Role Overview
Provide high level professional and confidential support to the Group Chair in their day-to-day role in a fast-paced environment, supporting with multiple business and Board roles. Ensuring that all travel and meeting arrangements are in place in addition to attending meetings, taking, and following up actions and ensuring electronic filing systems are kept up to date and maintained. Building relationships with key contacts on behalf of the Group Chair and maintaining regular communication with these contacts including senior executives, the Non-Exec Board of Directors and other EA’s both internally and externally across multiple businesses
Responsibilities
* Meeting with the Group Chair at the start of every week, to understand priorities for the coming week and to plan. To support in compiling required information for meetings and travel, following up on the required information as required.
* Manages and maintains the diary for the Group Chair and for all Board and business roles, by planning and scheduling meetings, meeting rooms, conference calls and making appropriate arrangements for travel and hospitality. Supporting with time management and ensuring their time is being utilised in the most productive way.
* Building and maintaining strong relationships with key contacts on behalf of the Group Chair with regular communication by email and telephone, liaising directly as required.
* Supports Group Chair by researching and directing correspondence; screening and responding to e-mails; drafting letters and documents; collecting and analysing information; setting up various meetings and conference calls.
* Tracks and ensures all business expenses are submitted.
* Welcomes guests by greeting them, in person or on the telephone, answering or directing enquiries.
* Operates with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality, maintains customer and employee confidence, and protects company operations by keeping information confidential.
* Attends meetings as required by the Group Chair, taking minutes, distributing actions, and following up on actions with relevant parties, ensuring deadlines are met.
* Prepares reports where required and ensures these are distributed to the Group Chair in a timely manner, ahead of key meetings such as Board and Committee meetings.
* Supports with collecting, analysing and collating information, and completing requests for information such as forms or questionnaires.
* Secures information by updating and maintaining electronic files.
* Provides historical reference by developing electronic filing and retrieval systems relevant to Group Chair, ensuring compliance with various legal and regulatory bodies.
* Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; learning and development opportunities, reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks and attending networking events where required.
* Supporting and completing other ad-hoc duties as required, to support the Group Chair with any other Board and business roles as required.
* Liaising with family members regarding personal and family commitments.
Qualifications & Experience:
* Current Personal or Executive Assistant experience at C-Suite / Board level within a large and fast paced business, ideally a FTSE business.
* A retail and/or head office background would be preferable but not essential.
* Strong, effective written and spoken communication skills along with excellent research and organisational skills.
* Evidence of and a commitment to practice a high level of confidentiality.
* Strong experience in planning, organising, and carrying out the daily activities and administrative functions in a sensitive, highly visible, and dynamic and organisational environment, requiring management of multiple and rapidly changing priorities.
* Strong office administrative and management practices and procedures.
* Must be proficient in Microsoft Office with the ability to learn new software and computer systems as well as advanced use of PowerPoint, Excel, and other business management software.
* Must be flexible and be able to work in a high-change, fast-paced environment.
* Must be a team player and be willing to receive and act on direction and motivated to take on responsibility to completion.
* Make a wide variety of logistical arrangements independently or from brief instructions.
* Establish and maintain highly effective working relationships with senior level executive management and Board members.
* Use a high degree of tact, discretion, and diplomacy in dealing with confidential and sensitive matters.