Personal Assistant (Howden Ventures) London

From day one, our mission has been to create an independent business with a unique culture – one that is controlled by the people who work for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people has always been key to our success.

People come to Howden Group Holdings for lots of different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. That’s what sets us apart, and why we nurture and retain the best talent in the market. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden Group.

We're looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Personal Assistant to join us here at Howden!

You will have proven experience of supporting C-suite / Managing Directors and be an executive liaison that can work flexibility and efficiently in line with business and stakeholder needs. This is a great opportunity to join our energetic and fast-paced organisation and use your excellent interpersonal and communication skills. In this role you will be responsible for providing support to the Head of Howden Ventures and their senior team.

What you'll do

Schedule Management

• Maintain work diary for Head of Howden Ventures
• Organise meetings, presentations/speaking engagements, venue/room bookings, catering and the preparation of relevant material in advance
• Manage local and international travel arrangements, including visa requirements, insurance arrangements and the preparation of travel itineraries
• Ensure that time is effectively planned and the team is effectively prepared and issued with any relevant documentation and a daily timetable in advance of each working week

Information Preparation

• Prepare information for internal and external distribution. This may include writing letters and memos, creating presentations, transcribing dictation, editing, proofreading and internet research

Records Management

• Manage paper and electronic filing systems
• Ensure that any administration processes follow Company, legal or regulatory requirements and scalable, utilising automation where possible

General Administration Support

• Screen calls and resolve issues as appropriate
• Manage expenses records and claims and invoice processing
• Respond to queries
• Organise and respond to emails using agreed processes
• Post messages/communication on the intranet/social media

Customer focus & Relationships

• Build strong relationships with the Operating and Group Executive teams as well as their manager's direct report and other Assistants
• Engage ethically and fairly with all clients (internal and external)
• Develop positive relationships with preferred suppliers e.g. hotel and conferencing services, taxi services, restaurants, ensuring the best balance of quality, service and price

Management/Personal Development

• Act as a role model for positive behaviour, motivating and mentoring others withing the corporate support function to deliver high performance
• Manage the recruitment process where vacancies arise in your area of responsibility, working with the executive team as appropriate
• Proactively undertake personal development to build knowledge and best practice
• Keep up to date with external, industry, legal and regulatory developments etc to ensure practice and outputs are of a sufficiently high standard
• Keep informed of all legal and regulatory developments relevant to the Operating Entity/Group

What we're looking for

• Experience of working in a PA capacity
• An understanding of Financial Services and/or Insurance would be beneficial but it is not essential
• Experience managing/supervising others would be helpful, although not essential
• Strong organisational and problem solving skills as well as attention to detail
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and produce high quality work at short notice
• Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at varying levels of seniority
• Ability to manage confidential matters appropriately
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other IT tools

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define.

Yes, we offer all the usual rewards and benefits - including great healthcare provision, a wide variety of wellbeing offers, competitive salary, generous pensions and more - but we know you expect all that.

What you might not expect is a job where everyone has a voice, where volunteering in the community is part of the day job, and where everyone is encouraged to play a part towards our sustainability goals. We want people who want to make a difference - not just in the workplace, but in the industry and in the wider community.

Our Culture: People First

We are proud to be at the global table, but we are most proud of our culture. It has been built on a single and constant set of principles over more than 25 years, and it has helped us become:

• An international group with independence and people at its heart
• A home for talent with a unique culture: the biggest small company in the world

The focus on being a People First business has always been at the very heart of the Group. David’s vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture; one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people to join the Group has been and will continue to be key.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Howden Group Holdings we consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness and respect, regardless of their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances.