PA to Directors

About the job:

Acting as the first point of contact for the Engineering & Infrastructure Director and Safety & Security Director you will provide personalised secretarial and administration support in a well organised and timely manner. You will work on a one to one basis with both directors on a variety of tasks ensuring that you exercise your judgment on priorities. You will interact with staff at all levels, sometimes under pressure, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and efficient with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality. Expert level written and verbal communications skills, strong decision-making ability and attention to detail are vital.

Your main responsibilities will be:

PA to Engineering & Infrastructure and Safety & Security Directors
Provide professional all round administrative support to the Directors.
Co-ordination and planning of the activities of both Directors.
Extensive diary management, arranging meetings, appointments both internally and externally.
Ensuring directors are fully prepared for meetings with supporting paperwork and information, including co-ordinating briefings where necessary.
Managing incoming and outgoing correspondence where necessary.
Receiving and providing highly complex and sensitive information in a strictly confidential and professional manner.
Making travel arrangements, booking venues and catering arrangements for meetings and conferences as needed including expense reimbursement.
Drafting correspondence, if required, on behalf of the Directors.
Prioritise and manage work and follow through any issues in a timely manner.
Maintain confidentiality at all times and process information in a way which meets the required standards around data protection.
Provide cover for the other PA’s to Directors during periods of sickness and annual leave.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

Educated to a high standard, preferably A Level or equivalent, or significant proven experience in a fast paced administration environment.
Able to work independently without supervision whilst managing precise timeframes
Proven experience of ability to prioritise and time manage, working in a busy office environment.
Proven experience of working in a confidential environment.
Able to communicate clearly via a range of means and with people at all levels of the business including drafting correspondence where necessary
Experience of working in a commercial environment and displaying business acumen
Experienced in working in a team.
Experienced in working from own initiative with the ability to multitask
Proficient use of Microsoft Office applications, and in particular Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Strong data analytical skills and ability to make information clear for presentations
Highly organised and resourceful
Ability to develop and maintain relationship with colleagues, as well as working across all levels of the organisation.

About the location:

South Western Railways HQ is based on the 4th Floor at South Bank Central, a stone’s throw from the River Thames and a 10 minute walk from our busiest station, Waterloo. It is local to many well-known attractions, restaurants and retail facilities and is easily accessible by public transport.

Working pattern:

Working an average of 30 hours per week over 4 days Monday to Thursday. Please note this is a fixed term contract/secondment for up to 6 months.

The Reward:

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including;

Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
75% discount on many other train operating companies
Full training and support with development
Excellent pension scheme

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

Tagged as: commercial, customer, safety