PA to Area Director North East Area - 19469

If you thrive on a challenge, in a dynamic and fast paced organisation, we’re offering a fantastic opportunity as Personal Assistant to the Environment Agency’s Area Director for the North East Area which stretches from the North Pennines to the Scottish borders with a diverse mixture of landscapes and environmental challenges.

You’ll play a vital part in helping coordinate the Area Leadership Team’s planning activities providing confidential and dedicated administrative support. You’ll use your initiative and organisation skills to effectively manage the Area Director’s email, calendar, and travel arrangements, making sure they are in the right place, at the right time, with the right information.

You’ll maintain effective action logs and bring-forward systems to ensure commitments are met. You’ll be scheduling meetings, compiling agendas, and take meeting notes and Minutes. The role also involves some data analysis.

You’ll need to be one step ahead, and deal with ever-changing priorities and deadlines with a calm common-sense approach, and “yes I can” attitude. This is a fast-paced environment, and you’ll be liaising with a wide range of internal and external customers including government departments, regulated industries, local politicians and MPs.

Although working directly for the Area Director, you’ll work closely with the Area Leadership Team and their teams.

You’ll be an inclusive team member with experience of collaborating with staff at all levels as part of a diverse workforce in which we aim for everyone to thrive and develop.

Ideally, you’ll have a minimum of 2 years’ Director-level PA experience in a fast-paced environment. You’ll be a quick thinker educated to at least A level standard and, preferably, an additional business administration or professional secretarial qualification.

Excellent communication skills are essential, as are Microsoft Office skills (including SharePoint) and general computer literacy.

You’ll be experienced at scheduling meetings, compiling agendas, minute-taking, and progressing actions, and analysing data and creating charts.

You’ll need to demonstrate you can manage your own workload, while maintaining a sense of humour, and finding the time to help colleagues, or lend a sympathetic ear.

You must be experienced in problem-solving within a framework of processes and procedures.

The role may involve occasional travel. For more information on the role, please contact John Burns or Astrella Newman at NE.ECM@environment-agency.gov.uk

Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.

Please describe some of the methods you use to monitor your own work, and how you ensure it is completed to the necessary timescales and standards.

Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately, and persuasively through speech and writing

Communication is key to successfully delivering your day job, covering the four forms of communication – written, verbal, non-verbal, and visual. Please describe your communication style and how you think this will benefit the role you have applied for. Provide an example of where you have used this to win people over.

Has full awareness of own strengths, weaknesses, impact, and approach. Effectively organises self and takes personal responsibility for own role in the Environment Agency.

Tell us about a job or experience that you would describe as a real learning experience. What personal strengths and weaknesses helped and hindered this, and how have they influenced your training and development plan?