Reporting to: Operations Manager

Location:                Charter Academy

Contract:            Permanent

Working Pattern: 36 hours a week, Term Time plus 3 weeks 

Salary: Ark Support Scale 8: Pay Points 19 - 29: £24,799 - £32,029 (£22,871 - £29,539 pro rata)

The Role

As the Personal Assistant to the Principal, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the Principal is best equipped to lead the academy. In this role, you will assist with the Principal’s top priorities by providing key administrative support, managing the Principal’s diary and being involved in a wide range of other projects. This role involves duties which are front facing with our students on a daily basis.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintaining efficient and effective systems for filing and organising correspondence, ensuring discretion and respecting confidentiality

• Managing the principal’s diary and appointments

• Assisting with data management, and producing correspondence and reports, sometimes of a confidential nature

• Responsibility for exclusion documentation paperwork and paperwork for governing body meetings 

• Dealing with all phone calls and personal enquiries efficiently and professionally

• Arranging and assisting with meetings as requested, including booking rooms, providing refreshments, preparation of materials and minute taking, in order to ensure their timeliness and smooth-running

• Meeting and greeting the Principal’s visitors, displaying due courtesy and tact, to ensure that visitors are welcomed into a friendly and professional environment

• Communicate and liaise with staff, students, parents, governors, Ark Schools staff, members of the local community and other external parties as appropriate

• Maintain a presence around the school to ensure that the highest standards of behaviour are upheld

• Organise the administrative elements of key events and visits in the school calendar including coordinating and planning for all practical arrangements

Other

• Actively promote the safety and welfare of our children and young people 

• Ensure compliance with Arks data protection rules and procedures

• Liaise with colleagues and external contacts at all levels of seniority with confidence, tact and diplomacy

• Work with Ark Central and other academies in the Ark network, to establish good practice throughout the network, offering support where required

This job description is not an exhaustive list and you will be expected to carry out any other reasonable tasks as directed by your line manager. 

 

Person Specification: Personal Assistant

Qualifications 

• GCSE at grade C or above in English and Maths (equiv)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Experience providing PA or secretarial support to staff at a senior level

• Experience of running effective administrative processes, preferably in a school environment

• Excellent organisation and time-management skills

• Excellent communication skills

• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office

• Able to build relationships across a range of stakeholders and anticipate the needs of others

• Able to manage a high volume workload including projects, prioritising accordingly to meet deadlines

• Able to take ownership of tasks and work with minimal supervision

Behaviours

• Genuine passion for and a belief in the potential of every pupil 

• A robust awareness of keeping children safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and you understand how and when to take appropriate action. 

• Belief that every student should have access to an excellent education regardless of background

• Assertive and deadline driven 

• Professional outlook, detailed orientated and able to multi task and meet deadlines

• A team player that can work collaboratively as well as using own initiative

• Calm and professional under pressure

• Understanding of the importance of confidentiality and discretion

• Flexible attitude towards work and demonstrates sound judgement

Other

• Right to work in the UK

• Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all students

• Willingness to undertake training

• This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

If you have any enquiries, please contact HR on 02392 824204.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our academies.  In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process. This process is outlined here, but can be provided in more detail if requested. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.