Personal Assistant in Birmingham

Do you thrive in a fast paced environment where discretion, organisation and people skills really matter? We are looking for a highly capable and experienced Personal Assistant to provide outstanding, proactive support to our Head of Procurement, playing a key role in enabling effective leadership across a busy and high impact function. You will be at the heart of our nationally award‑winning Procurement team, managing priorities, coordinating activity, and acting as a trusted first point of contact for senior stakeholders across WMCA and partner organisations. This is a varied and rewarding role for someone who enjoys forward‑planning, problem solving and delivering a consistently high standard of service.

What you will be doing:

• Provide high quality, confidential PA support to the Head of Procurement, acting as a proactive and trusted first point of contact.
• Manage complex diaries, meetings, correspondence, travel and accommodation in line with agreed priorities and policy.
• Support forward‑planning by coordinating plans, information and activity across senior managers and the wider team.
• Handle and prioritise incoming communications, drafting responses and briefing senior managers where appropriate.
• Foster and build strong working relationships across WMCA, partner organisations and the Business Support function.
• Produce presentations, reports and management information through research, analysis and accurate record keeping.
• Support financial and administrative processes, including budget monitoring, invoice processing and governance compliance.

What's essential:

• An experienced PA/Administrator, who can work at a high level of intensity on their own initiative, using judgement and displaying resilience.
• Experience of coordination, preparation, and supporting meetings, including booking venues, meeting invites, circulating agendas and papers, note‑taking and following up/progressing actions.
• Experience of working within a busy environment, practical office experience, including experience in dealing with external contractors.
• A calm and professional manner, with the ability to effectively liaise with senior management and executives.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Professional with strong interpersonal and team‑working skills.
• Ability to deal with difficult or sensitive situations tactfully and with diplomacy, and always maintaining a high degree of confidentiality.
• A flexible approach to work, prioritising work to meet demands and strong time management skills.
• Ability to network effectively with external and internal contacts, including senior management, and maintain excellent relationships.
• Excellent IT skills, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to efficiently work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• A good standard of education, including maths and English at GCSE or equivalent level.

Location: The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD, with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

Benefits: We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year‑on‑year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme.
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e‑bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest‑free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology.
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big‑name retailers, and more.
• You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top‑rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

Equal Opportunities and Inclusive Workplace: WMCA holds diversity accreditations, such as the RACE Code Quality Mark, Armed Forces Covenant (Gold status) and has been recognised as one of the Inclusive Top 50 Employers and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We are a Disability Confident Employer with Leader status, committed to interviewing applicants with disabilities who meet all the essential role criteria. We are also proud to be a Ban the Box employer, which means we do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and will only ask after an offer is made as part of our onboarding checks, which helps us remove barriers for people with past convictions and supports fair opportunities for all. We recognise that certain groups, such as women and people of colour, may be less likely to apply for roles if they feel they do not meet all the requirements. However, we encourage individuals who are passionate about the role and want to make a difference to still apply. We value potential and encourage applicants to highlight their skills, including transferable ones, even if they don't fit the traditional "perfect candidate" mould. We gladly consider part‑time, flexible, and job share arrangements, so please don’t let these factors deter you from applying.

Right to Work in the UK: Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Non‑UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant Visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).