PA to Managing Director

About Ashtons:

Ashtons is an independent Estate Agency practice, founded over 30 years ago. Driven by meaningful service and performance values, Ashtons has become the unique entity it is today.

The group provides first class Estate Agency, Letting Agency and New Homes in Harpenden, Welwyn Garden City, Berkhamsted, Hitchin and St Albans. Outlying rural areas are dealt with through our specialist Village & Country office in Redbourn and second Village & Rural department at Welwyn Garden City.

At Ashtons, everyone is treated as an individual from the day we first meet them, to the day we hand over the keys to their new home. We strive to cater for specific needs – nothing is classed as standard and nothing is left to chance. Exemplary service sits naturally alongside unrivaled performance.

We have strength and depth with over 120 enthusiastic and professionally minded people, who contribute daily to the success of the firm.

We have been recognised by the Sunday Times for 4 consecutive years in their Best 100 Small Companies to Work For list and awarded best Property business to work for in the UK. We were gold and silver medal winners at The Times/Sunday Times Estate Agent of the Year awards, East of England, for Sales and Lettings respectively and have been awarded the ’Best medium sized estate agent in the UK’ for 2022. We have also held the Investors in People accreditation for over 10 years

The Role:

Offering full PA and secretarial support to our Managing Director, the successful candidate will be expected to provide first class secretarial and administrative support.  Discretion, confidentiality and a high level of EQ are prerequisite attributes for this high-profile role, as is the ability to deal with any matters that may arise in our Managing Director’s absence in an efficient and professional manner.

You will be based in the management suite located on the second floor at our Harpenden Office and will also work closely with other members of the senior management team across the whole of the Ashtons Group, collaboratively ensuring the smooth running of our business.

Duties to include, but not limited to:

• Full PA support to Managing Director, both professional and personal as instructed
• Monitoring and management of Managing Director’s email, actioning or delegating as appropriate
• Extensive calendar and diary management, including coordination of external meetings, company offsites and away days
• Coordinating travel arrangements for Managing Director including chauffeurs, transport and accommodation
• Preparing responses to correspondence, proof-reading, creation of meeting agendas, minute-taking and producing reports and materials for the Managing Director as required, using Word, Excel and PowerPoint as appropriate
• Creation of Managing Director’s presentations for company offsite meetings
• Ensure all correspondence and documentation is completed with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, usually working from dictation
• Liaison with company accountants, solicitors and external consultants as required throughout the financial year
• Personnel-related tasks as instructed by the Managing Director pertaining to Senior Management
• Maintaining a streamlined and efficient online/ virtual office filing system, for both business and personal documentation
• Work closely with Operations Director on matters relating to the various company premises such as insurances, and other legal/ compliance affairs
• Administration of MD’s property portfolio
• Submission of MD’s personal tax return
• Collating and submitting all expenses
• Research, booking and coordination of Ashtons company social events
• Purchasing of company gifts
• Co-ordination of the company VIP box at Tottenham, alongside other corporate entertainment events
• Provide additional administrative support as required to Operations Director, Sales Director and other members of the Senior Management team
• Ad-hoc office housekeeping
• Maintaining the highest degree of confidentiality in all matters
• Being eyes and ears in the office, as well as an ambassador for the MD internally

Applicants Skillset:

• You will have a minimum of 5 years Board/ C-Suite/ MD PA experience.
• Advanced Word, Excel and Powerpoint skills, working within MS365 and Teams/ Virtual environment.  Familiarity with Sharepoint strongly desired.
• First-class communication skills, both written and verbal.  Experience in copy-writing, proof-reading or editing advantageous, with impeccable grammar and ability to draft communications on behalf of the MD.
• Previous experience with dictation typing preferable (Bighand).
• Numerical - comfortable working with complex spreadsheets such as sales budgets or P&L, analysing or reverse engineering as appropriate.
• You will be methodical, with the ability to prioritise workload and possess the flexibility to accommodate other duties as they arise.
• You will need to be able to work under pressure, remaining focused and organised whilst maintaining attention to detail.  Able to take initiative and work undirected, acting as an ambassador for the MD at all times.
• A positive, energetic, 'can do' approach is essential, as is someone who enjoys a busy and dynamic environment.
• Discretion and personal integrity as required at this level of role as a matter of course.

Qualifications:

Ideally you will be degree educated (but this is not essential) and have excellent commercial acumen.

Remuneration:

£35,000 - £40,000 per annum.

Additional Benefits Package includes external 1-2-1 business coaching, competitions, company parties, Monthly lunches & end of month drinks provided by the business and more

Hours:

Monday and Friday 09:00am – 5:30pm