Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Chair

at  Office for Environmental Protection

JOB SUMMARY

Are you proactive and detail-oriented?
Would you thrive working alongside senior leaders and supporting them to enable an organisation to work well and succeed?
Do you want to play a role in helping the OEP achieve its mission to protect and improve the environment?
We are excited to be looking for an Executive Assistant to our Chief Executive and Chair to come and join our organisation.
The role sits within our Business Strategy and Planning team at the heart of the OEP. Our role is to ensure that the OEP works well, and that our work is well defined, understood and strategically aligned. In doing this, we support planning, strategy, governance and risk management services and provide the executive office of the organisation.
As Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Chair, you’ll be a critical member of our executive office. We are a small, friendly and supportive team and pride ourselves on providing first class services to our executive leaders and board. We are looking for a motivated and professional individual to fulfil a key role in our team, and the organisation as a whole.
The Office for Environmental Protection (the OEP) mission is to protect and recover the environment. Created by the Environment Act 2021, our role is to hold Government and public bodies to account. The OEP do this in several ways including reporting on progress against environmental targets, advising on changes to environmental laws and receiving complaints from the public which can lead to us taking enforcement action.
With a total staff of just over 80, we are a dynamic, friendly and flexible organisation covering both England, Northern Ireland, and environmental matters reserved to the UK government. We offer flexible working arrangements, including part time and job share arrangements, high profile, dynamic work and the chance to have an impact on improving the state of the environment.
To find out more about the OEP, what we do, who we are and our current work, visit the OEP website .
The OEP is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra in England and DAERA in Northern Ireland which means it operates independently from Defra. Our employees are public servants and as part of the benefits package, employees have the opportunity to enrol in the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Chair is a central role in a team at the heart of the OEP.
The role holder will support the Chief Executive and the Chair succeed, ensuring their time is well planned, and that they have the information and resources they need. They will work independently, developing trusting relationships with these senior leaders, and being responsive to their needs.

The role holder will;

• Proactively manage the Chief Executive and Chair diary based on their priorities, as well as strategically managing the diary “forward look” for the upcoming weeks and months to ensure it aligns with the organisation’s needs.
• Organise meetings on behalf of the Chief Executive, the Chair (and wider Executive on occasion) including logistics, agenda planning, note-taking, action log and follow up.
• Proactively ensure the Chief Executive and Chair are prepared for engagements including commissioning/co-ordinating papers/briefings, working with others to ensure the right information is available in good time. Summaries of documents or short presentations may also be required.
• Administer the weekly Executive Committee on behalf of the Chief Executive, coordinating with teams across the business to ensure agendas are well planned, and papers circulated on time.
• Manage and prioritise the Chief Executive and Chair email inbox, identifying items for action or information escalating items that are urgent.
• Provide administrative support for the Chief Executive, Chair (and wider Executive on occasion), including booking hotels and travel.
• Support management of information requests, including under the freedom of information act and environmental information regulations, by gathering information, and preparing responses for approval by decision makers.
• Provide administrative and secretariat support to the wider OEP as required.

The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The OEP uses the Civil Service Success Profile framework which is made up of five elements: Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical. It is strongly recommend you have a look at the Success Profiles to enable you to make the best application possible.
When writing or presenting behaviours, the OEP recommends you use the STAR format to present your answers (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
For application, you will be asked to complete a CV detailing qualifications and work history; a 500 word statement of suitability on how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification in the advert; and one behaviour statement on the Lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace.
The personal statement is a very important part of your application. Review the person specification and essential experience and skills criteria on the job description and outline how you meet it providing specific and relevant examples. These could be from work, volunteering, training or education.
Further details are provided on the application form.

INTERVIEW AND ID VERIFICATION

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on experience and behaviours outlined in the job description.
This role is being assessed by a two stage interview process:
Interview 1 - This will be an in person interview to assess you on your experience and the behaviours outlined in the advert. At this interview, you may be required to deliver a presentation or complete an additional exercise. If this is required, details will be sent alongside your invite to interview.
If you are successful at Interview 1, you will be invited to a second interview.
Interview 2 - The second interview will be in person with the Chief Executive Officer and one of the original panel members. At this interview you will be assessed on your experience.
Interviews will be held In-person at the Worcester Office. Travel and subsistence costs will not be reimbursed for candidates travelling to interview.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

The role holder will;

• Proactively manage the Chief Executive and Chair diary based on their priorities, as well as strategically managing the diary “forward look” for the upcoming weeks and months to ensure it aligns with the organisation’s needs.
• Organise meetings on behalf of the Chief Executive, the Chair (and wider Executive on occasion) including logistics, agenda planning, note-taking, action log and follow up.
• Proactively ensure the Chief Executive and Chair are prepared for engagements including commissioning/co-ordinating papers/briefings, working with others to ensure the right information is available in good time. Summaries of documents or short presentations may also be required.
• Administer the weekly Executive Committee on behalf of the Chief Executive, coordinating with teams across the business to ensure agendas are well planned, and papers circulated on time.
• Manage and prioritise the Chief Executive and Chair email inbox, identifying items for action or information escalating items that are urgent.
• Provide administrative support for the Chief Executive, Chair (and wider Executive on occasion), including booking hotels and travel.
• Support management of information requests, including under the freedom of information act and environmental information regulations, by gathering information, and preparing responses for approval by decision makers.
• Provide administrative and secretariat support to the wider OEP as required