Executive Support Personal Assistant (Part-Time or Apprenticeship)

At West Northamptonshire Council, our Executive Support Team deliver a high quality, flexible and well-rounded support service. Sitting within the Chief Executive's Office, we provide support across the entire authority, including Adult Social Care, Corporate, Housing and Communities, Education, Environment and Regeneration, and Finance and Benefits.

Our team supports the Executive Leadership Team, Assistant Directors, Leader, Cabinet Members, the Chairman of the Council and the Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. We also lead on support to the Northamptonshire Armed Forces Covenant Partnership Board.

We are a multifaceted team, built from a wide range of experiences and expertise. Each member of the team brings something different to the table, and our team is a place where diversity is celebrated and encouraged.

The majority of your time will be spent working from our main office at One Angel Square in Northampton, with some opportunities for home working too.

We are either seeking someone on a part-time basis of around 22.5 days per week (the equivalent of either 3 full working days or 4 shorter ones).

Alternatively, we seek someone full time who would like to undertake this role alongside an apprenticeship in business administration.

Please let us know in your application whether you are interested in part time or an apprenticeship. For further information or an informal conversation about the role, please contact Leanne.Wightman@westnorthants.gov.uk.

We are aiming for interviews to take place w/c 26 August or w/c 2 September.
What will you be doing?

As a Personal Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team, you will manage and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, providing a key enabling service which allows our leadership colleagues to function at their highest capacity and capability. You will provide an efficient service, remaining quick and calm under pressure and equipped with the confidence and knowledge to act on matters affecting the highest level of local governance.

Day to day, your job will involve:

• Organising and facilitating meetings and conferences: forming and circulating agendas and relevant documents, taking minutes where suitable.


• Managing complex diaries, ensuring conflicting commitments are resolved, and time is allocated for focused work and suitable breaks.


• Being the first point of contact for executive colleagues, fielding emails, phone calls and requests to the appropriate colleagues.


• Supporting our teams with enquiries received from customers, our MPs and Members.


• Assisting with the delivery of a range of projects.


• Being proactive in organising conferences/events and understanding the support required.


• Working as a team to ensure the needs of senior officers and members are met.
  
  We need bright and dedicated individuals, passionate about working towards making a positive difference for their local community. You will be highly organised, capable of managing conflicting tasks and have a sharp attention to detail.


You will show resilience and the ability to work in a pressurised environment. Your ability to build strong and positive relationships with colleagues at all levels in the authority will characterise your attitude towards work. You will bring new and innovative ways of working to the table, embrace change and continually evolve.

You may not have experience in an administrative role, or have experience in the public sector, but you will be able to demonstrate your ambition to learn and will be driven by your attitude to deliver an exceptional service. We welcome applicants looking for a new challenge or looking to begin a career in local government.

You will need:

• A positive, responsive, and adaptable attitude


• Confidence to work independently


• An innovative and creative approach to work


• A team-driven approach to delivery


• A customer-focused approach


Your skills will include:

• Excellent organisation and time management


• The ability to manage multiple tasks at a time and prioritise your workload


• Top-quality customer service


• Great IT skills and confidence with picking up new systems and software


• Acting sensitively and with integrity around confidential information
  
  At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.


Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.


• Cycle to Work scheme.


• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.


• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.


• Car Lease scheme


• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.


• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.


• Ongoing training and development opportunities.


• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).


• Our West Ways of Working - We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.


• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.