePoint, iManage, Companies House portal for E-Filing.

It would be great if you also had

• Experience of providing secretarial and administrative support for Senior Executives.
• High degree of emotional intelligence - ability to balance/assess/deal with challenging situations.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Highly organised.
• High level of computer literacy (especially Microsoft Office and Excel usage), with the ability to pick up new IT systems and ways of working quickly.
• Ability to work in a diverse team.
• Ability to work under pressure to agreed deadlines and adapt to change.
• Ability to retrieve information from relevant sources through research.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive material.
• The flexibility to work additional/out of hours as necessary to fulfil the requirements of the role and meet the business needs.
• Ability to edit PDF documents.
• High levels of attention to detail.

A great place to work

People are the heart of Porterbrook. Our close knit team is diverse, supportive and flexible. We have a collaborative work ethic both within the company and with our customers and suppliers. In recognition of this we have been awarded:

• Investors in People Gold accreditation.
• Investors in People 'We Invest in Wellbeing' Gold accreditation.
• National Rail Awards 2023 Fleet Achievement of the Year.
• National Rail Awards 2023 Safety Achievement of the Year.

These accolades reflect the company's dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive workplace where employees are empowered to thrive.

Our benefits

We are seeking the very best talent to join the team, and offer an excellent salary, along with bonus and benefits. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a great organisation with outstanding people and a road map for the future to grow and develop the business. Some of our benefits are listed below:

• 1.5x employer contributory pension scheme.
• Financial wellbeing support.
• Flexible working.
• Enhanced family friendly policies.
• Adoption & Shared Parental Leave benefits.
• Enhanced Armed Forces policies.
• Ongoing support with professional and personal development.
• Long service awards.
• Porterbrook Star awards.
• Healthcare cash plan.
• 25 days' annual leave +.