Purpose of Role
We are seeking to recruit an Executive Assistant to provide high quality executive support to members of the Senior Executive. The ideal candidate will be confident in supporting and working with the Senior Executive Assistants and Admin Assistants within the group to drive collaboration and effective team working.
This role includes providing information and administrative support to members of University Executive as well as their admin teams, determining work priorities and managing information, decisions and communications. The role holder will be responsible for the day-to-day operational aspects of work such as complex diary management, email prioritisation, meeting coordination, travel arrangements, purchase orders and invoice payments. Other tasks will include communication with internal colleagues and external bodies and a variety of discrete tasks and projects. In this, the job holder will be expected to manage their own workload will be the designated expert user of related IT systems.
The appointed Executive Assistant will have a proven track record in the delivery of administrative services to high-level management. The job holder will be expected to develop and maintain a broad knowledge of activities and will be expected to manage general administrative support tasks, such as general filing and archiving (in line with Data Protection and Retention of Records requirements), they will be relied upon to provide excellent administrative services and promote a high quality, professional business environment. Highly digitally literate the post holder will drive communication and team working across their team through the development and roll-out of relevant supporting tools where relevant.
Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities
1. Preparation of papers for meetings, and organising diary appointments
2. Securely managing travel, expenses and other general budget management utilising a departmental purchase card to make authorised purchases;
3. Receive, understand and convey information in a clear and accurate manner, for example drafting meeting notes and circulating to the right people to tight deadlines, or engaging personally, by email or by telephone;
4. Be supportive and encouraging of others in a team and help build co-operation by setting an example and showing a flexible approach to deliver team results, for example by contributing to the work of the team and helping coordinate work to meet deadlines;
5. Deal with internal and external contacts who ask for service or require information;
6. Create a positive image of the University by being responsive and prompt in responding to requests and referring the user to the right person as necessary;
7. Designated Service Expert/ Lead User of ERP, Office 365 and Admin Control (app used by University Executive) providing advice and guidance on various processes;
8. Contribute to decision making by providing relevant information and opinions to meet individual/team goals, anticipating any issues which need to be taken into account and using sound judgement to make decisions with limited or ambiguous data;
9. Plan, prioritise and organise own work to agreed objectives; as well those of their team
10. Solve standard day-to-day problems, identify their cause, choose the best option available, and take proactive actions to resolve the problem.
Education, Qualifications & Experience
This role requires, organisational ability, proactivity and accuracy. Knowledge of the University's policies, procedures and processes is advantageous, as is experience of working with committees and other complex meeting groups.
Essential
11. Educated to first degree level or equivalent practical experience in the workplace;
12. Experience of working within a similar fast paced environment with proven relevant experience of supporting senior/executive level management
13. Competent and proficient in the use of Office 365 and other IT packages
14. A high degree of attention to detail and accuracy of working; and experience of team working and effectiveness as a good team player.
15. Well-developed interpersonal skills
16. Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment, maintaining confidentiality when dealing with highly sensitive information
17. Demonstrable professional and proactive approach
Desirable
18. Experience of working in the Higher Education sector is highly desirable.
About our Team
Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.
Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.
The Office of the Principal provides executive, strategic, and administrative support to the Principal and the Senior Executive Team by working with Senior Executive Assistants.