Job Title: Leadership Personal Assistant
Global Grade: GG08
Location: Farnborough, Hampshire
Role Type: Permanent – Full Time
Role ID: 19995
Role Purpose
The Leadership Personal Assistant will provide comprehensive, professional support to the Chief Operating Officer, ensuring effective diary and time management to enable delivery of objectives in line with business and customer deadlines. The role is responsible for prioritising, monitoring, and coordinating email and written correspondence, as well as establishing and maintaining efficient administrative systems and processes. This includes the secure management, storage, and retrieval of information, with particular care for confidential, strategic, personal, and business‑critical materials.
Key Accountabilities
1. Provide high level, proactive personal assistant support to the Chief Operating Officer, ensuring smooth day to day operations and effective use of time.
2. Act as a key point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, managing communications with professionalism and discretion.
3. Manage, escalate or delegate issues appropriately within the management chain, providing clear instructions and deadlines, and ensuring timely follow up and resolution.
4. Ensure all meetings are effectively prepared in advance, with agendas and relevant materials compiled and distributed, and actions tracked through to completion.
5. Work collaboratively as a strong team player, building positive and effective relationships with colleagues, teams, and other EAs/PAs
6. Prioritise competing requests effectively and proactively resolve issues where appropriate, using sound judgement and initiative
Key Capabilities/Knowledge
• Absolute discretion, with the ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information at all times.
• Loyal, confident, and self aware, demonstrating sound judgement and professionalism.
• Highly motivated self starter with the initiative and capability to work autonomously with minimal supervision
• Achievement focused, with a strong commitment to delivering high quality outcomes.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to engage effectively at all levels.
• Highly effective planning and organisational skills, with strong attention to detail
• Proven ability to work well under pressure and manage competing priorities calmly and effectively.
• Strong relationship building skills, with the ability to establish trust and credibility across the Performance Leadership Team and the EA/PA community.
• Proactive management and de confliction of complex appointment schedules
• Flexible, approachable, and adaptable, with a friendly and collaborative working style
Experience & Qualifications
• Proven experience in a Personal Assistant role at senior level with a track record of operating with high levels of integrity, professionalism, and discretion.
• Extensive knowledge of MS Office and virtual connectivity platforms
• Ideally, current Security Clearance
Why Join QinetiQ?
As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.
As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture.
Our Benefits
* Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
* Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
* Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
* Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
* We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
* Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community
Our Recruitment Process:
We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels value, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.
Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.
Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.
UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)