Private Assistant ● Personal Assistant ● UHNW ● Family Office ● Founder-owned Business ● London
Our client is the Founder and majority shareholder of a London-based holding company which manages his business interests. These are centred around high-end hospitality provided across both members clubs and eateries.
The Founder is seeking a new Senior Personal Assistant to support him both personally and professionally in his role as the main creative and strategic driver of the company. The successful candidate will provide 24/7 support to the Founder, ensuring that his domestic and working life run smoothly and efficiently. This role will be split approximately 60% supporting on personal tasks and 40% on corporate/business-related tasks. This individual will be responsible for managing a wide range of administrative and support tasks, ensuring the seamless handling of effective diary management and correspondence, smooth operation of various projects as well as provision of ad hoc advice and support as required by the Founder. This individual will report directly to the Founder but provide support to the Senior Director as required.
Responsibilities
Duties undertaken by this individual will include (but may not be limited to) the following:
* Full responsibility for the co-ordination and scheduling of events and appointments for the Founder. This may be both professional as well as personal; they will ensure the seamless integration of both these schedules and will have a strong sense of prioritisation.
* Handling all correspondence (email or otherwise) to the Founder. They will deal with numerous external people/companies on his behalf. They will keep the Founder informed of matters requiring his attention.
* Act as gatekeeper to the Founder. They should protect him and his diary and ensure that his time is sensibly managed, where appropriate acting as his representative.
* Maintain oversight and awareness over the Founder’s personal and professional life such that he remains ‘on the front foot’ – they will anticipate and manage issues and opportunities in both contexts.
* This individual will be a confidante and trusted source of counsel to the Founder. They will advise him on everyday matters relating to scheduling, correspondence and personal finances and will be available for ad hoc discussions.
* They will have partial responsibility for the Founder’s public image; they will work closely with relevant team members in protecting his privacy.
* They will oversee and be responsible for a household account and its related expenditure. They will review business expenditure with a member from the finance team.
* Regular liaison with household staff; they will part-manage and instruct housekeepers to ensure that households are functioning efficiently and to an appropriate standard.
* Oversight and coordination of household and personal shopping.
* Responsible for the planning and booking of holidays and business trips including flight arrangements, ground transport and accommodation.
* Oversight of wardrobe management and maintenance, including coordination with housekeepers to ensure packing is completed in a timely and efficient manner.
* Provision of technology and device management, including troubleshooting and repairs.
* Available for ad hoc assistance, management and troubleshooting at the Founder’s private residence where required.
Additional Information
This individual will be expected to be in the office five days a week.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will possess most of, if not all, the following characteristics and skills:
* At least 10 years of experience in a relevant context ideally with some experience of family office or working for an entrepreneur.
* Highly organised, responsive and capable of prioritising tasks. They will have excellent administration skills and attention to detail.
* Trustworthy, discrete and of high integrity. This individual will be reliable and their willingness to go ‘the extra mile’ will define their approach to this role.
* Resilient, adaptable and able to handle ‘curve balls’.
* A self-starter, happy working autonomously and on their own.
* Strong interpersonal skills and excellent written and verbal communication skills. They will be skilled in absorbing and then disseminating information in a succinct and timely manner.
* Good EQ – they will be able to interact with individuals from a range of backgrounds and will be capable of building strong working relationships with those around them.
* Proactive, driven and hard-working. The hired candidate will be a natural problem solver with a high level of intuition and independence.
* Robust and calm with an unflappable demeanour. They will be capable of working well under pressure.
* High level of professionalism with a ‘can do’ attitude.
* Good understanding of quality – both materially and in working standards. They will have an appreciation for the vision behind and values of the company and the Founder.
* They will be IT-literate and will have a good working knowledge of basic programmes (e.g. Word, Excel) as well as related tech assignments (e.g. Wi-Fi troubleshooting).
* A sense of humour is vital.