About the role
A unique and fulfilling opportunity has arisen to work closely with the Chair of the LGA and their office - we are looking for a dependable and proactive Executive Assistant to support the LGA Chair’s office and encourage applications from all backgrounds.
The Executive Assistant will oversee and manage day-to-day administrative activities and is responsible for the smooth running of inbox, diary, and correspondence management as well as a variety of ad-hoc tasks, such as meeting support and events.
With a new Chair following the General Election, this is an exciting time to join the LGA, and an ability to work in a fast-paced environment will be key as you will need to be agile in prioritising work, responding in real time to new issues, and be able to work with discretion.
The post holder will need to demonstrate experience in supporting a senior/political leader and will have a good understanding of local government. The ability to work with a range of stakeholders, both internal and external, particularly in Parliament, central government departments, and our membership councils, which include councillors, is important.
About you
We’re looking for a highly organised self-starter with meticulous attention to detail and strong communication skills. This role will work closely with the LGA’s wider Executive office, so the need to work collaboratively and be a team player is key to success.
Previous experience of supporting the administration of a private office, particularly in supporting a senior official holding multiple portfolios, would be ideal, but this is not essential. If you have the ability to demonstrate transferable skills in your experience of working as an Executive Assistant at a comparable senior level, we will still welcome an application from you.
The ability to understand or be interested in politics and local government will prepare you with useful skills for this role and help you to quickly grasp and distinguish between issues which can be actioned autonomously and those which require further discussion and/or escalation.
To discuss more details of the role to see if it suits your skills, please feel free to contact Tom Chapman for an informal conversation.
You must have the right to work in the UK, the LGA are unfortunately unable to offer sponsorship visas. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage.
To apply
If you would like to be considered for the role, please complete the online form and include a supporting statement detailing how you meet the criteria of the role before the closing date.
We are specifically assessing candidates against the following:
- Proven in-depth experience of supporting and managing a senior manager or official’s office in a pressurised environment, especially if the official performed different roles across multiple diaries.
- Experience of organising meetings involving politicians and their offices, civil servants, and/or other senior staff in high level partner organisations, including the coordination of agendas, papers, briefings, and follow-up.
- Ability to recognise, prioritise and deal with important, confidential and sensitive information arriving by email, phone, or correspondence and to respond in a professional manner at all times.
- Ability to maintain diaries accurately, make necessary travel and accommodation arrangements, make judgements about competing demands, and prioritise accordingly, including aligning with other diaries in portfolio and horizon-scanning to pre-empt diary challenges.
- Ability to track and manage correspondence, including good drafting skills.
- Able to work with a high degree of autonomy and flexibility to get things done, with good judgment to understand and identify issues requiring escalation and to what level of detail.
We use anonymous recruitment, which is the practice of hiding candidates’ identities. Applications from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds and across the protected characteristics, as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, are particularly encouraged. All applications are and will be considered on merit.
If you have any questions about the role, the hiring manager would be happy to discuss with potential candidates over the phone. Please contact HRandPayroll@local.gov.uk to arrange.
Closing Date: 5pm, 7 August 2024
Interview Date: Thursday 15 August in person in London. Candidates should indicate at the end of their statement if this date is unfeasible.
At the LGA we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open competition, with appointment on merit. The LGA are proud to be awarded a “Disability Confident Leader”. If you are require an reasonable adjustment, which is a change to the format or conditions of the recruitment process to accommodate any disability-related needs you may have. Please contact us via HRandPayroll@local.gov.uk