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Job summary

Post background:

The Executive Assistant is a trusted and proactive professional who provides high-quality administrative and operational support to a Chief Officer, and pooled support to Directors. This role contributes to the smooth running of leadership activities and helps ensure alignment with organisational goals.

Job description

Post Duties:

The postholders responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Executive support:

• Anticipate executive needs and proactively manage priorities.
• Manage diaries, travel arrangements, and correspondence as required for the Chief Officer.
• Schedule meetings and coordinate logistics, ensuring timely preparation of agendas, briefings, and minutes following standard processes.
• Handle confidential and sensitive information with professionalism and discretion according to the Data Protection Act 2018 (UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Government Classification Statuses.
• Contribute to the effective use of executive time through prioritisation and coordination.
• Support the delivery of assigned executive and non-executive board logistics, including meeting coordination and document preparation.
• Assist in tracking actions and ensuring timely follow-up.
• Deputise for other team members during periods of leave and provide executive administration support to Directors as part of a team.

Communications and stakeholder engagement:

• Draft and format internal and external communications as required.
• Act as a point of contact between the Chief Officer and internal/external stakeholders.
• Support consistent messaging and information flow across the leadership team and internal stakeholders.

Project and event support:

• Provide proactive support for key programmes and initiatives.
• Assist in planning and coordinating strategic events and engagements.
• Monitor progress and escalate issues where necessary.

Quality service and process improvement:

• Maintain relevant systems and internal processes.
• Identify opportunities for improving administrative efficiency.
• Support procurement and contract oversight as required.
• Contribute to a positive organisational culture.

This job description is subject to change, in response to the evolving needs of the organisation and its objectives.

Person specification

To be a successful candidate you will be/have:

Excellent organisational and time management skills, experience in fast paced executive-level administration and written and verbal communication skills.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Highly competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook and Teams.
• Strong organisational and time management skills, with a proven ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks with varying deadlines and priorities in a busy work environment.
• Experience in executive-level administration, including managing schedules for senior executives or leadership teams, providing secretariat support for meetings, tracking actions, and ensuring timely follow-ups.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, ideally with experience of drafting correspondence and minuting meetings or with equivalent experience demonstrating the ability to present clear, concise, and coherent information
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, ideally with experience of drafting correspondence and minuting meetings or with equivalent experience demonstrating the ability to present clear, concise, and coherent information.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £28,558, Joint Nature Conservation Committee contributes £8,273 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).Equality and diversity

JNCC is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected and see this as a good place to work. JNCC has a responsibility to ensure that we have an inclusive culture where discrimination, harassment, bullying and prejudice will not be tolerated. Our selection process is determined on fair and open competition and regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership.

Continuous professional development (CPD)

Employees are encouraged to keep developing skills and professional knowledge.
JNCC has made available, and encourages employees to use, on average, five working days per annum for CPD activities with access to related funding

Leave entitlement

JNCC annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum. After five years’ service, leave entitlement increases to 30 days per annum.
In addition to annual leave, JNCC offers 12 public and privilege days per annum, three of which are explicitly reserved for office closure between Christmas and New Year.

Work/life balance

JNCC supports flexible working hours and practices to help employees strike a good balance between work life and personal life.

Our policies are family-friendly and include flexi-time, flexible working patterns, compressed hours and dispersed working. JNCC also offers paid maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, over and above the minimum statutory entitlements. Some work/life balance benefits are available following a minimum length of service.

Any move from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Civil Service Pension

Employees will have the opportunity to join Civil Service pension arrangements, which include a valuable range of benefits. JNCC makes a significant contribution to the cost of employee pensions.

Employee Assistance Programme

JNCC provides employees with a free and confidential support service which gives unlimited access to information, advice and emotional support to help employees prepare for and manage all of life's ups and downs, events and challenges.

Trade Union

JNCC has entered into a partnership agreement with its recognised Trade Unions: Prospect and PCS, which employees are able to join and be involved with.

Salary sacrifice schemes

Employee Discount Scheme

Civil Service Sports Club

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.Please demonstrate in your Statement of Suitability how you meet the criteria of the post

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Further information

Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@jncc.gov.uk in the first instance.

Attachments

2026043-44 - O - Executive Assistant Opens in new window (pdf, 184kB)