An exciting maternity cover opportunity has become available to work within a forward-thinking department in Pharmacy, for the role of Personal Assistant. The ideal candidate would be an extremely organised individual, computer-literate and with excellent communication skills.
Main duties of the job
To act as a Personal Assistant to Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation & Chief Pharmacist by planning and organising the business administration of the Pharmacy Directorate.
To provide a comprehensive and confidential administrative support to the pharmacy team.
To be responsible for the administrative functions and the smooth and efficient running of the pharmacy office, handling sensitive and complex issues in a professional manner, and managing the HR aspects of the department of pharmacy recruitment processes.
Working for our organisation
At the Dudley Group our patients and staff are at the heart of all that we do and that is to provide a world class service that aligns with our vision of “excellent health care, improved health for all”. We are seeking to recruit staff who share our vision and values of making Dudley Group an incredible workplace.
As part of the NHS People Promise, your wellbeing is our priority, and we are committed to ensuring our employees achieve a healthy work-life balance supported by our and by making reasonable adjustments where possible. We believe no-one should have to sacrifice family, friends, or their personal interests for work. We are a modern employer able to attract and retain high quality staff through our commitment to the NHS People Promise.
As an employer, we foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to contribute their best. We want to ensure that our workforce is representative of the population we serve. More information - inclusive practice people promise.
Dudley Group offer many opportunities for our staff to develop and grow within their roles through our Learning & OD Team. These include topics such as communication, wellbeing, team development, cultural competency, and values.
Please click below to view our EDI page: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion - The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (dgft.nhs.uk)
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Personal Assistant Duties
1. Support the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation & Chief Pharmacist by providing a high standard of administrative support to meet the needs of the pharmacy objectives, executed with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, with particular emphasis on appropriateness, accuracy and timeliness.
2. Assist in the management and organisation of the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation & Chief Pharmacist’s calendar by scheduling appointments and meetings as required, booking of rooms and preparation of documents.
3. Sorting and prioritising all incoming mail/emails for the managers, distributing and responding to as appropriate and ensuring flagged when necessary
4. Respond to correspondence and to draft replies/reports for discussion and agreement.
5. To prepare formal agenda, take minutes for meetings, distribution of papers to team members as required and carry out other general secretarial and administrative duties.
6. Manage an effective bring-forward system to ensure correspondence and relevant information are available for timely action to meet agreed deadlines.
7. To deal with general telephone reception work including the resolution of telephone enquiries of a non-technical nature and ensure that these are answered personally or by the appropriate Pharmacy Department staff member.
8. Meeting and greeting visitors and stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
9. Receipt and distribution of Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation & Chief Pharmacist mail, using initiative to act where appropriate and liaising with all grades of staff, external bodies and the public in the resolution of enquiries as necessary.
10. Prioritise own tasks, exercising a degree of independence, initiative, and judgement. Assess situations, identify, and resolve potential problems within own skill set.
11. Planning, arranging and co-ordination of annual pharmacy away day and any other events as required.
12. Maintaining personal files for pharmacy staff. Maintaining an effective filing system and ensuring the security of confidential files.
13. Utilise the NHS Business Authority EPACT 2 system to create monthly financial reports.
14. Ensure stationery stock levels are maintained for the Directorate and ensure ordering of supplies when appropriate
15. To provide assistance as and when required with projects or specific work within the Directorate
16. To undertake any other duties, required by the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation & Chief Pharmacist, appropriate to grade and relevant to the post.
Business & Administration Office Management
17. To be responsible for administrative functions and general smooth and efficient running of the pharmacy Business and Administration office.
18. To be accountable for, provide leadership to, and day to day supervision of, the business support officers and pharmacy business apprentice in the pharmacy department, ensuring appraisals are completed in line with Trust objectives, the service requirements are provided, and the performance of individual staff is managed appropriately
19. To undertake shortlisting and conducting interviews for team vacancies
20. To prepare and distribute the business and clerical hub rota for team
21. To order FP10 (HNC), FP10 (PN), FP10 (NC) prescriptions and order outpatient prescriptions.
22. To control the receipt, distribution, and security of external prescription pads, FP10 (HNC) and costing out of FP10 (HNC) prescriptions on JAC.
23. To ensure the monthly payroll including, on call payments and electronic time off in lieu (TOIL) forms are processed on time for all pharmacy department staff.
24. To support the management of performance planning and PDR reviews for all pharmacy staff, in accordance with Trust Policy and Trust targets and updating PDR data annually on the Trust Appraisal tracker.
25. Utilising the E-Rostering System to monitor, record and report appropriate data in relation to staff sickness and annual leave. Use the relevant e-rostering documentation to ensure employee work patterns and hours are updated. Ensure that yearly annual leave entitlements for all pharmacy staff are updated on E-rostering in advance of the new financial year.
26. Ensure archiving or disposal of documentation as appropriate.
27. To order and receipt goods in accordance with the Trust’s financial framework.
28. Ensuring maintenance contracts/licences and subscriptions are renewed appropriately
29. Ensuring authorisation of invoices by the relevant signatories.
30. To use a variety of software packages including Microsoft Office Suite, MS teams, N365, email and bespoke packages to produce correspondence and maintain records, departmental spreadsheets and databases
People management
31. To manage all personnel matters relating to the employment of staff within the Department of Pharmacy including:
32. Utilising the TRAC recruitment management system to upload, monitor and track progress of pharmacy vacancies. This includes, sending out interview invites, preparing interview packs and documentation for the interview panel, facilitating assessments centres and co-ordinating interview schedules, supporting line managers with the use of the TRAC recruitment system and tracking employment checks and references.
33. Responsible for administration and completion of recruitment documentation for successfully appointed internal candidates, (i.e., offer letters, references and contracts/amendments, health clearances)
34. Maintaining the pharmacy vacancy tracker and departmental staff records.
35. Support the introduction of new colleagues into the department.
36. Completion and processing of electronic contract change requests, salary changes, termination forms, maternity/paternity, secondments, substantive bank posts, using the Trust staff admin system.
37. To record and monitor pharmacy staff sickness on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR)
38. To ensure that processes exist for effectively communicating with all Trust staff on issues of a pharmaceutical nature, as directed by the Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation & Chief Pharmacist
39. To oversee the monthly and weekly payroll administration to the required deadlines and maintaining electronic time off in lieu records for all pharmacy department employees.
40. To ensure working hours for Locum staff is recorded and sent to Management Accounts team monthly.
Communication & Relationships
41. Develops and maintains excellent working relationship with pharmacy workforce, Senior Pharmacy Leadership team, other stakeholders and external partners
42. Handles sensitive data confidentially
Person specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential criteria
43. NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration
44. English & Maths GCSE Grade C or above / equivalent
45. Secretarial experience and RSA/OCR Level 3 or equivalent qualification
Desirable criteria
46. Advanced skills in Microsoft Office & general IT skills equivalent to ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence)
Knowledge & Training
Essential criteria
47. Knowledge of NHS administration procedures
48. Commitment to training and willing to undertake training to meet requirements for the role
49. Willing to undertake training to meet the ever-changing requirements of the role applied for
Experience
Essential criteria
50. Previous experience in an administrative PA role
51. Experience dealing with recruitment
52. Experience of high-quality minute taking
53. Able to work with confidential material and maintain confidentiality and discretion
Desirable criteria
54. Experience in leading or supervising a team is highly desirable
Communication & Relationship Skills
Essential criteria
55. Evidence of effective team working to deliver good outcomes and also able to work alone
56. Excellent interpersonal, and time management skills, diplomacy, tact and well-developed organisational skills.
57. Excellent written/oral communication skills
Planning & Organisational Skills
Essential criteria
58. Ability to meet deadlines and manage time/set priorities
Analytical & Judgement Skills
Essential criteria
59. Practical approach to problem solving on a day-to-day basis
60. Able to use initiative, multi-task and prioritise duties
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Trust Values
Essential criteria
61. Able to provide safe, caring, and effective services
62. Values and behaviours that reflect the Trust values of Care, Respect and Responsibility
63. Commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that is free from discrimination and where people feel they belong, and their contribution is valued
Using AI for jobs applications:
Whilst we encourage the use of technology to help manage time and support innovation. However, it is your responsibility to ensure your application is personalised and clearly reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI can assist with drafting, it should only be used as a support tool. The content must be your own work and accurately represent your knowledge, abilities, and values. Over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in your application being rejected. A common issue arises when we receive multiple applications with identical or overly generic language.
The use of AI during assessments, including interviews, is not permitted unless it has been pre-approved as part of a reasonable adjustment. For digital interviews, you may be asked to provide a 360-degree view of your surroundings on camera and confirm that no additional devices are present. If we suspect AI is being used during an interview, we may pause the process to clarify or adjust our approach to questioning.
Caring for patients demands integrity, honesty, and accountability. We expect your application and participation to be authentic and a genuine reflection of your own experiences and values.
Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered, dependant upon Job Role and Salary needed to meet the criteria for sponsorship, alongside all other applications. Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Work in the UK.
It is vital that you provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Not everyone needs a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa.