Personal Assistant

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) seeks an experienced Personal Assistant (PA) to support our Director of Science Policy. This is a permanent role, based at our Cambridge Science Park office (free onsite parking and close to public transport), with occasional travel to our London office. Hours can be flexible to accommodate you starting between 7.30am to 10am or finishing between 4pm to 6pm, as long as you are able to work on a standard 21 or 28 hour per week basis.

As Personal Assistant, you will support the Director of Science Policy, External Affairs and will work closely with other Personal Assistants to deliver a highly effective professional and confidential administrative, management, secretarial and clerical support service.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the UK’s professional body for chemical scientists and the world’s leading chemistry community. We are a prestigious not-for-profit publishing and knowledge business, educating future generations of scientists, for the benefit of science and humanity.

Your responsibilities will focus on:

• Effectively supporting the Director and appropriately liaising with important organisational and individual stakeholders to understand and best support needs.
• Co-ordinating and organising diaries and important internal, external, national and international meetings, attendees, rooms, AV set up, catering, travel, accommodation, documentation (occasionally attending and ensuring those supported are well-prepared).
• Organising Science, Education and Industry Board (SEIB) meetings, including working with the Chair, members of Council and Secretary to prepare papers, seeking Governance advice where necessary, ensuring papers have been written and actions completed.
• Potentially co-ordinating SIEB induction day and thank you letters for incoming Board members.
• Preparing, producing and `topping and tailing’ documentation briefing papers, reports and presentations for board, committee and other meetings.
• Meeting and greeting visitors at all levels of seniority and dealing with incoming email, phone calls, faxes and post and occasionally corresponding on behalf of the Director.
• Co-ordinating input into weekly briefs, monthly and ad-hoc reporting.
• Distributing minutes and unconfirmed minutes for important meetings and potentially taking minutes for internal meetings.
• Supporting Directors and Managers with administration on in-house systems, Proactis (expenses and purchase orders), Cascade (holiday and sickness absence entry), ICIMs (recruitment).
• Potentially organising purchase orders, processing expenses, authorising holiday requests and sick leave and updating iMIS with incoming and outgoing Board members.    
• Carrying out background research and presenting findings.
• Supporting or taking the lead for team activities.

Essential knowledge and skills:

• Experience of working as an assistant to senior team members, experience at director level preferred.
• The ability to work with a suitable degree of independence; making own decisions when appropriate.
• Good attention to detail / accuracy; no mistakes of significance or consequence.
• Flexibility and ability to work effectively with stakeholders and across different teams.
• The ability to maintain the confidentiality of all sensitive material and information.
• The ability to understand differing priorities and to ensure that relevant deadlines are met.
• The ability to exercise judgement in key accountable areas.
• Proven administrative skills.
• Excellent organisational skills, the ability to work under pressure and prioritise own activities to deliver against deadlines.
• A positive attitude to doing routine tasks as well as learning new skills.
• Excellent communications skills.
• The ability to maintain a working knowledge of the computer systems needed for administrative, secretarial and organisational aspects of the office's activities.  

At the Royal Society of Chemistry, we will reward your contribution with an excellent benefits package.

If you are interested, please apply as soon as possible before the end of our closing date.

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