JOB DESCRIPTION The main duties and responsibilities are indicated below. Other duties of an appropriate level and nature may also be required, as directed by the Principal. EXECUTIVE SUPPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL To act as the first point of contact for all Principal-related enquiries. To manage the diary, schedule meetings, travel arrangements, co-ordinate communications. To maintain confidential filing systems and digital archives. To manage incoming and out-going correspondence including e-mails. To ensure that the Principal is briefed before all meetings with relevant correspondence, documents/presentations. To attend meetings as required by the Principal to facilitate note-taking and record keeping and to oversee such meetings, ensuring the relevant papers and documentation are compiled or received in advance to enable the Principal time to prepare. To monitor the school info e-mail account and ensure that items are passed on promptly to the appropriate staff and acknowledged accordingly. To provide administrative support to the Principal for complex and confidential matters as and when required, including responding to subject access requests. To welcome and host all visitors to the Principal and ensure that appropriate arrangements have been made for meeting and greeting and that refreshments are available, as agreed with the Principal. To complete and submit returns as required by the Education Authority and D.E.N.I. To provide administrative support to the Principal with the production of the directed time budgets for staff. To provide administrative support to the Principal in relation to attendance at alumni fundraising and development events, e.g. scheduling travel arrangements, providing reports, presentations etc. To deal with Parent/Carer and other external stakeholder queries – especially in the absence of the Principal and decide how to screen telephone calls, enquiries and requests and handle them or delegate to others as appropriate, using discretion in providing information both within and outside the school. To provide administrative support for Principal-led initiatives. To co-ordinate the collection, entry and extraction of data required to complete statutory returns, for example, Freedom of Information requests or suspensions. GOVERNANCE SUPPORT Provide administrative support to the Board of Governors. Organise Board of Governors’ meetings, including admin preparation, refreshments and diary management for meetings, including the full Board and its sub-committees. Co-ordinate agendas, papers, minutes and governance correspondence for SLT meetings. To provide administrative support in relation to the School Development plan, including the operation of stakeholder surveys. SUPERVISION To line manage the members of the school office team. Management duties include responsibility for: The planning and co-ordination of the delivery of the administrative service through the school office to include reception services, pupil records, pupil attendance, pupil reports, communication with parents, reporting to the Department of Education/Education Authority/other statutory bodies, e.g. the production of the Annual Census. The management, allocation and review of specific duties and responsibilities to school office staff. ADMISSIONS & TRANSFER To support the admissions process and to manage administrative aspects of admissions and SEAG transfer procedures. Specifically, to manage the school’s interaction with the EA’s admissions portal and operate the school’s admissions spreadsheet. Collate information on Admissions, Special Circumstances and Special Provisions information to support the work of the Admissions Committee. Liaise with Parents, Primary Schools, other Post-Primary Schools and external bodies. To act as the point of contact in relation to any admission queries received, referring matters to appropriate members of staff as required. To maintain appropriate waiting lists for admission and advise the Principal accordingly. STAFFING & RECRUITMENT To have responsibility for recruitment processes and associated paperwork [including Access (NI)] for internal and external appointment processes, as directed by the Principal. To be responsible for correspondence with applicants, including the organisation of interviews. To maintain accurate files on all employees. COMMUNICATION & STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS To provide a friendly, courteous and professional first point of contact for all who seek time with the Principal, in person or otherwise, whether Staff, Governors, Parents, Pupils, Alumni or others. To balance the above with being a necessary ‘gatekeeper’ to the Principal to help manage workload. To maintain an Alumni Engagement database. Liaise as required with Past Pupils’ Association, Parents and Friends Group and other relevant bodies within the school community. To ensure the school communication systems (including ParentMail) are updated with all new pupil and parent information and to ensure that these systems are accurately maintained and updated on a timely basis. EVENTS & PUBLICATIONS Assist with organisation of Prize Day, Open Nights and other key events. To assist the Marketing and Publications Manager in the production of accurate and high-quality School Publications, School Policy Documents, Briefing Papers, Reports, Presentations etc. as required [e.g. the School Prospectus, Governors’ Annual Report, Information for Parents’ Booklet and the whole-school Calendar]. DATA PROTECTION Policy & Compliance Management: Lead day-to-day UK GDPR/DPA compliance across the school, reviewing and implementing data protection policies annually. Information Governance & Retention: Oversee data sharing and secure storage, ensuring sensitive data is handled correctly and disposed of per the Department of Education schedule. Statutory Requests: Partner with the Principal to process and fulfil all Subject Access (SAR) and Freedom of Information (FoI) requests. Audits & Risk Assessments: Conduct regular compliance audits and Privacy by Design risk assessments on systems and third-party agreements. Breach Response & Logging Investigate data breaches or cyber security incidents, maintaining the School’s Data Breach Register and coordinating response actions. Staff Training & Guidance: Provide operational guidance and support to the office staff and volunteers to ensure ongoing data protection and cyber security awareness. Whilst every effort has been made to explain the duties and responsibilities of the post, each individual task undertaken may not be identified. The post-holder will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from the Principal to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in this job description. CRITERIA FOR THE APPOINTMENT The person appointed to this post must be able to demonstrate by means of his/her application and, if shortlisted, the responses he/she makes to the questions asked at interview that he/she meets the following criteria. Essential Criteria: Qualifications A minimum of five GCSEs (grade A* to C) to include English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent) and a minimum of two ‘A’ Levels at pass grade (or equivalent). Experience A minimum of two years’ recent experience of providing executive support to senior leaders within a complex organisational environment. A minimum of one year’s recent experience in supervision of staff including management and direction of work. Knowledge Demonstrate evidence of knowledge of: The requirements of Personal Assistant to the Principal. General administrative processes and records. Data protection legislation to ensure GDPR compliance. Skills/Abilities Proven effective planning and organisational skills and an ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines. Proven effective people management skills. Self-motivation and the capacity to work on their own initiative. Ability to work effectively as part of a team to achieve outcomes. Evidence of sound interpersonal and communication skills. Evidence of proficiency in the use of computer packages (to include use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook). Desirable Criteria: A minimum of one year’s experience of working in a school. Hold relevant administrative qualifications. Hold appropriate ICT qualifications. Hold a degree (or equivalent). Essential and/or desirable criteria may be further enhanced for shortlisting purposes. Applicants should ensure the application form is completed carefully and accurately and should clearly demonstrate how the essential and desirable criteria are met.