The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, highly motivated and proactive Executive Assistant to join our Children’s Services Business Support service supporting the Deputy Director of Children’s Services.

Nick Pendry, Deputy Director of Children’s Services:

‘As the Deputy Director of Children’s Services, I am looking for someone who can work closely alongside me and give me the essential support that I need to fulfil my role in making Wandsworth one of the best places for children to grow up in.

As an experienced, highly motivated and proactive individual, you will be my ‘go to’ person for administrative support. You will be working in what is a fast-paced and high-profile environment, but also an incredibly meaningful context which is resolutely focused on improving the lives of the children and families who need it the most.

You will effectively manage, organise and prioritise my portfolio with your first-class administrative and diary management support which will keep me on track and able to successfully carry out my duties.

To succeed in the role, you will have excellent diary management skills and be able to act as a good gatekeeper for my time, with a flexible and responsive approach to accommodating changes to my schedule, sometimes at short notice.

I am looking for someone with good communication skills and a confident telephone manner who will be able to build positive working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. Due to the nature of the work I do, you will need to be politically sensitive and able to maintain a high level of confidentiality and discretion.'

Does this sound like the perfect role for you?

To be successful in this role, we will require you to:

• have experience working in a comparable role supporting at a senior/director level
• have excellent project management and organisational skills
• be able to work to tight deadlines
• have the ability to forward plan and act on your own initiative
• be a quick learner and able to work flexibly as part of an established team
• have excellent knowledge of IT systems, especially Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and MS Teams)
• have strong interpersonal and communication skills with a high standard of listening, spoken and written English
• ideally have worked in a Local Government or other public sector environment previously

Please note that whilst we support some home working, you will be required to work from the office as required by the Deputy Director.

Contact details

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Emma McKibbin, Principal Business Support Officer – Executive Support, by e-mail at Emma.McKibbin@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including working from home and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Advert close date: 11:59pm on Sunday 4th September 2022
• Shortlisting date: week commencing 5th September 2022
• Interview date/s: week commencing 12th September 2022

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your health and wellbeing is our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply

To be considered for interview your CV and supporting statement must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in attached Job Profile located at the bottom of the advert.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils