Personal Assistant

Brook Street; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Brook Street is hiring a Personal Assistant to provide proactive support to senior leaders within UKRI International. Based at Polaris House, Swindon, the role is full-time with hybrid 40–60% office presence. Pay £15.55/hour, 37 hours/week, usually 9:00–17:00, Mon–Fri.

You will manage complex diaries, coordinate UK and international travel, arrange meetings, prepare papers and minutes, and maintain strict confidentiality. Assignment up to 3 months, extension unlikely.

Qualifications

• Previous PA/EA experience in a busy environment
• Strong diary/inbox management with prioritisation
• Excellent written and verbal communication, professional conduct

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive PA support to Deputy/Associate Directors
• Manage complex diaries and calendars; triage and respond to correspondence
• Arrange UK and international travel, visas, and itineraries
• Coordinate internal and external meetings, including virtual meetings
• Prepare agendas, collate papers, and take minutes; monitor actions
• Handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism
• Process expenses and support team activities
• Collaborate with the PA team and provide cover when required

Skills

Diary management

MS Office

Professional communication

Discretion

PA/EA experience

Stakeholder management

Tools

Outlook

Word

Teams

Excel

Job description

Personal Assistant (PA)

Location: Polaris House, Swindon SN2 1FL

• Pay rate: £15.55 per hour
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week (generally 9:00am-5:00pm, flexible)
• Hybrid 40-60% in the office
• Assignment length: Up to 3 months (extension considered unlikely)
• Clearance: Basic DBS required (Costs covered by the hiring process)

Are you at your best when priorities shift, diaries need structure, and sensitive information is handled with absolute discretion? Our Client is hiring a Personal Assistant to provide proactive support to senior leaders within UKRI International. This is a full-time role offering a fast-paced, people-focused environment where your organisation genuinely makes a difference.

What you'll be doing:

• Provide proactive PA support to Deputy/Associate Directors, helping them stay focused on what matters most
• Manage complex diaries, calendars, and inboxes-ensuring priorities are clear and effectively managed
• Arrange UK and international travel, accommodation, visas, itineraries, and supporting documentation
• Organise and coordinate internal and external meetings, including virtual meetings
• Prepare agendas, collate meeting papers, take minutes, and monitor actions to completion
• Handle correspondence on behalf of Directors and **escalate** urgent matters appropriately
• Process expenses and provide administrative support for team activities and projects
• Maintain confidentiality when working with sensitive information and senior stakeholders
• Collaborate with the PA team and provide cover/support when required

What you'll bring:

• Previous experience as a PA, Executive Assistant, Senior Administrator, or similar role
• Strong diary and inbox management skills, with excellent prioritisation and organisation
• Confident written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Teams, and Excel)
• Discretion and confidence when handling confidential information
• Proven experience supporting senior managers or directors
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills

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.

If 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.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to contact candidates who have been selected to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process. If you have not heard from us within 1 week of your application, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion. We encourage you to keep an eye on our current vacancies and welcome applications for any future roles that match your skills and experience.

If you receive suspicious outreach claiming to be from us, please contact us via the ManpowerGroup website.