Any Acas Office With an element of working from home. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in Great Britain and not overseas. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Informal hybrid arrangements are available and the balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager to achieve the right balance between collaboration, in-person engagement and flexibility.

The Executive Assistant provides support to the senior Acas team (Chair and CEO) and supports wider administrative functions of the private office.

The Executive Assistant is the primary point of contact and coordination for the CEO and Chair of Acas in their internal engagement with key stakeholders, senior leaders and Acas colleagues, and is responsible for ensuring efficiency and effectiveness within a fast-moving private office. It requires tact, sensitivity and an ability to hold corporate confidences.

The Private Office & Secretariat team sits within the Finance and Governance Directorate. The role will contribute to the running of an effective, supportive, and motivated Private Office team, and reports to the Private Office Manager. The role will work closely with the Executive Assistant network to ensure consistency and coordination across the organisation. 

Please come along to our virtual information session. You will hear from current Acas staff about working for Acas, the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Chair role and the Finance and Governance Function.

Date: 05/09/2024

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Click here to join the meeting

We advise candidates to attend the event before submitting an application.

• Diary Management: Manage complex CEO/ Chair calendars and ensure that seniors time is optimised, liaising with colleagues and external partners to maximise their capacity. Working with the Private Office Manager, act as Gatekeeper where appropriate to minimise unnecessary draws on the time of CEO/ Chair, and ensure correct escalation routes have been followed before CEO/ Chair receives any papers/ attends meetings, etc.
• Inbox Management: Act as the primary point of access to the CEO/ Chair, using your initiative to actively manage and triage inbox flow and respond and/ or direct queries to the relevant colleagues before escalation to the senior team.
• Ensure there is effective electronic housekeeping and records management that complies with our Data Protection policy. To include triaging, management and handling of complaints and enquiries in line with the relevant process, including letters from MPs and departmental commissions and responses.
• External Engagement: Work closely with Private Office Manager to ensure CEO/ Chair have high quality, relevant papers and briefings in plenty of time to effectively prep. Ensuring the CEO/ Chair are informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities.
• Liaison with the external affairs team and the Private Office Manager to ensure any external or internal speaking events have preparation time scheduled and speaking/briefing notes in place.
• Written Outputs: Provide administrative support to the Private Office Manager and CEO in producing first drafts of correspondence, briefings, etc. Commissioning and collating contributions into a report or briefing.
• Chair Support: Providing support for Chair across her wider portfolio, coordinating with other Boards and commitments and ensuring all actions and activities are picked up in timely fashion. Supporting the Private Office Manager in coordinating DBT ALB Chairs Network meetings (agenda, scheduling, sharing a follow up note, arranging pre and post meeting calls with relevant members of the department).
• Maintaining Confidentiality: Handle highly sensitive materials, always maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Travel Arrangements: Arrange travel and accommodation (including meeting space) for Chair, CEO and Council members in collaboration with CAST. Ensuring the log of expenditure is kept up to date and shared with the relevant person within the directorate.
• Events Support: Support practicalities of events where necessary booking venues, catering, and on the day support, e.g. setting up, ordering materials, etc.
• Attend face to face meetings where required, minute taking, sharing decisions and ensuring action log is cleared.
• Meeting Management: Working with the wider Private Office and Secretariat team to attend meetings to include sub boards, taking responsibility for minute taking, sharing decisions and ensuring action logs are cleared.
• Stakeholder Contacts: Ensure Private Office stakeholder databases are maintained and regularly updated with external contacts.
• Social Media: Support management of the CEO/ Chair social media accounts reposting Acas content and triaging direct approaches from external stakeholders, delivering content designed and as directed by the Social Media team.
• General Support: Supporting the CEO with their internal line management; including compliance with health and safety, driving regs and other mandatory requirements for CEO/ Chair. Assisting the CEO/ Chair with ad-hoc requests.
• Supporting the CEO / Chair to complete T&S claims in a timely manner.
• Work closely with the Executive Assistant network to ensure consistency and coordination across the organisation.
• Work Collaboratively: Working with the wider Private Office and Secretariat team to support overall team resilience and administration duties as well as ad hoc projects or pieces of work.

As a member of the Finance and Governance Directorate you will:

• Promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting difference and external experience.
• Be self-aware and role-model continuous self-learning and development.
• Collaborate with others to achieve the goals of Acas together
• Work flexibly and collaboratively with those across the Directorate and wider Acas

Live the Acas values

Who we are

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, were impartial, so were not on anyones side. That means were working for everyone to help prevent and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent or resolve workplace problems.

Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards  Disability Confident Highly Commended; Pay Gap award winner and Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination.

Technical:

Essential:

• Competent in the use of Microsoft office applications and technology to include conferencing facilities and all digital platforms or willingness to develop.

Experience

Essential:

• Experience providing personal Executive Assistant support, or in business support at a senior level providing a gateway function to other senior leaders, prioritising diary, and correspondence commitments. (Lead)
• Experience managing a fast-moving complex in-tray and triaging activities to understand without close supervision what to prioritise and how.
• Experience of minute taking and managing corporate meetings and paperwork.

Desirable

• Experience of dealing with confidential matters in a discreet and trusted manner, exhibiting exceptional judgement.
• Experience of organising multiple demands - highly organised, demonstrating strong initiative and resilience.

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Alongside your salary of £27,000, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service contributes £7,182 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Were big believers in rewarding people for the amazing work they do, take a look at some of the fantastic benefits we offer: 

• Learning and Development;
• Health and wellbeing;
• Pension scheme;
• Cycle to work scheme;
• Interest free season ticket loans;
• Volunteering opportunities.

Could you ask for any more?

Youll have access to a Lifestyle website, where youll be able to grab savings over a wide range of products from holidays to your weekly shop. 

To find out more please check out - Working for Acas

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

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Job contact :

• Name : HR Recruitment Team
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]