Personal Assistant

Reporting to



Business Director



Function



Executive Support



Location



Newington House, Elephant & Castle London



Reference Number



76427



Employment Period



9 - 12 months Secondment – FTC



Contract Type



Personal



Bonus



7.5%



Salary Range



circa £43,000 - Depending on skills and experience



Closing Date



24th March 2023



All applications will be reviewed after the closing date



We also provide the following additional benefits



Annual leave

Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)

Tenancy Loan Deposit scheme

Tax efficient benefits: cycle to work scheme

Season ticket loan

Occupational Health support

Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers products.

Supplier discounts, such as O2, EE, Vauxhall cars, Universal tyres

Discounted access to sports and social clubs

Employee Assistance Programme.



UK Power Networks



UK Power Networks is the country’s biggest electricity distributor, making sure the lights stay on for more than eight million homes and businesses across London, the South East and the East of England.



UK Power Networks continues to be listed in the Sunday Times’ Top 25 Best Big Companies to Work For, as well as the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers, and made industry history by becoming first company to win Utility of the Year two years running (2015 and 2016, also 2012). The company is accredited in the Investors in People Platinum and Nation Equality Standard.



The company invests more than £600 million in its electricity networks every year, offers extra help to vulnerable customers at times of need, and is undertaking trials to ensure that electricity networks support the transition to a low carbon future. It also moves cables and connects new electricity supplies.



Job Purpose:

The Personal Assistant manages the effective and efficient provision of professional support services for one to two Directors to include secretarial, administrative and project support responsibilities. The job holder is expected to act primarily on his/her own initiative ensuring the smooth operation of the Director’s office and managing senior stakeholder requirements. The role may require independent research or project activities and carrying out actions on behalf of the Directors.



Principal Accountabilities:

Ensure smooth running of Director’s office, providing secretarial, administrative and project support services to Director



Manage Director’s calendar & inbox/email



Prepare & edit presentations and prepare meeting packs



Manage incoming correspondence/enquires (mail/email/phone calls) and ensure timely distribution & proactively prompt where actions/decisions/response needed



Preparation and prioritisation of letters/documents



Arrange travel involving the co-ordination of detailed travel schedules, itineraries, and all related travel requirements



Where appropriate, responsibility for all incoming customer queries and complaints (letter or telephone), seeing them through to a written response or verbal resolution



Develop and foster professional working relationships with internal and external clients



Raise purchase orders, payment requests and deal with expense claims, purchase card reconciliations and other administrative tasks



Attend SMT meetings, taking notes and providing support as necessary



Provide cover for other Directors’ PAs as required



Provide support for CEO’s PA as required



Maintenance of comprehensive filing system



Nature and Scope:

Working with the Directors, SMTs and a team of Director PAs, on business as usual activities and bespoke project work. Develop a thorough understanding of the Director’s principal responsibilities and methods of operation, working independently and proactively to provide timely and efficient support.



Person Specification:

Education / Qualifications



Recognised PA qualification preferred.



Training



Excellent Microsoft Office skills, (including PowerPoint)



Good working knowledge of SAP preferred.



Experience



Extensive experience of working as a PA at Director level, ideally working for more than one Director



Extensive experience of working in an operational role within a related complex and pressurised environment



Strong customer service skills in dealing with both internal and external customers through resolution of queries and complaints



Experience of working independently as well as part of a team



Experience of time management and task prioritisation to meet deadlines



Strong planning and organising skills.



Knowledge of the Utilities/Customer Service and/or HR industry an advantage



Aptitude



Excellent organisational ability



A confident and effective communicator with strong written and oral communication skills



Self-motivated with the ability to work in a pressured environment



Good team worker with the drive and ability to work with others to achieve shared goals and optimise the contribution of all members of the team



Proactive with a focus on problem resolution



Ability to build good working relationships with colleagues and other teams within UK Power Networks, as well as with external partners



Able to juggle multiple priorities



The ability to maintain impartiality and demonstrate tact and discretion



A willingness to undertake additional tasks and responsibilities as and when required.



Circumstances



Flexible attitude to work



Able to work flexible hours when required.



Please Note: Internal candidates are eligible to apply for internal positions once they have successfully completed any contractual probationary period.



Health & Safety Responsibilities



Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.



Employees will ensure they fully understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and particularly where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.



Employees need to be aware that for some craft and operational roles that work at height, or use fall arrest devices, there is an upper weight limit of 116Kg due to maximum safe working load of the safety equipment that is used.



If in doubt ask!



We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.