Personal Assistant

UK Defence Academy, Swindon, SN6 8LA
Permanent
Part Time, (15 hours per week as this is a job share) Mon - Tue
Salary PS11,100 per annum (FTE PS27,750) plus benefits

Serco is contracted to provide Total Facilities Management to the Defence Academy of the UK (DA). This prestigious establishment is responsible for post-graduate education and most of the command, staff, leadership, Defence management, acquisition, and technology training for members of the UK Armed Forces and MOD Civil Servants. Serco supports the DA as the MOD's primary link with UK universities and international military educational institutions.
Serco have an exciting role as a PA to the Deputy Commandant & Chief Operating Officer and to the Chief of Staff. You will provide a personal and confidential high level administrative service whilst being a frontline point of contact, ensuring the efficient running of their office and meeting all the requirements for personal secretarial support.

Main Accountabilities:
Coordination and control of Principal's electronic diary, making sensible judgements based on knowledge and experience.
Arranging travel and preparing itineraries as appropriate.
Making and screening calls on behalf of senior officer/Principal; making sensible decisions on the importance of calls received; taking messages and forwarding them as required (using Teams, Skype and phone as required).
Screening and actioning ad hoc requests and visits from other members of staff.
Preparation and collation of meeting papers.
Arranging appropriate meetings, including booking rooms, sending out invitations, drafting agendas, managing attendance at meetings, active participation at meetings and production of action minutes as required.
Liaison with internal and external visitors (or their support staff), to establish their transport, accommodation, catering needs and subsequent booking of any requirements and arrival/reception on site/to department.
Take a pro-active role within the department to liaise with your colleagues and customers and be fully conversant with your workload including effective and tactful communication with your Serco/Military/customer colleagues and Academic Provider.
Carry out administration duties on behalf of senior personnel, ensuring compliance with internal policy and processes and relevant legislation including the Data Protection 2018 and Public Records Act.

What you'll need to do the role:
Office/PA experience.
Ability to work on your own and also as part of a team to contribute to its effectiveness.
Ability to prioritise/cope under pressure, with conflicting demands of customer and colleagues.
Proven organisational skills and excellent attention to detail.
Adaptable, reliable, flexible, and discreet.
Ability to concentrate for long periods ensuring accuracy in production of documents/information.

What we offer:
The Defence Academy sits within a beautiful and secure site. The DA trains the future commanders and staff officers of all three UK Armed Services and those from many countries around the world. Other benefits of working on this site include:

Free, secure onsite parking.
Opportunity to join many sports and activity clubs (heavily subsidised subscription costs), as well as gym membership, 18-hole golf course, riding stables, tennis courts, Astro-turf football pitches and much more.
Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
Holidays: 13.5 days annual leave (inc bank holidays, with the opportunity to purchase 2 more days).
Training and development: We offer a wide range of learning opportunities with over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression.
Wellbeing: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, BUPA Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, Simplyhealth cash plans to claim back money towards healthcare costs, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres
Discounts: Save across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
ShareSave scheme: Helps you save regularly with the choice to buy Serco shares at a discount at the end of your savings period.
Employee networks: Dedicated networks where colleagues can come together to find support, share challenges, discuss ideas, network and be part of a community.
Charity: Support a charity or organisation with a paid volunteering day each year. You can also choose to donate to your favourite charity tax-free, through our Payroll Giving Scheme.

To discover more about our careers in Defence, meet our team, and to find out more about what we offer, please follow this Link . We're also a signatory of the UK Governments Women in Defence Charter, to find out more please click here .

Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens, we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. As a proud Disability Confident Leader and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard, disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.
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