Personal Assistant

Financial Ombudsman Service; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Generous pension

Family policies

Private medical insurance

Cycle to work

On-site gym 24/7 London

Job summary

Financial Ombudsman Service in London is seeking a proactive Personal Assistant to support senior leaders, manage complex diaries and inboxes, and coordinate meetings in a fast-paced environment.

This 12-month fixed-term contract offers hybrid working, 35 hours per week, and a competitive salary from £36,587 with a strong focus on discretion, stakeholder relationships and professional integrity.

Qualifications

• Experience as PA/EA to senior leadership.
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work independently, manage a busy workload and meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Proactively managing the diaries of senior leaders, prioritising commitments and resolving conflicts to ensure time is used effectively and aligned to organisational priorities.
• Managing email inboxes in line with agreed preferences, identifying and escalating priorities, actions and deadlines as appropriate.
• Anticipating the needs of senior leaders and coordinating meetings, events and logistics.
• Building trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders as an ambassador for leaders and the organisation.
• Organising meetings, workshops and events, including venue arrangements, visitor management and on-the-day support.

Skills

Diary management

Email management

Executive support

Communication skills

Organisation

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Personal Assistant

Looking for a new challenge? Take a look at our current vacancies. If you see a vacancy that is right for you, we encourage you to apply! Personal Assistant Join a team wherePurposedrives everything we do,Ambitionfuels our growth, Respectshapes our culture and Trustbuilds our foundation. As aPersonal Assistant, you’ll play a vital role in supporting senior leaders to deliver our organisational priorities, using your judgement, initiative and excellent communication skills to keep their days running smoothly. From managing complex diaries and inboxes to anticipating needs, resolving scheduling conflicts, coordinating meetings and events, and building trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, you’ll be at the heart of making things happen. This is a varied, fast-paced and rewarding role where discretion, resourcefulness and professionalism are key, with the opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and make a real impact across the organisation.

Contract: fixed term contract 12 months
Working hours: 35 hours per week is full time. Where possible, we are open to considering part time/flexible working patterns. Please let us know in your application your desired working pattern.
Salary: From £36,587
Location: London, Exchange Tower

By joining our team, you'll enjoy the best of both worlds – hybrid working and the collaboration of a great office environment. Our permanent hybrid policy sees us all working at least four days across a fortnight in the office. As well as extensive opportunities for personal and career development. About Us: The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that plays a vital role in UK financial services. Every day we help resolve disputes between consumers, or small businesses, and their financial service providers.

Key responsibilities

• Proactively managing the diaries of senior leaders, prioritising commitments and resolving conflicts to ensure time is used effectively and aligned to organisational priorities.
• Managing email inboxes in line with agreed preferences, identifying and escalating priorities, actions and deadlines as appropriate.
• Anticipating the needs of senior leaders and ensuring they are well prepared for meetings, events and commitments through timely coordination of information, papers and logistics.
• Building a strong understanding of leaders' priorities, working styles, and commitments to make informed decisions on their behalf where appropriate.
• Establishing and maintaining trusted, professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders, acting as an ambassador for senior leaders and the organisation.
• Organising meetings, workshops and events, including venue arrangements, visitor management, meeting logistics and on-the-day support where required.
• Monitoring actions, risks and emerging issues, ensuring these are highlighted promptly and followed through to resolution.
• Managing sensitive, confidential and personal information with the highest levels of professionalism, discretion and integrity.
• Responding to requests and enquiries promptly, providing clear communication and regular updates to stakeholders.
• Supporting one or more senior leaders simultaneously, adapting priorities and managing competing demands effectively.
• Contributing to the smooth operation of the wider leadership team by providing flexible support and collaborating with colleagues as required.
• Maintaining accurate records, correspondence and administrative documentation in line with organisational policies and standards.
• Demonstrating sound judgement, initiative and resourcefulness to identify solutions and overcome challenges with minimal supervision.
• Provide excellent customer service to senior leaders and other internal and external stakeholders.

Minimum Criteria

• Experience of working as a PA or EA to senior leadership, managing their diary, inbox and ensuring a smooth running schedule.
• Extensive experience of using Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and Power point
• Experience of delivering at pace - ability to work independently, using your own initiative, organising your time, and managing a busy workload of competing tasks to deliver deadlines and priorities
• Excellent communication skills, able to build trusting relationships with senior leaders, as well as internal and external stakeholders by email, video calls and in person.
• Excellent judgement and being a proactive problem solver.
• Using you initative to find pragmatic solutions to problems.
• Showing accuracy and exceptional attention to detail
• Communicating in a straightforward and approachable way with people at all levels

Desirable Criteria

• A good match on an individual level to our organisational values.

Why You'll Love Working With Us

We are a values led organisation. Our values define our culture, influence our decisions, and underpin our vision and strategy. They set out how we play our PART through Purpose, Ambition, Respect and Trust. You can learn more about our values here: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values

Flexibility: Work your way — hybrid, or in-office

Wellbeing: [Health plan, gym memberships, mental health support]

Growth: We invest in your future with [courses, mentorship, promotions]

Culture: Diverse. Inclusive. Collaborative. Fun.

We also offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit our people.

Benefits and perks

• 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days
• Generous pension
• Various Family Friendly Policies, including enhanced maternity pay, carers and dependants leave
• Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few
• Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will-writing service amongst others
• Gym membership discounts, and a fully equipped on-site gym open 24/7 in London only

Eligibility and compliance

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and, under the scheme, will progress a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria to interview.

We are an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team. We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities. The Financial Ombudsman Service is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law, regardless of gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. We’re committed to being a great place to work – attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who fulfil the minimum criteria for the role will be progressed to the next stage of the process. Do let us know of any reasonable adjustments you need. You will need to demonstrate that you meet the minimum criteria in order to qualify for the Disability Confident scheme.

Additional Information

The Financial Ombudsman is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team. We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities. We are an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sorts out disputes between financial businesses and their customers. We do this by making decisions that are fair – and feel fair to both sides. The Financial Ombudsman Service is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law, regardless of gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. We’re committed to being a great place to work – attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints.

You can read more about Diversity and Inclusion. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who fulfil the minimum criteria for the role will be progressed to the next stage of the process. Do let us know of any reasonable adjustments you need. You will need to demonstrate that you meet the minimum criteria in order to qualify for the Disability Confident scheme.