Personal Assistant

Sefton Council; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council is seeking an experienced Personal Assistant to provide high-level executive support to the Children’s Services Senior Leadership Team. You will manage complex calendars, coordinate communications, and help ensure leaders can focus on delivering positive outcomes for children and families.

Working closely with senior leaders, elected members and external partners, you will handle sensitive information with discretion, prepare briefing papers, and maintain

Qualifications

• Experience as an executive PA or similar in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

Responsibilities

• Comprehensive diary and inbox management, including scheduling and coordinating meetings and events.
• Prioritising tasks effectively and managing competing demands in a busy environment.
• Preparing documentation, correspondence and meeting papers to a high standard.
• Demonstrating exceptional attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Handling sensitive and confidential information with the utmost discretion.
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Using Microsoft Office applications proficiently, including Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

Skills

Diary management

Communication

Organisational skills

Confidentiality

Stakeholder management

Tools

Outlook

Teams

Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

• Employer: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
• Contract: Contract
• Working Pattern: Full Time
• Hours: 36 hours per week. Fixed Term Until 31st March 2029.
• DBS Check: No
• Closing Date: 08/11/2026 at 23:59
• Reference: CSC/26/347974

About the Role

*PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT APPLY*

This is a pivotal role within Children's Services, providing high-quality administrative and executive support to the Children's Services Senior Leadership Team across Social Care and Education. As a trusted Personal Assistant, you will play a vital role in ensuring senior leaders are effectively supported, well-briefed and able to focus on delivering high-quality services and positive outcomes for children, young people and families.

You will act as a key point of contact for a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders, elected members, schools, partner organisations and regulatory bodies. Managing a varied and fast-paced workload, you will demonstrate professionalism, discretion and the ability to build effective working relationships at all levels.

This role requires someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, can anticipate needs, and takes a proactive and highly organised approach to managing competing priorities. You will be confident working independently whilst contributing to the effective operation of the wider Children's Services Senior Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Comprehensive diary and inbox management, including scheduling and coordinating meetings and events.
• Prioritising tasks effectively and managing competing demands in a busy environment.
• Preparing documentation, correspondence and meeting papers to a high standard.
• Demonstrating exceptional attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Handling sensitive and confidential information with the utmost discretion.
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Using Microsoft Office applications proficiently, including Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

This role is ideally suited to a highly organised, proactive and professional individual who is passionate about providing outstanding executive support and contributing to the effective leadership and delivery of Children's Services.

Please see Appendix A (page 10) for a full copy of the Job Description and Person Specification.

The closing date for this vacancy is Sunday 8 th November 2026 (or earlier in the event of high volume of applications being received).

Provisional interview date Tuesday 17 th November 2026.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Sefton Council strives to ensure that our workforce is inclusive and representative of our communities. A diverse workforce is important to us, our staff bring with them a wide range of experiences, views, ideas, and innovations, and we are committed to providing an environment that recognises, respects, and values everybody’s identity, where individual differences are strengths and where everyone can thrive and maximise their potential.We are always open to learning and growing as an organisation, and we welcome new ideas and initiatives that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer; all candidates will receive equal treatment. Our decision to appoint will be based upon whether an individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities make them the most suitable candidate for the role.

Please note that all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for these jobs (as given in the Person Specification) and who want to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme will be invited to interview.

If you are currently in care or have previously been in care, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for care experienced people if you meet the essential requirements for the role.