PA to Director of Strategic Programmes and Development

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 23 April 2025

Job summary

Personal Assistant support to the Director of Strategic Programmes and Business Development in general personal assistant duties.

Main duties of the job

To provide Personal Assistant support to the Director of Strategic Programmes and Development to enable efficient and effective discharge of their roles and responsibilities.o To set up and manage databases as appropriate to support them in the management of the business in the Strategic Programmes and Development team.o To liaise with a wide range of people and agencies, both internally and externally on their behalf, ensuring that a professional image is maintained, and that urgent business is dealt with appropriately.o The post holder will form part of a team of Strategic Programmes and Development providing a comprehensive administrative support to the Director.o Therefore, there will be a requirement to provide cover arrangements for colleagues during periods of absence and increased activity.o In collaboration with the other administration support ensure that the admin for the Director is covered between the hours of 0830 - 1700 hours. Flexibility will be required to accommodate the Directors needs

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Date posted

09 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£26,530 to £29,114 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-TWS6887170-B

Job locations

Hollins Park

Hollins Lane

Winwick

WA2 8WA

Job description

Job responsibilities

To undertake the operational and administrative functions this will include:

1. Provide comprehensive PA support to the Director of Strategic Programme and Development including word processing documents, correspondence, reports as required for the Director of Strategic Programmes and assisting them with the processing of documents that she/he produces filing, audio typing, photocopying and the composition of letters.

2. Provide a full diary management service - booking meetings organising travel and preparing complex travel itineraries.

3. Being first contact for the Director and taking autonomous action as appropriate.

4. Manage all incoming and outgoing mail, ensuring that urgent correspondence and messages are given priority.

5. Produce PowerPoint presentations and overheads for presentations.

6. Update and maintain mailing for distributing information and contact details.

7. Maintain an effective and secure filing system.

8. Set up and maintain an effective bring forward system.

9. Take responsibility for tasks that are delegated by the Director and ensure information and/or replies requested are pursued and received within the appropriate timescales. This will entail a good understanding of the work of the Director and the ability to foster good working relationships with staff internal and external to the Trust.

10. Maintain knowledge of NHS developments/initiatives both locally and nationally and Trust policies and procedures.

11. Organise and prepare meetings and agendas.

12. Planning, organising and managing events including Team Events, Away Days and External Events.

13. Take minutes as required, liaising with the Director to ensure deadlines for producing and circulating papers and minutes are agreed and met.

14. Arrange specific events and hospitality as required, e.g., conferences, seminars and workshops.

15. Manage the submission of papers/reports to the Executive Team, the Trust Board and/or

other formal Committees.

16. Deal with matters arising from the clinical areas of work sensitively and maintain confidentiality at all times.

17. Ensure the Director is briefed on circumstances/developments that have occurred during their absence, so they are in possession of all up to date facts

18. Maintain personal files, annual leave and sickness records for all staff who report to the Director and highlight availability of key staff for key meetings and /or projects.

19. PAs are required to present documents and information in an innovative way with the audience in mind.

Managing relationships

1. Receive guests and visitors professionally.

2. Establish and sustain good professional relationships with a wide range of people and agencies, both internally and externally.

3. Be courteous and responsive to general enquiries as the first point of contact for written and telephone enquires on behalf of the Strategic Programme and Development team, resolving them in a timely fashion.

4. Organise hospitality for all visitors and/or Committee/Board meetings.

Administration

1. Have advanced key board skills and knowledge in use of Microsoft Office and use of databases and spreadsheets.

2. Set up and maintain databases for the management of the work of the team.

3. Set up and maintain a confidential database to log all cases relating to issues arising from independent contractors and track progress in the management of these cases. Collate the data arising from this database and produce reports for the Board.

4. Use the internet to retrieve information required and web based products to support the Director/s in her/his work.

5. Contribute to the smooth running of the Strategic Programmes Team by working in a flexible and positive manner.

6. Develop office and secretarial practices to continually improve service delivery within the team.

OTHER

1. To maintain the dignity of service users at all times.

2. To maintain service user confidentiality at all times.

3. To ensure that work is conducted in accordance with the Trusts Equality and Diversity

Strategy and to contribute to its development.

4. In exceptional circumstances to co-operate with reasonable requests from more senior staff to vary your area of work to meet unplanned need.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To undertake the operational and administrative functions this will include:

2. Provide a full diary management service - booking meetings organising travel and preparing complex travel itineraries.

3. Being first contact for the Director and taking autonomous action as appropriate.

4. Manage all incoming and outgoing mail, ensuring that urgent correspondence and messages are given priority.

5. Produce PowerPoint presentations and overheads for presentations.

6. Update and maintain mailing for distributing information and contact details.

7. Maintain an effective and secure filing system.

8. Set up and maintain an effective bring forward system.

10. Maintain knowledge of NHS developments/initiatives both locally and nationally and Trust policies and procedures.

11. Organise and prepare meetings and agendas.

12. Planning, organising and managing events including Team Events, Away Days and External Events.

13. Take minutes as required, liaising with the Director to ensure deadlines for producing and circulating papers and minutes are agreed and met.

14. Arrange specific events and hospitality as required, e.g., conferences, seminars and workshops.

15. Manage the submission of papers/reports to the Executive Team, the Trust Board and/or

other formal Committees.

16. Deal with matters arising from the clinical areas of work sensitively and maintain confidentiality at all times.

17. Ensure the Director is briefed on circumstances/developments that have occurred during their absence, so they are in possession of all up to date facts

18. Maintain personal files, annual leave and sickness records for all staff who report to the Director and highlight availability of key staff for key meetings and /or projects.

19. PAs are required to present documents and information in an innovative way with the audience in mind.

Managing relationships

1. Receive guests and visitors professionally.

2. Establish and sustain good professional relationships with a wide range of people and agencies, both internally and externally.

4. Organise hospitality for all visitors and/or Committee/Board meetings.

Administration

1. Have advanced key board skills and knowledge in use of Microsoft Office and use of databases and spreadsheets.

2. Set up and maintain databases for the management of the work of the team.

4. Use the internet to retrieve information required and web based products to support the Director/s in her/his work.

5. Contribute to the smooth running of the Strategic Programmes Team by working in a flexible and positive manner.

6. Develop office and secretarial practices to continually improve service delivery within the team.

OTHER

1. To maintain the dignity of service users at all times.

2. To maintain service user confidentiality at all times.

3. To ensure that work is conducted in accordance with the Trusts Equality and Diversity

Strategy and to contribute to its development.

4. In exceptional circumstances to co-operate with reasonable requests from more senior staff to vary your area of work to meet unplanned need.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Knowledge of full range of secretarial procedures, software programmes, specialised functional terms acquired through NVQ3, RSA3 or equivalent, plus relevant practical experience

Desirable

IAM Level 3 Certificate in Professional PA and Administration Skills or equivalent experience.

Knowledge

Essential

Extensive experience at senior Personal Assistant level
Proven administrative systems experience
Experience of Microsoft Office
Minute taking and dictation skill and experience

Skills

Essential

Ability to work unsupervised and able to manage own time and workload
Excellent organisational skills and ability to react to changing requirements positively
Significant experience working at a similar level with proven administration skill
Ability to work under pressure

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Knowledge of full range of secretarial procedures, software programmes, specialised functional terms acquired through NVQ3, RSA3 or equivalent, plus relevant practical experience

Desirable

IAM Level 3 Certificate in Professional PA and Administration Skills or equivalent experience.

Knowledge

Essential

Extensive experience at senior Personal Assistant level
Proven administrative systems experience
Experience of Microsoft Office
Minute taking and dictation skill and experience

Skills

Essential

Ability to work unsupervised and able to manage own time and workload
Excellent organisational skills and ability to react to changing requirements positively
Significant experience working at a similar level with proven administration skill
Ability to work under pressure

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.