Executive Assistant

at  Science and Technology Facilities Council STFC

Job Title: Executive Assistant to the Managing Director
Salary: £34,905 - £37,173
Hours: Full time (We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants)
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Harwell - Oxfordshire
About Us
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is one of Europe’s main research organisations. Combining world-class facilities with major international collaborations, and some of the world’s most talented staff, we’re driving ground-breaking advances in science and technology.
STFC’s Business and Innovation Directorate (BID) apply knowledge from STFC’s facilities, research and technology programmes to the wider economy, delivering UK economic growth through campus and cluster development, spin-out companies, inward investment and collaborative industrial R&D.
About The Role
To assist the Director of Clusters and Campus Development with carrying out their role, professionally and knowledgeably representing the Director with all aspects of their busy and demanding role and dealing with high-level external interfaces. The Director leads the Cluster and Campus Development team who are based at both Harwell and Daresbury; however, this role is based at Harwell.

Principal duties and responsibilities

• Managing the Director’s diary, prioritising their schedule to optimise their time effectively. Coordinate inter/national travel and providing detailed travel itineraries including booking hotels, flights, taxis, trains etc and arrangement of Visa’s where needed. Proactively planning in advance wherever possible.
• Managing the Director’s email correspondence and where possible responding on their behalf, ensuring that appropriate action is taken, and complete confidentiality is adhered to at all times
• Ensuring the Director is properly briefed and prepared for all meetings, events and visits which will require written briefings using gathered inputs from relevant sources and colleagues.
• Regularly producing presentations and providing input for strategic documents, ensuring all content and figures are up to date and accurate.
• Organising meetings and various events, booking rooms, registering visitors, organising catering and where needed attending to take notes/minutes to track and follow up on actions. Being on hand at events, as necessary, to ensure that everything runs efficiently and to troubleshoot any issues as they arise.
• Organising the Quarterly Harwell and Daresbury Cluster Steering Boards, working with the Director and the secretariats to generate the agenda, attending meetings to share presentations, take minutes and communicate meeting documentation to the Boards. Ensuring the Terms of Reference are kept up to date as and when members join/leave.
• Assisting with the Director’s workload ensuring that targets and deadlines are met and where possible taking forward actions/projects on their behalf
• Maintaining awareness of key issues and priorities, as required to professionally represent the Director to commercial and public sector stakeholders.
• Providing an effective interface between the Director and other areas of STFC-UKRI and acting as the point of contact in their absence, ultimately strengthening internal relationships
• Processing and keeping track of the Director’s GPC and personal expense claims.
• Raise Purchase Orders, keep track of payments and process invoices for the team, monitor the team’s budget and work closely with finance colleagues to accurately track and forecast expenditure.
• Potentially line manage other staff as the team grows.

Person Specification:

(Please note the below criteria will be assessed at Shortlisting or Interview stage as indicated)

• Experience of similar role or background in supporting a senior role (S&I)
• Experience in dealing with a high-volume mailbox (I)
• Good influencing skills with the ability to develop positive working relationship with a variety of partners at various levels (I)
• Good problem-solving skills and willingness to come up with innovative methods of working (S&I)
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office products – particularly Word, Excel and Outlook and able to learn to use other IT systems (S)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (S&I)
• Good minute taking skills and excellent grammar (S&I)
• Able to work well with minimal supervision and use initiative (S)
• Ability to prioritise well and stay calm under pressure (I)
• 5 GCSEs including English and maths (Grade C or above)

Special Requirements:

• Flexibility to occasionally work outside core hours as and when required (I)

• Managing the Director’s diary, prioritising their schedule to optimise their time effectively. Coordinate inter/national travel and providing detailed travel itineraries including booking hotels, flights, taxis, trains etc and arrangement of Visa’s where needed. Proactively planning in advance wherever possible.
• Managing the Director’s email correspondence and where possible responding on their behalf, ensuring that appropriate action is taken, and complete confidentiality is adhered to at all times
• Ensuring the Director is properly briefed and prepared for all meetings, events and visits which will require written briefings using gathered inputs from relevant sources and colleagues.
• Regularly producing presentations and providing input for strategic documents, ensuring all content and figures are up to date and accurate.
• Organising meetings and various events, booking rooms, registering visitors, organising catering and where needed attending to take notes/minutes to track and follow up on actions. Being on hand at events, as necessary, to ensure that everything runs efficiently and to troubleshoot any issues as they arise.
• Organising the Quarterly Harwell and Daresbury Cluster Steering Boards, working with the Director and the secretariats to generate the agenda, attending meetings to share presentations, take minutes and communicate meeting documentation to the Boards. Ensuring the Terms of Reference are kept up to date as and when members join/leave.
• Assisting with the Director’s workload ensuring that targets and deadlines are met and where possible taking forward actions/projects on their behalf
• Maintaining awareness of key issues and priorities, as required to professionally represent the Director to commercial and public sector stakeholders.
• Providing an effective interface between the Director and other areas of STFC-UKRI and acting as the point of contact in their absence, ultimately strengthening internal relationships
• Processing and keeping track of the Director’s GPC and personal expense claims.
• Raise Purchase Orders, keep track of payments and process invoices for the team, monitor the team’s budget and work closely with finance colleagues to accurately track and forecast expenditure.
• Potentially line manage other staff as the team grows