Personal Assistant to the Managing Director of South Staffordshire Water PLC – Maternity Cover in Walsall

Salary: £40,000 per annum | Company Benefits

Location: Walsall, West Midlands

Contract: Fixed-term maternity cover | Full-Time | 37 hours per week

About Us

South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water form the regulated Water business within South Staffordshire Group, serving 1.7 million customers. We focus on customers, drinking water quality and the environment, with our own independent regulated Board and oversight from Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

The Role

Provide proactive, discreet support to the MD, Water Executive Team and independent Water Board. Be a trusted partner to the MD, anticipate needs, turn priorities into action, exercising sound judgement about when to seek approval or elevate. This role is based at our Green Lane, Walsall office and operates on a hybrid working basis with an expectation of 4 days in the office, required to support the Managing Director, Executive Team and Board activities in person, with flexibility available in line with business requirements. There is occasional travel required to other sites around both Midlands and Cambridge operating areas.

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting the Managing Director
• Own diary and inbox management: balance priorities, resolve scheduling conflicts, flag urgent matters and track follow-up.
• Coordinate travel, accommodation, events and stakeholder visits, including Board and regulator visits, with appropriate logistics, briefings and follow-up.
• Support arrangements for company roadshows, external meetings, industry events and stakeholder engagements.
• Prepare correspondence and coordinate information and briefings so the MD is well prepared for internal and external commitments.

Supporting the Water Executive Team, Independent Board and Committees

• Coordinate meeting calendars, agendas, papers and logistics with the MD, Chair and Company Secretary; chase contributions and actions against agreed deadlines.
• Take concise, accurate Executive meeting minutes recording material discussion and challenge, decisions, reasons and actions with owners and deadlines; circulate promptly for approval.
• Support Executive preparation of Board papers and quality-check packs for completeness, order, pagination and version accuracy. Coordinate secure distribution with the Company Secretary, who retains Board minutes and secretariat responsibilities.
• Liaise with the Chair and non-executive directors on arrangements and information requests; keep Group reporting distinct from independent Water Board governance.
• Coordinate regulatory correspondence and deadlines with accountable colleagues, who retain technical content and sign-off. Protect confidential Board and regulatory information through controlled access and approved records.

Business Administration

• Process expenses, credit card reconciliations, purchase orders and invoices within internal controls and delegated authority.
• Support business projects and coordinate senior-hire and Board-member onboarding with HR, IT and the Company Secretary, including approved equipment and systems access.

About You – Essential Skills & Experience

• Experienced corporate PA/EA to an MD, C-suite or equivalent, able to become effective quickly, coordinate senior meetings and manage competing priorities with limited supervision.
• Excellent document production and proofreading: turn multi-author contributions into coherent, professional packs, checking consistency, numbering, completeness and versions.
• Demonstrable Microsoft 365 proficiency: Outlook diaries/inboxes; Word styles, templates, sections, pagination, tables, tracked changes and comparison; PowerPoint formatting; Excel trackers, filters and basic formulas; Teams groups, sharing and document management, SharePoint and OneDrive collaboration, permissions and version control.
• Practical Adobe Acrobat Pro skills: create/convert PDFs, combine and reorder papers, add bookmarks and page numbers, reduce file sizes and securely redact information; check finished packs before issue.
• Strong communication and stakeholder relationships, with demonstrable minute-taking skills; clarify unfamiliar technical or regulatory terms rather than assume.
• Discretion and sound judgement: handle sensitive information securely, act within authority, challenge conflicting demands constructively and elevate consequential issues promptly.
• Evidence of proactive ownership: anticipate needs, spot gaps, propose solutions and see tasks through without reminders, adapting as priorities change.
• Regulated utility experience, ideally water, with awareness of Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and public accountability; able to learn sector terminology quickly.
• Experience supporting an independent Board and its committees, working with a Company Secretary and using a secure board portal.

What You'll Get from Us

• Family-friendly support: Enhanced maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental leave; fertility support; up to 5 paid Carer’s Days.
• Financial & Life Assurance: Company Pension Scheme with salary sacrifice options.
• Health & Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 Virtual GP access for you and your dependents.
• Lifestyle & Perks: Cycle to Work Scheme and My Premier Benefits discounts, cashback, and vouchers.
• Professional Development: Hands‑on training and ongoing career development opportunities.
• People networks: Disability & Neurodiversity, Unity+, Women’s Network, Parent & Carer Networking Group and more.
• Performance & Recognition: Annual salary review, Reward & Recognition Scheme, and Long Service Awards.

Inclusion matters at South Staffordshire Group. Our employee-led networks welcome members and allies and support a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to reflecting the communities we serve. Please let us know about any reasonable adjustments you need during recruitment.