Executive Officer/ PA

Brook Street; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading civil service support agency in Westminster is seeking a Personal Assistant for a 4-month contract. This role involves supporting Deputy Directors, managing schedules, and collaborating with a high-performing team. Ideal candidates are proactive, organised, and detail-oriented. The role offers opportunities for skill development and potential for promotion.

Qualifications

• Ability to manage high workload under pressure.
• Confident in articulating complex messages.
• Experience in team collaboration and supporting team goals.

Responsibilities

• Assist with planning and scheduling for Deputy Directors.
• Maintain project controls and produce reports.
• Organise and provide support for meetings.

Skills

Excellent organisational skills

Proficient user of MS Teams and Office Suite

Ability to establish and maintain relationships

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Flexibility and adaptability

Ability to process and analyse information

Job description

Department for Education

Overview

Education Estates Directorate - Personal Assistant

Duration of Contract: 4 Months with possible Extension

Pay Rate: £17.15 per hour

Office Hours: Mon-Fri - 9am - 5pm

Location: Westminster, London

The role is Monday to Friday, with the expectation that most hours are worked between 9 AM and 5 PM.

This is a busy and engaging position, ideal for someone looking to gain experience within the civil service. It offers great scope for skill development and leadership and has often served as a springboard for promotion.

The most successful candidates tend to be proactive, organised, and focused on efficiency and continuous improvement.

The initial contract is expected to last 3 months while a permanent recruitment process is underway, with a possibility of extension depending on resourcing needs.

While not expected to involve regular travel, the role may occasionally require face-to-face meetings at other DfE sites (likely no more than once a month), depending on support needs for Deputy Directors.

Job Description

This role sits within the Directors' Office and Directorate Support Team and will interact closely with the Senior Leadership Team, supporting them to perform their duties effectively.

The role requires someone who pays strong attention to detail but can also consider the bigger picture in a strategic way. We are looking for a highly organised individual who is detail orientated and able to prioritise multiple, often competing priorities. You will be a member of a high-performing team and supportive network of PAs and wider Directorate and Corporate support staff.

Key responsibilities

• Planning and scheduling - assist with and maintain appropriate systems to enable effective planning and scheduling. Diary management for Deputy Directors including setting up meetings, maintain a schedule of key stakeholders and staff discussions. Ensuring that papers/briefings/agendas are in place for meetings, and commissioning background briefings where required.
• Monitoring and reporting - assist in maintaining project controls and in producing project reports.
• Admin - organise key divisional and Deputy Director led meetings, providing secretariat support when required.
• Stakeholders - maintain stakeholder relationships with and on behalf of SLT members, ensuring responses to external requests are provided in a timely manner.
• Collaborating with divisional teams to collate responses for a range of commissions for the division, taking initiative to ensure all are supported. Collaborating with the wider PA network/team to coordinate single responses to collective commissions where appropriate.
• Organisation of internal events and meetings
• Other ad-hoc duties deemed appropriate to the grade by your Deputy Director(s).
• Providing Secretariat support to Directorate level boards when required.
• Supporting DDs and Divisions with reward and recognition processes e.g. In Year Awards.
• Travel and accommodation - booking travel and accommodation as required in line with Department policy and guidance.

Essential Criteria

• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise effectively to manage a high workload in high pressure situations.
• Proficient user of MS Teams and Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote.
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with a diverse range of people, including senior stakeholders and use these to influence others.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and confidence in articulating and delivering complex and sometimes difficult messages.
• Work effectively in a team, being flexible and adaptable to support the wider team goals when needed.
• Ability to process and analyse large amounts of information, draw conclusions, and weigh up conflicting evidence to make clear recommendations.

Brook Street is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant and as such, we guarantee to interview all candidates who are veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel, and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy.

As a Disability Confident Leader, and holder of the Gold Award status from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, Brook Street, as a supplier to the Public Sector Resourcing Framework (PSR), will offer you a guaranteed interview with a PSR Sourcer.

Should you identify as a candidate with a disability and/or as a veteran or spouse/partner of military personnel and meet all the essential criteria for the role, we encourage you to reach out to us via the Brook Street website. Here you will find a link to register your interest and state the role that you are interested in. We are committed to engaging with you.

In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates/military spouses/partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, Brook Street will interview the best candidates from within that group.