Overview
Senior Executive Assistant to Head of Department – Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
About us
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. We are dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place.
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience is divided into 14 academic departments across three major academic Schools: Academic Psychiatry , Mental Health & Psychological Sciences, and Neuroscience.
Our School of Academic Psychiatry comprises of five clinical departments of psychiatry: Addictions, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Psychological Medicine and Psychosis Studies.
These include more than 100 Principal Investigators, with research grants of £30-40 million. We have programmes covering the whole spectrum of psychiatry from public policy to molecular genetics, from peri-natal to old age and from psychological treatments to brain imaging. Our work covers the entire life span, healthy adults and children as well as of course people with physical and mental health conditions.
75 per cent of mental health disorders start in childhood and the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry is world-renowned for its basic and translational research in this field, in disorders such as autism, ADHD, antisocial behaviour, intellectual disability, trauma, mood and eating disorders.
About the role
To provide professional administrative support to the Head of Department (HoD) and department executive team. They will be the face of the department and the main point of contact for any enquiries. On behalf of the HoD they should have an operational oversight linking all the aspects in an academic environment by liaising with a range of people at all levels across King’s College London (KCL), i.e., academics, researchers, students, and staff in faculty and central administration across the college, as well as with external organisations and NHS Trusts and members of the public.
The post holder is expected to be on campus a minimum of 4 days per week. While individuals are designated primarily to a certain building/campus, the post holder may need to work across multiple buildings (Denmark Hill and/or Guy’s Campus) and should remain flexible when asked to spend more than 2 days on any of our campuses.
The role would suit someone who is proactive, innovative, able to work autonomously and as part of the wider Department/School team.
This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.
About you
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable knowledge and skills of business operations acquired through previous roles/qualification.
- Experience of providing high level administrative and/or personal support to a senior executive, using a range of IT software packages and databases; experience of complex diary management.
- Experience of organising and supporting formal committees, meetings, events and taking minutes
- Excellent communication skills, including excellent spoken and written English, in formal documents, letters, emails and other communications.
- Ability to manage financial paperwork and a good level of numeracy.
- Proactive approach with the ability to work independently and flexibly, managing and prioritising own workload, working under pressure in a busy environment and meeting deadlines.
- Proven ability to maintain confidentiality, handle situations sensitively, exhibiting a high level of awareness and confidentiality, tact, and diplomacy.
- Excellent people skills with the ability to work with staff at all levels, inside and outside the organization, with assurance and ease. Confident making independent decisions and knowing when to escalate.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in higher education sector and familiarity with HE administration.
- Proven commitment to ongoing skills development.
Downloading a copy of our Job Description
Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.
