Overall job purpose

To provide a high standard of executive and personal assistance to the Executive Director, Board of Trustees and Senior Management Team.

The role will be varied and will suit somebody good at multi-tasking and combining an eye for detail with interest in supporting the Executive Director in developing the ‘bigger picture’. The right candidate will be efficient and diplomatic, and have the inter-personal skills to deal with senior staff and trustees.

Relationships

• Internal: All staff in the UK office; visitors from other IRC offices, especially senior staff at VP, Country and Regional Director level.
• External: Board of Trustees, senior external contacts and potential donors.

Main tasks and responsibilities

1) Board Meetings and Trustee Liaison(35%)

• Plan Board meeting agendas, including compiling and sending papers, taking minutes, ensuring follow-up of action items, handling all logistic arrangements for meetings, including audio-visual and refreshments.
• Plan Board field visits, working with country offices to develop an itinerary and information materials; advising board members on travel, visas, immunizations etc; booking travel where required; and ensuring security briefing takes place prior to departure and on arrival.
• Manage, together with the Executive Director and Board chair, functioning of nominating committee, including administration of Board membership, Board committees and sourcing new Board candidates.
• Manage the interface with Trustees and act as their main point of contact for any general queries or requests they may have regarding information within IRC-UK.
• Deal with administrative matters relating to the Trustees, including signature and events attendance requests, organising travel and accommodation where necessary, processing expenses, post etc.
• Support and administer effective recruitment for new Board members, including maintaining an up-to-date induction pack, and providing updates for existing Board members, and update of Companies House register of Trustees.
• Provide support to Finance Director in managing Audit and Governance Committee meeting, including sending papers, taking minutes and arrangements for meetings.

2) Support Strategic Planning and the Senior Management Team (SMT)(20%)

• Develop agendas for SMT and Team Leaders meetings, and ensure regular scheduling and feedback to all staff.
• Manage strategic planning working group rosters, and ensure progress of strategic planning working groups against workplans, and regular working group updates at staff meetings.
• Assist Executive Director in planning annual staff strategic planning retreat, including identifying appropriate facilitators and venues.
• Manage overview of IRC-UK participation in IRC international meetings, ensuring coordination of participation and IRC-UK agenda items.

3) Support Executive Director (40%)

• Diary management for Executive Director, including local and international travel arrangements, pre-meeting briefings and ensuring suitable brand material is prepared for meetings.
• Handle internal and external enquiries in a professional manner, dealing with these to conclusion where possible or referring them to the appropriate person.
• Arrange and support all-staff meetings.
• Manage non-department specific in-coming visitors (from the field, IRC New York, and external), arranging meeting schedules, and assisting with travel and hotel bookings.
• Deal with correspondence on behalf of the Executive Director.
• Ad-hoc projects as required.

4) Administrative Support to Director Policy and Advocacy (5%)

• Provide general support, including international travel arrangements for the team, management of in-coming visitors, and arrangements to support recruitment.

Person specification

Essential

• Degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience as a PA to a senior executive.
• Experience in preparing meeting agendas and minute-taking.
• Experience in a NGO or other charity (voluntary or paid capacity).
• Excellent organisation and administration skills with the ability to plan and prioritise work for self and others.
• Highly computer literate and confident with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel.
• Excellent time management skills. The post-holder will need to manage their own time well, and the time of senior managers.
• Excellent communication skills, including a high standard of written and spoken English.
• Self motivated, flexible and able to make judgement calls as to when to take the initiative on the Executive Director’s behalf.
• Good interpersonal skills, and the ability to work with stakeholders at all levels.

Desirable

• Experience (voluntary or otherwise) working with trustees.
• Interest in overseas aid and development.