Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
This is a role for a highly organised and committed Senior Personal Assistant who will provide direct support to the assigned Executive Director(s)/Senior Lead(s). This role offers the opportunity to be involved in interesting, complex, and high-profile work across the organisation.
The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating and managing multiple pressures to allow the Executive Director/Senior Lead to focus on their priorities and maximize their time delivering against their objectives. They will be a highly motivated, proactive and experienced personal assistant willing to grow their networks and build new relationships to deliver expert support. They will also be a team player, with excellent communication skills, representing the trust values and behaviours at all times
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be responsible for supporting the Executive Director(s)/Senior Lead(s) to deliver their various responsibilities across the breadth of their remit. Although this will vary on a day-to-day basis, and with the specifics of the executive portfolio, but such responsibilities will include:
Providing a high standard of personal assistance, secretarial and general administrative support.
Enabling efficient operation of their portfolios whilst always ensuring the utmost professionalism and confidentiality.
Effective planning, organisation and communication skills, including responsibility for pro-active and responsive daily management of diaries, meeting preparation, pre-briefing and follow-up, appropriately responding to emails and phone calls, and other matters as required.
Using initiative and excellent organisation and presentation skills to respond to project and other preparation and planning tasks as required by the Executive Director(s) / Senior Lead(s) in the efficient execution of their role.
Working for our organisation
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Part of this fast-paced role will require the post holder to be an effective communication link between a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
The post holder will be expected to adopt a flexible approach to suit the variable and developing workload within the corporate areas supported.
The post holder will be required to work at all Trust main sites, with flexibility to co-locate with Directors/Senior teams as needed in a fluid way throughout the working week.
The post holder will be required to demonstrate excellent organisational and administrative skills with the ability to work independently using high levels of discretion, judgement and critical analysis while balancing the competing priorities of the Executive Director(s)/Senior Lead(s) that they support.
Effectively balance the competing demands on the time of the Executive Director/Senior Lead that they support and actively provide highly effective and adaptable administrative support tailored to their needs and portfolio.
Expertise and commitment to working and engaging constructively with internal and external stakeholders on a range of issues to ensure the effective engagement of the Executive Director/ Senior lead and organisation/trust.
Present a professional, welcoming and helpful image to staff, other organisations and the public at all times and via all methods of communication.
Be aware of the complex, potentially contentious and highly sensitive environment in which the Executive Directors and their Senior Leads operate to ensure the effective and appropriate use of their time through prioritising appointments, dealing with matters and actions liaising with staff, both internal and external.
Nurture key relationships and monitor networks internally and externally.
Develop and maintain close collaboration and co-operation with the wider Executive Team and their Senior Leads, working at all times to achieve set standards.
Ensure all communication is dealt with in a timely, efficient manner and that deadlines are met, taking action, where appropriate, in the absence of the Senior Leads.
Produce correspondence, reports, and complete projects as required to a high standard and to agreed deadlines, with due respect for confidentiality and corporate style.
Person specification
Essential criteria
6. Degree or equivalent experience relevant to this post.
7. Recent substantial experience of working as a PA at Director/Deputy level.
8. Experience of coordinating multiple tasks with competing demands simultaneously.
9. Experience of working to very tight deadlines.
10. Experience of servicing and taking minutes at high level Committee meetings.
Experience
Essential criteria
11. Advanced knowledge of standard office administrative practices and procedures. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
12. High level of interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate complex issues and work effectively with a wide range of staff at all levels of seniority.
13. Highly developed problem-solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
14. Excellent organisational abilities and attention to detail.
15. Familiarity with AI tools used in administrative settings
16. Ability to adapt to new technologies and champion digital solutions within the team.
17. Strong judgement in balancing automation with the need for human oversight in sensitive or complex matters
18. Ability to provide and receive sensitive or sometimes contentious information.
19. Skills for communication on complex, matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence.
20. Work proactively with a high degree of autonomy and on own initiative.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
21. Ability to communicate effectively at all levels using e-mail, telephone or face to face
22. Ability to deal with confidential and sensitive issues with tact
23. Attention to detail and able to see tasks through to completion
24. Advanced and accurate keyboard skills for producing reports, spreadsheets and correspondence etc
25. Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the department
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.
Application numbers
To ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.
We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.