Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Bristol

About the job

Job summary

Do you have experience of providing administrative support at director level?

Are you someone with excellent time management skills?

Can you be highly organised and responsive to changing demands?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

As the Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive you will need to deliver a high quality professional administrative service. You will act as a mentor to Personal Assistants supporting the Executive Team and coordinate activities across the Personal Assistant team to ensure consistency and quality. 

The role involves close-working with the offices of Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Senior Civil Servants as well as Directors and senior management from DVSA. It is a demanding, varied and interesting role and requires someone who is pro-active, flexible and responsive. You must also possess high levels of integrity given the often highly confidential nature of the Chief Executive’s responsibilities. 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Pro-actively manage the Chief Executive’s diary and travel arrangements, maintaining free space in the diary, setting reminders for actions and responses, and managing priorities and clashes. Adding reminders to calendar and keeping time free for actions to be addressed.
• Closely liaise with Corporate Office in making arrangements for all meetings between the Chief Executive and the Secretary of State, Ministers, Permanent Secretary, Select Committees and other Senior Government Officials.
• Liaise with Directors and senior management to ensure good quality information is available in advance of meetings, visits and presentations.
• Closely liaise with the Chair and Non-Executive Directors ensuring they have access to appropriate information where needed.
• Analyse papers and prepare them for the Chief Executive’s attention.
• Co-ordinate the workload of the PAs, ensuring cover is provided across all Directors at all times, taking account of annual leave, etc.

Please see the Candidate Pack attached to this job advert for more information about the role and responsibilities.

Person specification

About you

We are looking for someone with experience of providing administrative support at director level. Someone who can mentor and co-ordinate the work of others by utilising their experience.

They must be highly organised and responsive to ever-changing demands, with the flexibility to work outside the remit of their role and able to establish and maintain excellent working relationships at all levels within the Civil Service and outside, such as industry / private sector organisations / trade and road safety organisations as well, which may well require a different approach and ways of working.

Time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines is essential with prior experience of in-depth diary management.

Advanced user knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 products (i.e. Word, Power point and email) is required for the role, as well as experience of drafting emails and letters accurately and concisely using these tools.

The successful candidate will have high levels of integrity, particularly when dealing with highly confidential topics. They will be able to extract accurate, concise summaries from complex information. 

Additional Information

Please take note that DVSA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

This role will be based in Bristol, your presence at this location will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you. 

This role is suitable for hybrid working, and therefore a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements. Hybrid working is a non-contractual arrangement where employees have the flexibility to work remotely combined with a minimum of 60% of their working time a month at either their principal workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, to carry out separate duties at alternative working locations or DVSA sites. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation. For example, due to the nature of this role, you will be required to be extra flexible with your working and be available to go into office when the Chief Executive is in office.

If you have questions regarding how hybrid working is practiced within the business area, or any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may currently have or need in place if successful in your application, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

Occasional travel with potential overnight stays may be required.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week over 5 days. 

The working days for this role will be Monday-Friday each week.

About Us

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably.

We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

We’re working hard to:

• make roads safer.
• improve services for our customers.
• make road transport greener and healthier.
• harness the potential of technology and data.
• grow and level up the economy.

To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and making DVSA a great place to work visit our Careers website. 

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,603, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £9,445 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
• Generous Annual Leave – 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30.
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Latest IT and Tech devices.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level.
• Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names.
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing.
• Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers.
• For more information see visit our careers page.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Tanya Reay
• Email : tanya.reay@dvsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

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