Executive Assistant

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 348509**Salary**:

- £27,470 - £32,074- National: £27,470 - £28,606, London: £30,827 - £32,074 For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- DEFRA - COO - Finance - Defra Group Finance**Type of role**:

- Administration / Corporate Support
- Secretarial**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Bristol, LondonAbout the job

**Job summary**:
About the job:

- DEFRA is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink. Your role will be critically important to achieving our vision of ‘creating a great place for living’.

This role sits within the Finance team and is working directly with two Deputy Directors or a Director and a Deputy Director that manage areas within the directorate.

Defra group Finance (DgF) is an innovative, award-winning team full of talented, professional people. We are passionate about delivering a high-quality finance service to help Government achieve the best possible value for Taxpayers’ money.

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player to fill the role as an Executive Assistant to two Deputy Directors or a Director and a Deputy Director. You will have the ability to quickly develop a great rapport with other Executive Assistants who also support senior colleagues across the business. You will need to make a positive impact and be recognised for your organisational skills and knowledge of your role.

**Job description**:
Key responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
- **Diary Management**:

- Managing and prioritising diary requests for two Deputy Directors or Director, ensuring that the diary is aligned with their short and long term priorities
- Proactively resolve clashes & reschedule where necessary and as appropriate
- Maintaining a schedule of team 1:1’s & ‘Keep-in-Touch’ meetings internal Finance team, Finance Leadership Team (FLT) and externally with counterparts in other government departments
- Find appropriate deputies where necessary
- Flag last minute changes/urgent requests

**Meeting Co-ordination**:

- Schedule internal & external meetings with a wide range of individuals at all levels across the Department
- Arranging internal & external venue booking Inc. hospitality and technical equipment, setting up video or telecon facilities and booking in and collecting guests from Reception
- Organising pre-briefs for important meetings, coordination of briefing packs, assisting when required, helping to produce presentations & slide packs for meetings
- Collating meeting papers and providing secretariat function for meetings that the Director is chairing
- Arranging visits, (to other Defra offices, site visits etc.) including travel & accommodation bookings.
- Communication support issuing correspondence & communications on behalf of the Deputy Directors or Director's and reporting activity
- Monitoring progress for responses to communications prompting and chasing responses when required
- Quality assuring the content of responses.

**Supporting Finance Operations Team**:

- Commissioning and collating responses on the Deputy Directors or Director's behalf
- Providing central admin support to directorate activities as required
- Supporting Directorate-wide initiatives and playing a key role in wider directorate activities such as organising regular team calls, co-ordinating directorate newsletters and cascading information
- Collating and monitoring whereabouts and leave charts for the Deputy Directors or Director's Leadership team.

This is not an exhaustive list and the post holder need to be flexible and adapt their responsibilities to meet business demands. In return we can offer a variety of on the job learning and shadowing opportunities as well as access to training courses and events to help develop their career as well as their contribution to the wider Finance department.

**Person specification**:
**Essential Experience and Skills**

**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £27,470, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £7,417 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provi