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Senior PA to Chief Information and Digital Officer

The National Archives

Department
The National Archives
Location
London
Openings
1 post
Grade
HEO
Salary
£33,000 to £38,000
Closing
8 days left
Profession
Administration
Contract
Permanent
Security clearance
BPSS
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Apply on Civil Service Jobs

Job summary

The National Archives is looking for a Senior Personal Assistant to provide a full range of professional executive support services to the Chief Digital and Information Officer, an Executive Director at The National Archives.

The Personal Assistant will work proactively to manage the Director’s time, to maximise their ability for focus on leadership and strategic activity. They will use their discretion to manage Director’s diaries, monitoring and respond appropriately to email inboxes, organising meetings and appointments, as well as controlling demands on Director’s time.

We are looking for an exceptionally organised, adaptive and confident communicator, ready to handle all kinds of situations with sound judgment and discretion.

What they’re looking for

  • Essential criteria:
  • Strong and confident communication skills – accuracy, attractive phrasing and the ability to adjust tone in both speech and writing to deal with different kinds of people.
  • Sound judgement, reputation for discretion, trusted and able to maintain confidentiality. Knowing when and who to communicate sensitive information to.
  • Minute taking - the ability to take accurate minutes of meetings, comprehending complex issues including around compliance, ensuring there is a proper record that reflects decisions that have been made and the reasons for decisions, using clear and unambiguous prose.
  • Evidenced Organisational skills - demonstrable ability to keep calm, juggle competing demands and adhere to tight deadlines
  • Adaptability – readiness to deal with new situations and to persevere in seeking a solution, no matter how challenging circumstances may be, maintaining focus and good humour.
  • Record keeping experience – paperwork, filing, keeping diaries and dealing with incoming mail to make sure everything goes to the right place, and can be found quickly.
  • Desirable criteria:
  • Demonstrable experience and success in a similar role
  • Experience of collecting information and producing briefing notes
  • A positive ‘can do’ attitude with the ability to act and work on own initiative
  • The ability to think ahead and pro-actively anticipate Director’s requirements
  • The ability to recognise sensitive issues and act accordingly with tact and diplomacy
  • This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department.
  • A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.
  • Application Process
  • Interview: Interviews will be held on-site, ideally week commencing 16th November.
  • Personal Statement: We ask all applicants to submit work history details and a personal statement, not exceeding 1200 words.
  • Selection for interview will be based on the 6 ‘essential’ requirements in the job description (below) so please ensure that your application demonstrates in detail how you meet these requirements. You may find it helpful to use each criteria as a sub-heading. We also recommend use of the STAR method:
  • https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/the-star-method
  • If we receive a large number of applications candidates will initially be assessed on one criteria only: "Sound judgement, reputation for discretion, trusted and able to maintain confidentiality. Knowing when and who to communicate sensitive information to."
  • Sponsorship:
  • We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Job description

Full job description attached(see below)

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)

Selection process

Reasonable adjustments:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

  • Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
  • Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

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

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