Personal Assistant

Personal Assistant, International Economics Department 

Tenure:        1 year fixed term contract (with the possibility of extension)

Hours:        35 hour working week (with flexibility required)

Purpose of Job:

To provide day to day office management and support to the Research Director

Principal Responsibilities:

To provide high quality and proactive personal and administrative assistance to the Research Director, including detailed and complex diary management, meeting support, travel planning and some event/project management. The Personal Assistant will work closely with the Executive Assistant to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the Research Director’s office.

Personal Assistant duties

• Organising and maintaining diaries and making appointments
• Devising and maintaining office systems, including data management and filing
• Arranging travel, visas and accommodation
• Processing Research Director’s expenses
• Screening phone calls, enquiries and requests, and handling them when appropriate
• Meeting and greeting visitors at all levels of seniority Carrying out background research and presenting findings
• Assisting in the production of documents for the Research Director, e.g. proofreading and formatting
• Ensuring the Research Director is well prepared for meetings
• Dealing with incoming correspondence on behalf of the Research Director

Communications 

• Managing all media enquiries and maintaining contacts with journalists
• Maintaining up to date entries for the Director’s webpages (e.g. online bibliographies  and bios) and other publicity vehicles including
• Twitter account Managing central resources in conjunction with the departmental administrator (e.g. in-house client database and the Research Director’s contact lists)
• Proofing and formatting documents
• Assisting in the development of departmental communication strategies

Project Management / Administration

• Managing small projects within budget and to deadline
• Taking responsibility for the implementation of initiatives within own sphere of duties

Personal Specification - 

Essential Qualifications and Experience:

• Previous experience of working as a Personal Assistant for an individual at a senior level  
• Excellent written and oral communication with the ability to deal with people at all levels of the business
• Strong copywriting and proofreading skills Outstanding organisational skills with the ability to multi-task and meet tight deadlines
• Computer-literate with experience of databases and all Microsoft Office products
• Great attention to detail with a rigorous and methodical approach to work
• Ability to develop effective administration and support systems  
• A confident self-starter with a strong team ethic Ability to demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality issues

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience of organising events  
• Experience of financial management
• Experience of working in a think tank, policy centre or university