PA To Managing Director

Confidential; England; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential is seeking a proactive, highly organised PA / Office Manager to support the Managing Director within a busy, family‑run business. The role is 30 hours per week, Monday to Friday, and fully office‑based.

The position involves drafting correspondence, coordinating on business matters, and occasional personal PA tasks for the MD and Operations Director. A varied role across property and farming interests is expected.

Qualifications

• Experience as PA/Office Manager in a busy environment.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential information and sensitive material.
• Willingness to support a family‑run business across varied tasks.

Responsibilities

• Draft emails, letters and correspondence for the Managing Director.
• Coordinate with the MD on business matters and prepare information.
• Provide personal and family PA support including travel arrangements.
• Act as an effective gatekeeper and prioritise MD attention.
• Answer calls, take orders, assist reception for visitors.
• Manage day-to-day office administration and records.
• Support staff HR paperwork, holidays and queries.
• Assist with property portfolio and farm-related tasks.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and research solutions.

Skills

Proactive

Highly organised

Gatekeeper

Written communication

Discreet

Initiative

Job description

PA to Managing Director / Office Manager

30 hours per week (approx.) - Monday to Friday

The Role

We are looking for a proactive, highly organised and commercially minded PA / Office Manager to support the Managing Director within a busy, family-run business.

The core business is potato packing and distribution, with wider interests in commercial property and farming. This makes the role extremely varied and suited to someone who enjoys getting involved across different areas of a business rather than working within a narrowly defined remit.

The role is primarily focused on supporting the Managing Director, with additional support to the Operations Director and, where required, the wider family on both business and personal matters.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Acting as PA to the Managing Director, including drafting emails, letters and other correspondence on his behalf.
• Working closely with the Managing Director on correspondence and business matters, sometimes preparing information independently and sometimes working through matters together.
• Providing occasional personal and family PA support, including appointments, travel, purchases, insurance and other ad hoc matters.
• Acting as an effective gatekeeper - understanding what callers or visitors need, dealing with matters where appropriate and identifying what genuinely requires the Managing Director's attention.
• Answering incoming calls, taking customer orders and dealing with customers visiting reception for orders and collections.
• Managing the general day-to-day office administration and keeping records, paperwork and office filing systems organised.
• Supporting day-to-day staff administration, including holidays, employee queries, confidential records and general HR paperwork.
• Purchasing, supplier liaison, insurance, utilities and other general business administration.
• Looking for potential cost-saving opportunities across the business, researching alternatives and presenting recommendations where appropriate.
• Researching issues, suppliers and possible solutions rather than simply highlighting problems.
• Supporting the administration of the company's commercial property portfolio, including vacant properties, utilities, planning matters, councils, legislation and liaison with professional advisers where required.
• Supporting matters relating to the farm, land and wider business interests.
• Coordinating Health & Safety administration, including reviewing actions arising from external H&S audits, completing routine checks and ensuring required actions are followed up.
• Assisting with vehicle, FLT and maintenance administration, including monitoring relevant renewal and compliance dates alongside the Managing Director.
• Providing occasional payroll/timesheet cover when required, with appropriate training and support.
• Taking ownership of tasks and ensuring matters are followed through to completion.

The Person

Personality and attitude are particularly important.

We are looking for somebody who is:

• Proactive, resourceful and able to use their own initiative.
• Highly organised and able to manage several very different matters at once.
• Confident and capable of dealing with customers, suppliers, employees, councils and professional advisers.
• Commercially aware and naturally inclined to research solutions and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Able to take ownership of a matter and progress it without needing a detailed list of instructions.
• A strong gatekeeper with good judgement about what genuinely requires the Managing Director's involvement.
• A strong written communicator, comfortable drafting correspondence on somebody else's behalf.
• Trustworthy, discreet and comfortable handling confidential information.
• Down-to‑earth, practical and happy working within a close‑knitted family business.
• Willing to get involved and help wherever reasonably needed rather than being constrained by a rigid job description.

The successful candidate needs to be comfortable taking initiative while also working closely with a Managing Director who remains actively involved in the business and retains final sign‑off on decisions.

Working Environment

This is a traditional, hands‑on and fully office‑based environment. The role is 30 hours per week across five days, so regular day-to-day presence within the business is important.

As with many busy family businesses, there will be occasions when the role goes beyond a conventional PA or Office Manager job description. We are looking for someone with a 'pitch in' attitude who will naturally find productive things to do during quieter periods and is happy to help keep the office organised and running smoothly.

An interest in property or farming would be advantageous but is not essential. More important is somebody who is interested and capable enough to get to grips with unfamiliar subjects, carry out research, speak confidently to the relevant people and clearly summarise the position for the Managing Director.

Specific Health & Safety, payroll, property or agricultural qualifications are not required.

Employer and Equality Statement

Barker Ross Group values diversity and promotes equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are more than happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.

For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies we are acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business.