Personal Assistant

West Yorkshire Combined Authority; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

28 days annual leave

Free travel on MCard

Local Government Pension Scheme

Professional development

Volunteering days

Salary progression

Parental and bereavement leave

Wellbeing support

Modern offices near Leeds Station

Job summary

West Yorkshire Combined Authority in Leeds is recruiting a Personal Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team. The role is hybrid, full-time, 37 hours per week, with a salary of £34,418 per annum.

You will provide high-level secretarial support to Directors, manage complex diaries, and coordinate across directorates in a fast-paced environment. Reporting into the Executive Assistant, you will support the Director of Transport Services and the Director of Bus Franchising, acting as a key contact

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as a PA to senior leadership.
• Proven ability to manage multiple diaries and concurrent priorities.
• Discretion and professionalism in high-stakes environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level secretarial and administrative support to the Directors of West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
• Manage complex inbox and diary commitments, prioritise tasks, draft responses and handle external enquiries.
• Deliver comprehensive meeting support and prepare briefings for Directors.

Skills

Diary management

Director level PA

Confidential communications

Job description

Personal Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team

£34,418 per annum - Grade 5

Leeds / Hybrid Full time - 37 hours per week

Permanent

Closing date - Monday 31 August 2026 at 23:55

Please note that the Combined Authority will consider requests for part-time working and/or job share. We are seeking to appoint a highly experienced, dedicated and motivated Personal Assistant (PA) to join our well-established Senior Leadership Support Team.

You will be an experienced PA, confident in operating at senior level and have the ability to manage a fast-paced environment with professionalism, discretion and sound judgement. Significant experience in a busy environment, with excellent communication skills are therefore essential for this role.

Whilst your primary focus will be to support the Director of Transport Services, and the Director of Bus Franchising, you will also act as a key contact for the wider Director group in the absence of PA colleagues. You will be required to work collaboratively across teams and directorates, building strong relationships and providing flexible support as needed.

This post is subject to vetting clearance.

Due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will be subject to relevant vetting checks at the appropriate level and any job offer will be conditional subject to successful vetting clearance. Applicants should be aware that it is not possible to make meaningful vetting enquiries in many jurisdictions outside the UK. Vetting clearance cannot therefore be granted if the applicant has not been resident in the UK for the relevant minimum period and comparable vetting enquiries cannot be made in jurisdictions where the individual has been residing. The relevant periods are three years for NPPV 1&2 and five years for NPPV3. Further guidance can be found here.

Our Offer

• Work your way – From flexible and agile working options, including a generous flexi-time scheme to help you balance your personal life and career.
• Time to recharge – Enjoy 28 days of annual leave (with increases based on length of service), plus all Bank Holidays.
• Free greener travel across West Yorkshire – Cover your commute sustainably with unlimited free bus and rail travel using the MCard (Zones 1–5).
• Secure your future – Benefit from a highly competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Investing in you – Take advantage of supported professional development, regular training, and up to 3 paid volunteering days per year.
• Grow with us – Incremental salary progression for most roles and annual cost of living increases.
• Family first – We offer enhanced parental and bereavement leave, plus other family-friendly policies to support you when it matters most.
• Your wellbeing, our priority – Access 24/7 free confidential counselling services and the Headspace app for you and up to 5 family or friends.
• Modern workspace in a prime location – Work in bright, contemporary offices just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station, fully equipped with the latest tech.

The Role

Reporting into the Executive Assistant, your key responsibilities will include:

• Providing a high level, professional and confidential secretarial and administrative service to the Directors of West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
• Managing complex inbox and diary commitments, including prioritisation, drafting responses, delegating actions and using judgement to manage and respond to internal and external enquiries on behalf of Directors.
• Delivering comprehensive meeting support, including preparing briefings, commissioning reports, managing actions and ensuring Directors are fully prepared, whilst handling urgent matters in their absence.

Please review the Role Profile for more information about the responsibilities.

About You

• Extensive experience working as a PA at Director level.
• Experience managing multiple diaries and inboxes simultaneously.
• Experience responding efficiently and clearly to varying requests from customers and stakeholders.
• Experience demonstrating ability to manage highly complex workloads with minimal supervision, prioritising competing demands and acting decisively.
• Experience of successfully identifying appropriate communication channels to deliver information.

Further Information

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage.

Under the Disability Confident Scheme, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met. Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases on an annual basis