PA to the Head of HPG

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

PA to the Head of HPG

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £21,184 - £26,791 per annum

Location: London

Ref: HPG/04/14

The UK’s leading think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.

About us

ODI (www.odi.org.uk) aims to inspire and inform policy and practice to reduce poverty by locking together high-quality applied research and practical policy advice.

This is an exciting opportunity for a driven and ambitious individual to support and provide an exceptional level of professional personal assistance, administrative and secretarial support to the Head of the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG).

On a daily basis you will work on diary management, travel arrangements, scheduling meetings and liaising with both internal and external stakeholders. You will also be asked to manage the Head of HPG’s inbox, which entails drafting email and letter correspondence to send to stakeholders of varying levels; preparation of presentations and documents and producing synopses of articles as requested by the Head of HPG. Correspondence must be accurate and of a highly professional standard.

You must be able to anticipate the needs of the Head of HPG and act accordingly to ensure the smooth running of their commitments and their person.

HPG is one of the world’s leading teams of independent policy researchers and communications professionals dedicated to improving humanitarian policy and practice in response to conflict, instability and disasters. The Head of HPG is a political scientist whose work involves frequent travel around the world. You will be based in our busy London office and will be fully involved in all aspects of the Head of HPG’s commitments. Tasks will range from booking appointments and full diary management through to more substantive tasks. The right candidate will benefit from working very closely with one of the most senior and respected professionals in the humanitarian sector, providing assistance with meetings, presentation and supporting research.

About you

The successful candidate will be a self-motivated, proactive personal assistant who thrives under pressure and is able to manage a complex workload independently and to tight deadlines in a busy professional environment.

You must have:

· been education to degree level in a relevant discipline/or relevant qualifications or have substantial related work experience

· strong communication and IT skills, including Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook and SharePoint with the ability to learn new software quickly;

· excellent written and spoken English and the ability to draft correspondence to and liaise with senior humanitarian professionals;

· experience of diary management and arranging international travel itineraries;

· experience of providing support at a senior level, often while maintaining high levels of confidentiality;

· experience of working with a high workload and being flexible enough to adapt to new tasks;

· experience of providing an administrative support at a senior level

· experience of working under pressure in order to meet tight deadlines

· excellent organisational and prioritisation skills especially when dealing with multiple requests;

· Ability to work well under pressure and to strict deadlines whilst maintaining a high level of attention to detail.

Closing date: 15 August 2014

Test date: 20 August 2014

Interview date: Tuesday 26 August 2014

Start date: Monday 29 September 2014

How to apply:

For more information, please download an application pack from our website at www.odi.org.uk/jobs. If you are experiencing difficulties downloading, please telephone 020 7922 8234 or emailrecruitment@odi.org.uk.

ODI is an equal opportunities employer

Charity Reg. No.228248