Personal Assistant to Senior Management Team (4 Months Contract)

Personal Assistant to Senior Management Team (4 Months Contract)

The PA to the Senior Management Team will provide high level secretarial and administrative support for the Chief Executive Officer and Provost, the Chief Operating Officer and Registrar, and other members of the senior management team. The PA will be the office manager and will be responsible for the effective and efficient administrative processes of the Executive Office.

The post reports to the Chief Operating Officer and Registrar of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia but will work for all members of the senior management team.

The role will be based at the University's campus in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. The provision of high quality administrative and secretarial support for the CEO and members of the senior management team. This will include day-to-day operational aspects of work such as diary management, travel and accommodation bookings, email prioritisation and management, managing travel, organisation of meetings;
2. Implementing efficient and effective office administrative processes;
3. Providing support to committees, working groups and ad hoc meetings as and when required, taking minutes of meetings, issuing papers, and ensuring actions are followed up;
4. Researching, preparing and collating briefing papers/other information and material as and when required;
5. Ensuring senior management are prepared for all meetings with the correct paperwork, data and background information to make informed decisions;
6. Creating both paper and electronic filing systems for key correspondence, for example, from committees and meetings, from government agencies, and from internal and external contacts;
7. Contributing to budget planning and phasing exercises as and when necessary;
8. Acting initially as the first point of contact for all visitors and staff to the campus, presenting a professional image of HWUM and demonstrating excellent customer service;
9. Answering phone calls for the senior management team and dealing with straightforward queries;
10. Arranging catering (e.g. lunches) as required for various meetings;
11. Creating letters, emails, documents, reports, excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations as required;
12. Managing office staff, such as receptionist;
13. Managing conflicting priorities using judgement.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post and its general responsibilities. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

A business studies, secretarial or other relevant professional qualification.

Experience

1. 1–3 years of relevant experience supporting senior managers in a similar role, demonstrating strong organisational and communication skills. Fresh graduates with a keen interest in administrative support are also encouraged to apply.
2. Experience of implementing administrative systems, e.g. a paper and electronic filing system.
3. Proven experience of building and maintaining relationships with a wide variety of staff, including experience of dealing with staff overseas.
4. Good IT skills and experience of using Microsoft Office, eg creating PowerPoint presentations, creating mail merged letters, setting up distribution lists in Microsoft Outlook.
5. Experience of taking minutes, preparing and distributing agendas and papers on a timely basis.
6. Previous experience of working in a higher education environment.
7. Previous experience of managing office staff.
8. Fluent in verbal and written English and Bahasa Malaysia.
9. Confident and capable of working independently, and can demonstrate use of initiative.
10. Able to prioritise own workload to meet changing deadlines, to manage conflicting priorities, and to work under pressure.
11. Perceptive with the ability to respond appropriately and effectively to each of the managers' different operational requirements.
12. Awareness of cultural differences between Malaysia and UK.

Other Attributes/Abilities

Enjoys being part of an exciting campus, developing the role as the campus grows, and willing to be hands-on.

Essential Criteria – these are attributes without which a candidate would not be able to undertake the full remit of the role. Applicants who do not clearly demonstrate in their application that they possess the essential requirements will normally be eliminated at the short listing stage.

Desirable Criteria – these are attributes which would be useful for the candidate to hold. When shortlisting, these criteria will be considered when more than one applicant meets the essential criteria.

Application Process

Due to Malaysian Immigration restrictions, we regret that this position is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Malaysia.

Applications should be submitted to Oracle system.

Applications must be submitted by 21 May 2025. If you are not contacted by the selection committee by 31 May 2025 then please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

The University is committed to equality of opportunity.