Personnel Assistant to Station Commander / Regional Commander South East Stations

Contents

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

Ruislip, London (region), HA4 6NG

About the job

Job summary

As Personal Assistant to the Station Commander / Regional Commander South-East at RAF Northolt, your main role is to provide secretarial and administrative support through the management of both diaries and schedules. You will act as the main point of contact for the Outer Office, representing the office to internal staff and external visitors. You will facilitate the best use of the Station Commander’s time and efforts, in turn ensuring the smooth running of the whole Station. You will gain extensive experience working in a military environment that supports military personnel, civil servants, and contractors, whilst gaining insight into MOD workings and UK Defence.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

As the Personal Assistant to the Station Commander of RAF Northolt, you will be responsible for providing secretarial and administrative support in order to ensure the effective functioning of the Station Commander’s (Outer) Office. The Station Commander is responsible for all Whole Force personnel and activities on the Station, whether direct subordinates or Resident units. In addition, the Station Commander is also the Regional Commander South-East, with oversight of RAF Halton, RAF Henlow and RAF High Wycombe. The Personal Assistant role is essential to supporting the effective use of the Station Commander’s time and output.

You will report directly to the Station Commander and provide Outer Office support for the Station Commander, their Executive and the wider Station, including liaising with the Regional South-East Stations. As the main point of contact for the Station Commander, you will need to maintain good working relationships with Station and Regional personnel across the Whole Force, and demonstrate exceptional organisational abilities to keep the office running smoothly.

You will organise and coordinate the Station Commander’s diary via Outlook, have all necessary supporting papers prepared and are up-to-date on all new requests or meeting conflicts. You will handle with utmost discretion private or personal meetings/appointments and be able to prioritise on behalf of the Station Commander where necessary.

The role requires the use of task trackers for the coordination of emails / tasks, and the prioritisation for action, with deadlines highlighted of both. Additionally, you may be required to finalise or start draft correspondence and presentations.

You will undertake general administrative duties including facilitating travel requirements, ordering stationary, and coordinating/ensuring required IT or conference facilities are functioning and up-to-date.

It is essential that you stay up to date with all Civil Service mandatory training, and develop knowledge through training provided on risk management, HR, and management tracking databases.

Person specification

As the Station Commander’s PA you will:

Have excellent organisation, coordination and time management skills, able to multitask, flex and adapt to changing priorities and demands whilst continuously delivering at pace.

Have high quality interpersonal skills, an ability to build rapport and sustain working relationships with clear communication and direction. 

Have, as the focal point for all visitors and calls to the Outer Office, a professional, welcoming demeanour and strong and confident communication skills. 

Be able to see the bigger picture and run the Outer Office in a way which maximises the Station Commander’s time.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,235, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,600 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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 : RAF Northolt Executive Officer
• Email : NOR-StationExecutives@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

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