Executive Assistant (EA)

This role is for a proactive and highly competent Executive Assistant who can operate successfully in a pressurised and fast-paced environment, to provide client and business focussed secretarial and administrative support to a small group of partners. The individual will need to be able to adapt to different working styles of partners. It will include undertaking complex tasks and projects, providing high-level and flexible organisational support and playing a critical role in working with partners, clients and the department to help support the partners deliver to the highest standard.

Reporting to the Secretarial Team Leader, the individual needs to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the business. A degree of flexibility around working hours is expected.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Act as a professional and client service focussed ambassador for partners internally and externally
• Take full ownership of diaries, proactively managing all appointments, meetings and related logistics, working with partners to ensure that their schedules run smoothly and that they are where they need to be, at the scheduled meeting time, and that they are prepared for each meeting
• Proactively manage diary conflicts and take appropriate action on queries or clashes
• As agreed with each individual partner, manage inboxes responding to emails on their behalf, drafting emails appropriately, forwarding any client critical emails to other fee earners and secretaries in the team to action and respond and highlight any urgent/important emails that partner needs to respond to
• Demonstrate commercial and financial management understanding, by handling complex compliance and billing matters
• Take full ownership of tasks and manage workload against deadlines and business needs, working effectively and collaboratively with central support departments to efficiently deliver to deadlines
• Coordinate the billing process on behalf of the partners, proactively organising WIP and other financial management meetings, working with the wider department and Client Administrators to ensure billing processes meet deadlines
• Take ownership of financial and matter management processes for the team, for example coordinating chasing up unpaid bills
• Work in partnership with partners, building highly effective relationships with each of them, ensuring good working practices are put in place and adopted
• Arrange regular catch ups with each partner to review their diary and commitments, to ensure that a good understanding of partners’ clients and priorities is developed to help the partners make the best use of their time
• Introduce and implement best practice around key operational processes to enhance partner effectiveness and department performance
• Attend meetings and take minutes if required and follow up on designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next meeting
• Liaise with the Marketing & Business Development team and key contacts, proactively coordinating BD activities, playing a key role in the organisation of events, seminars & conferences for the team
• Arrange travel requirements, understand individual’s personal preferences and manage all arrangements from start to finish (including journey details, accommodation, visa requirements, currency) and update diary to reflect all information
• Develop a thorough understanding of the partners’ practice area(s), clients, priorities, the teamworking practices, and goals
• Be a role model, work closely with the Secretarial Team Leader, be seen as a change agent and show a willingness and confidence to make suggestions for change where appropriate
• Build strong relationships internally and externally

Personal attributes and skills

• Confident and professional manner with the ability to build strong relationships with partners and clients
• Possess a thorough understanding of working in a professional, service driven environment
• Excellent communication skills and ability to interact at all levels
• Strong organisational, prioritising and deadline management skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to remain proactive and flexible at all times
• Anticipate and identify potential problems and provide innovative solutions
• A strong team player who proactively seeks out opportunities to help others by reprioritising workloads
• Be proactive and have the ability to anticipate and plan ahead
• Enthusiastic and resilient to cope with a challenging and busy role
• Diplomatic, with good judgement
• Flexible with a positive and committed attitude
• Motivated and pro-active with a 'can-do' approach
• Calm and efficient under pressure
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills.