Your new companyAs a public sector arm's length body of the Department for Transport, this organisation aims to retain the commercial and operational freedom to manage Britain's railway infrastructure in England, Wales and Scotland within regulatory and control frameworks. The aim is to get people and goods where they need to be, and to support Great Britain's economic prosperity. Your new roleTo proactively manage an efficient and effective personal support service for the Chief Executive, working collaboratively with key departments to assess, prioritise, and formulate appropriate responses to demands from senior high profile stakeholders, both internally and externally, in order to support the delivery of a company's objectives.We are looking for an outstanding individual to join the Chief Executive's office for a maternity cover placement for up to one year. As Senior Executive Personal Assistant, you'll be part of a small but highly influential team providing daily support to the Chief Executive. This exciting and complex role involves managing the Chief Executive's diary and mailbox and being the main person who ensures they have everything the Chief Executive needs on a day-to-day basis.We are looking for someone with significant experience in managing a Chief Executive or other senior leaders' life, who can adapt quickly to a new environment to step in and provide immediate support for a fixed term. Someone with exceptional interpersonal skills who can mould themselves for this role and provide a high level of support from the start. You will receive a high level of support from the immediate team and from the executive leadership support teams and will have access to a wealth of interesting and diverse work at the highest level of the organisation. Whilst this is a national company, the Chief Executive and support team are based predominately in Waterloo Station.About the role

Managing the Chief Executive's time efficiently and effectively.Liaising with senior stakeholders internally and externally to organise meetings, action tasks and requests, and managing the Chief Executive's mailbox.Ensure the Chief Executive has the necessary paperwork and briefings for all meetings and whatever else relevant to doing their jobIdentify, manage, and resolve complex issues on the Chief Executive's behalf.Work closely with the other members of the team to ensure the Chief Executive has everything they always require. To be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

Significant successful experience in complex diary management at Board / Exec levelExperience of managing and resolving complex issues, with the ability to analyse and evaluate high volumes of information quickly and accurately.Strong experience of managing senior stakeholders, including government and private sector.Excellent written and verbal communication skills, a high level of customer service and the ability to positively influence people.The ability to build relationships, influence and negotiate at all levels internally and externally, bringing teams together to achieve shared objectives and actions.Engaging interpersonal skills, including the ability to think and act strategically.Systematic, with high levels of organisation and preparedness, maintaining workflow under pressure and in a fast-paced, high-profile and rapidly evolving environment. What you'll need to succeedEssential

Significant successful experience in complex diary management at Board / Exec levelExperience of managing and resolving complex issues, with the ability to quickly and accurately analyse and evaluate high volumes of informationStrong experience of managing senior stakeholders, including government and the private sectorExcellent written and communication skills and ability to positively influence Strong sense of political awarenessAbility to communicate, build relationships, influence and negotiate at all levels internally and externally, bringing teams together to achieve shared objectives and actionsEngaging interpersonal skills, including the ability to think and act strategicallySystematic with high levels of organisation and preparedness, maintaining workflow under pressure and in a fast-paced, high-profile and rapidly evolving environmentDemonstrable successful experience in challenging existing processes to drive to deliver structured continuous improvement, enabling process efficiency and effectiveness Desirable

Sound railway background and knowledge of railway geographyPrevious exposure to Communications/HR disciplines and processesEducated to degree level Previous successful experience in people management What you'll get in returnFlexible working options are available.What you need to do nowIf you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

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