Job summary
Exciting Opportunity: Apprentice Personal Assistant
We are thrilled to present an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic individual with a proactive mindset and a strong desire to make meaningful contributions while assisting the Specialist Hospital Board Medical Director and their dedicated core team. This role represents a distinctive chance to become part of the UCLH team and acquire invaluable training and experience while pursuing a Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship.
The ideal candidate will possess excellent organisational and communication skills, demonstrate strong attention to detail, and thrive in a collaborative team environment. You may already be working within the NHS or another sector and are keen to pursue a career within the NHS.
This apprenticeship offers a unique opportunity to launch your career within the NHS, gaining invaluable experience in a dynamic healthcare environment. The post holder will need to thrive in a fast-paced environment and possess excellent communication skills while being familiar with the Microsoft Office suite. You will be able to remain calm when dealing with multiple tasks that need to be delivered within tight timeframes.
This post offers hybrid working, and the successful applicant will be expected to be in the office three days per week, with the remaining days of the week working from home. you will be expected to support meetings that commence before 9am.
Main duties of the job
As an Apprentice PA, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Medical Director and their Core Team. The core team you will be supporting, includes the Director of Operations, head of Workforce, Head of Finance and Head of Nursing. Your responsibilities will encompass a wide range of tasks aimed at ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of the Medical Director's office.
- Providing comprehensive confidential PA support to the Medical Director and core team, covering diary management, appointments, meetings, events, and dealing with queries and projects, and setting up and maintaining databases.
- Composing letters, which may often be of a confidential, sensitive, or contentious nature.
- To coordinate and act as secretary to meetings/committees preparing agendas, taking formal minutes, arranging venues, circulating documents. Meetings include: SHB meeting (monthly), Vacancy Control Panel and planning meetings (annual), plus other key strategic meetings for the Medical Director and Core Team as and when required.
- Handling incoming/outgoing mail and distributing all routine correspondence. The post holder is also responsible for flagging up any urgent post/emails and taking necessary action in the absence of the Medical Director and core team.
Managing diaries using electronic tools, ensuring they are free from clashes, planning regular meetings well in advance, making all necessary materials available in a timely manner to facilitate meetings
About us
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.
We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
- University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
- University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
- Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
- University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
- The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
- University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.
At UCLH, we have a real 'One Team' ethos, and our values - safety, kindness, teamwork and improving, are central to the way we work. This is supported by our staff, who voted us as the #1 NHS Acute Trust to work for in the whole of England.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
On receipt of Mathematics & English certificates, shortlisted applicants will be invited to a group assessment. Upon successful completion of the assessment, applicants will be invited to an individual interview in the afternoon. This will take place on date 10th January 2024 at our head offices in London.
Applicants must not be in any other form of education, or have completed a course in the same subject at level 3 or higher.
Please ensure that you can make this date before applying.
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
On receipt of Mathematics & English certificates, shortlisted applicants will be invited to a group assessment. Upon successful completion of the assessment, applicants will be invited to an individual interview in the afternoon. This will take place on date 10th January 2024 at our head offices in London.
Applicants must not be in any other form of education, or have completed a course in the same subject at level 3 or higher.
Please ensure that you can make this date before applying.
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent experience
- Educated to GCSE level, with grades A* to C/ 9-4 (or equivalent qualification) in Mathematics & English These will be requested before being invited to the group assessment.
- Experience of working in a customer focused environment
- Willingness to undertake a Business Administrator Level 3 Apprenticeship
- Must not have a qualification higher in the same subject
- Demonstration of previous work, paid or voluntary for a minimum of 12 months
Desirable
- Already have completed a level 2 apprenticeship in Business Administration or Customer Service
- Experienceof working in a healthcare environment.
- Knowledge of a wide range of Trust/NHS procedures and practices
- Experience of working in a large organisation
- Project coordination experience
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- The ability to receive and deal effectively with confidential and sensitive information; which requires empathy and reassurance skills
- Skills in motivating and influencing others.
- The ability to deal with and respond to various external stakeholder - while representing the Trust Values
- Understanding of what constitutes confidentiality and its importance at all times
- To work with a positive attitude and keen interest in making contributions to the work carried out at Trust Headquarters (may need to frame)
- Ability to sustain prolonged concentration - for example taking notes in meetings
- Ability to deal with conflicting demands
- Willingness to be accountable for your workload
- Ability to make sensible judgements involving facts/situations which may require analysis and interpretations
- Demonstrate skills in organising and prioritising of diaries and schedules
- Able to plan, organise and prioritise work to meet deadlines
- The ability to plan and organise a broad range of activities.
- Attention to detail - for example, producing high level documents
Personal & People Development
Essential
- Ability to prioritise workload based on urgency and importance
Quality and service improvement
Essential
- Experience in using a wide range of MS Office applications such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Electronic Diary
- Advanced keyboard skills, transcribing from audio, efficiently and accurately.
Desirable
- Ability to obtain information from external sources
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to work within a team environment and display initiative when necessary
Other
Essential
- Right to remain and work in the United Kingdom. If you are here on a visa, your visa length must exceed the length of the apprenticeship course. Candidates must have been resident in the UK for the previous three years at start of study (depending on visa status). Candidates must live in England.
- Candidates must not be in any other funded training through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) or from the Department for Education (DfE)
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent experience
- Educated to GCSE level, with grades A* to C/ 9-4 (or equivalent qualification) in Mathematics & English These will be requested before being invited to the group assessment.
- Experience of working in a customer focused environment
- Willingness to undertake a Business Administrator Level 3 Apprenticeship
- Must not have a qualification higher in the same subject
- Demonstration of previous work, paid or voluntary for a minimum of 12 months
Desirable
- Already have completed a level 2 apprenticeship in Business Administration or Customer Service
- Experienceof working in a healthcare environment.
- Knowledge of a wide range of Trust/NHS procedures and practices
- Experience of working in a large organisation
- Project coordination experience
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- The ability to receive and deal effectively with confidential and sensitive information; which requires empathy and reassurance skills
- Skills in motivating and influencing others.
- The ability to deal with and respond to various external stakeholder - while representing the Trust Values
- Understanding of what constitutes confidentiality and its importance at all times
- To work with a positive attitude and keen interest in making contributions to the work carried out at Trust Headquarters (may need to frame)
- Ability to sustain prolonged concentration - for example taking notes in meetings
- Ability to deal with conflicting demands
- Willingness to be accountable for your workload
- Ability to make sensible judgements involving facts/situations which may require analysis and interpretations
- Demonstrate skills in organising and prioritising of diaries and schedules
- Able to plan, organise and prioritise work to meet deadlines
- The ability to plan and organise a broad range of activities.
- Attention to detail - for example, producing high level documents
Personal & People Development
Essential
- Ability to prioritise workload based on urgency and importance
Quality and service improvement
Essential
- Experience in using a wide range of MS Office applications such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Electronic Diary
- Advanced keyboard skills, transcribing from audio, efficiently and accurately.
Desirable
- Ability to obtain information from external sources
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to work within a team environment and display initiative when necessary
Other
Essential
- Right to remain and work in the United Kingdom. If you are here on a visa, your visa length must exceed the length of the apprenticeship course. Candidates must have been resident in the UK for the previous three years at start of study (depending on visa status). Candidates must live in England.
- Candidates must not be in any other funded training through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) or from the Department for Education (DfE)
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
