Personal Assistant

Are you looking for a new opportunity to develop a career in Higher Education? We have an assignment for a temporary part-time Executive Assistant to join our client, a leading Education Institute based in Milton Keynes


Role: Executive Assistant to the Graduate School Director
Location: Hybrid / Milton Keynes
Duration: Temporary, until 20th December with a potential to extend
Hours: Part-time - 20 hours a week, Monday to Friday
Salary: £15.80 per hour
Start date: 11/11/2024

About the Role:

The Graduate School Coordinator provides essential administrative and executive support to the Graduate School Director and the wider Graduate School team. This role involves a wide range of responsibilities, from managing the Director's diary and coordinating meetings to preparing documentation and researching information. As the first point of contact for the Director, you will play a crucial role in representing the Graduate School and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

About You:

To be successful in this role, you will need to be highly organized, efficient, and have excellent communication skills. You should be able to work independently and as part of a team, and have a proactive approach to problem-solving. Experience in a senior administrative role, particularly within a higher education setting, would be advantageous.

Key Responsibilities:

• To manage all aspects of the diary and appointments for the Director, and team members where required, ensuring the most effective use of time.
• Managing and coordinating the collation of all relevant documentation so that the Director and team members have all paperwork necessary for meetings/engagements.
• Open all incoming post for the Graduate School Director. To discuss mail/email with the Graduate School Director or others, as required, and where appropriate using initiative in dealing with important and urgent matters.
• Provide administrative and secretariat support to the Graduate School team, coordinating all meeting, workshop arrangements and ongoing working groups as necessary to include catering, skype/telephone/video conferencing, dealing with information flows within the office, attending meetings, drafting minutes and following up actions as required.
• Receive and filter all telephone calls for the Graduate School Director. To make calls on behalf of the Graduate School Director, dealing at all levels of seniority externally and internally; for example, liaising regularly with the offices of the Pro Vice-Chancellors, Director Research and Academic Strategy Unit, Executive Deans, Associate Deans and other senior staff.
• Supports the Director and team members by preparing documentation where required and researching papers and information from the internet and from other areas of the University as appropriate.
• Managing the filing system including internal and external highly confidential and restricted papers, as well as staff records and information resources and archives. Maintaining accurate contacts files, email distribution lists and staff lists.
• Using the highest level of initiative and judgment to handle highly confidential materials, including staffing and personnel related issues.
• To make travel arrangements for the Director and team members as needed and plan and co-ordinate the journey from door to door, creating detailed itineraries of trips.
• To undertake such other duties as may be requested from time-to-time by the Graduate School Director in support of the objectives of the Graduate School and the University. Works closely with other staff in the Research and Academic Strategy Unit to ensure continuity and coverage of the range of activities carried out in the broader environment, supporting activities and events organised by other teams as necessary.

About us and our client

As a flexible employee of Pertemps Recruitment Partnership Ltd, you will be joining a Company that holds the distinction of being one of the largest and most successful independent recruitment agencies in the country. Our pioneering spirit and ability to tap into the uniqueness of everyone's talents has enabled us to open doors for our employees, our clients, and our applicants too. Our philosophies and rewards are built very much on mutual trust and respect within the style of a partnership in which we hope you will feel both fulfilled and valued as a person.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.