We are looking for an Executive Assistant to provide full support to the Director of Finance and the Finance and Business Hub on a fixed term basis for six months.

This role will manage and support the performance of the Finance and Business Hub and ensure that the team meets its objectives and great service standards.  This will be achieved through providing effective office systems, procedures, support services and inter-departmental liaison.

What will you be doing?

• Maintain the appointment schedules for the Director of Finance and their teams, by planning and scheduling meetings, conferences, teleconferences and travel.
• Read, review, assign/escalate, prioritise and follow up on all correspondence for the Finance Director.
• Plan, organise and execute of a wide range of complex events on behalf of Finance such as staff event and briefings.
• Be responsible for ensuring the Director and Senior Team receive a comprehensive administrative service
• Ensure the Finance team is effectively resourced by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees
• Be responsible for ensuring the Director and Senior Team receive a comprehensive administrative service including word processing, facilitation of meetings to include transcribing and distribution minutes of meetings

About you

We are looking for someone who thrives in busy environment, can provide customer-focused solutions and is organised with great attention to detail. 

This is a varied and demanding role and will require someone who can learn quickly and has proven skills, knowledge and experience to provide outstanding executive support at a senior level.    

You will also have:

• Experience in diary management, with the ability to forward plan, prioritise your workload and meet deadlines
• The confidence to communicate with people at all levels of the organisation, both verbally and in writing
• Good interpersonal skills, coupled with the ability to deal with difficult situations, with tact and diplomacy
• The ability to work on your own initiative and use judgement as needed
• An understanding of how Finance works and be able to mitigate risks that impact the organisation

About the team

Our Finance & Business Hub provides essential high-quality, responsive, and agile enabling services to the West Midlands Combined Authority and its directorates in areas such as human resources, procurement, commercial investments, assurance and appraisal, financial control and administration, and financial and business planning and performance reporting.

We are a cohesive team of forward thinking, insightful, innovative and high-performing professionals who, through our consultative and business partnering approach, influence, support and coach managers and senior leaders to help them achieve business objectives. By doing so, we help to ensure sound decisions are made and it is in this capacity that we are seen as a respected point of contact within the organisation.

About us

Our role in the West Midlands has never been more important and in these extraordinary times we’ve shown we can step forward, speak up for our region and bring people together. Everything we do is focused on making life better for people in the West Midlands – that’s our reason for being here and it drives every move we make. We lead and support others to deliver our shared future vision for the region – a happier, healthier, better connected place to live and work. 

We fully believe that we are only as great as the people who work for us and are committed to providing a positive, healthy and inclusive working environment where our people feel valued and respected. We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women.

Our employees feel they can make a difference and are excited by the growth and the potential to shape the future. As we undergo a period of significant change, our employees are engaging with what is going on and we are encouraging a culture where people feel they can contribute towards improvements.

We’re ambitious, forward thinking and determined to find better ways of working, always leading the way in what we do. We trust and support each other to get the job done, and encourage creativity, originality and curiosity from those who work with us. We’re committed to creating an accessible and diverse workplace, one that nurtures an inclusive environment where our people can be themselves.

If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

Additional information

We are designing our organisation of the future and planning a new, flexible approach to the way we use our office space.  This approach will mean most of us working from home some of the time and using our office space to come together to share ideas and learn from each other. We will continue to use digital technology for meetings, collaboration and communications - bringing teams together virtually wherever they’re working, saving time and spending on travel.

We are committed to developing an organisation that is representative of the diverse communities that we serve and welcome applications from all sections of the community. The following groups are currently underrepresented: young people, Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and women at senior levels.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and offer a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who meet the essential job role criteria. We will make reasonable adjustments, in line with the Equality Act, for disabled applicants if these are needed. Wherever possible we will offer flexible working options which assist work-life balance.

We’re dedicated to providing a broad range of rewards and benefits and constantly benchmark our benefits packages to ensure they are attractive for all our people. As well as a competitive salary, employees also receive 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and access to a great pension scheme.

Supporting documents
Executive Assistant to Director of Finance.pdf