Cabinet Assistant
Fixed Term, Full Time
£28,699 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Anywhere worker
Closing Date: 29th November 2024
About Us:
Are you detail-oriented, organised, and passionate about supporting high-level decision-making? Do you enjoy varied fast paced work, managing competing priorities? We’re looking for a dedicated Cabinet Assistant to join our dynamic team. In this role, you’ll be at the heart of our operations, ensuring smooth and efficient administrative support.
This role is offered as a Secondment or Fixed Term Contract for 6 months with the possibility of being extended or converting to a permanent position.
Please note: This role is classed as an ‘Anywhere Worker’ however there is an expectation for you to work in County Hall, Chelmsford typically 1 day a week. Most often this will be a Tuesday to coincide with Political Leadership Team.
Benefits:
- Healthy work life balance.
- Wide range of learning and development opportunities.
- IT equipment and home-working equipment supplied.
- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + choice to buy extra.
- Generous Local Government Salary related pension scheme.
- Access to hundreds of discounts and benefits through Essex Rewards.
- Access to our health and wellbeing support platform with LifeWorks.
- Up to 4 days per year Volunteering leave.
Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees. More information can be found here pay and reward .
The Role:
Cabinet Support provide a flexible and agile service to senior leaders and Cabinet Members, enabling them to achieve strategic goals.
The Cabinet Assistant provides efficient administration services to Cabinet Members, including effective diary and inbox management as agreed. Preparation of correspondence, arranging events and supporting key meetings.
The role requires excellent organisational skills and the ability to build strong working relationships with stakeholders at a senior level, including leadership teams. With experience of working within a business support environment and delivering a complete range of administrative tasks, including meeting support, diary management and tracking progress against agreed actions. A knowledge and understanding of the operations of political environments is desirable.
About You:
You will:
- Be educated to level 2 (GCSE) in a related field, such as business management or politics, or equivalent by experience.
- Provide evidence of continuing professional development and good knowledge in relevant professional area.
- Show evidence of working within a business support environment.
- Have experience of managing information and data record systems, with good analytical and research skills.
- Have experience of working closely with senior leaders, in a complex business setting, understanding of political environments is desirable.
- Possess strong communication skills with proven ability to translate information/data in a clear way, to a wide range of audiences.
Essential Requirements for the role:
- Experience of delivering personal and meeting support including prioritising competing demands is essential.
What will you be doing?
- Work closely with Cabinet Members, Senior Strategy Advisors and support colleagues to deliver a professional, support service to enhance the effectiveness of the Cabinet.
- Be responsible for proactive management of Cabinet Member diaries, ensuring appropriate use of time, provision of meeting materials, arranging suitable venues and equipment and booking travel if required.
- Be responsible for management of Cabinet Member emails, post and calls, prioritising items for attention, according to sensitivity, confidentiality and contention. Using professional judgement and working knowledge to resolve issues where appropriate.
- Provide a range of meeting support services, including documentation preparation and circulation and minute taking where business critical.
- Responsible for both writing and managing correspondence, data and confidential information appropriately; collating, distributing and electronic filing of political and sensitive information in line with policy and procedures.
- Contribute to the effective management of the Complaints process to ensure prompt responses.
- Responsible for supporting the transition and publication of Cabinet Member Actions (CMA), Key Decisions, Virements and Cabinet reports, as directed by the constitution, enabling review by the Senior Strategy Advisor.
- Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
To read more about us please visit:
Corporate Services: https://workingforessex.com/role/corporate-services
Entry to Work: https://www.workingforessex.com/working-here/entry-to-work
Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
To view our Organisational Behaviours information please follow this link.
Why you’ll love working with us:
- Impactful Work: Play a crucial role in supporting our leadership team.
- Professional Growth: Opportunities for training and career advancement.
- Collaborative Environment: Work with a team that values your contributions.
Ready to Make a Difference? Start your journey within the Cabinet Office by clicking the APPLY button now!
If you are interested in finding out more about this role or require further information, we would love to hear from you. Please email: work.placements@essex.gov.uk .
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service .
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
Additional Information:
If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community .
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