Band 5 Personal Assistant

Job Description

The Role/Purpose

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is responsible for the regulation of nuclear safety and security across the UK. Our mission is to provide efficient and effective regulation of the nuclear industry, holding it to account on behalf of the public.

About the Role

As part of its 2025 strategy ONR is committed to being a modern and transparent regulator, delivering trusted outcomes and value. We are making substantial investments in new digital technologies and skills to enhance our regulatory processes and management of information.

The Band 5 Personal Assistant role will involve you supporting one of ONR’s Directors or team of two Deputy Directors. The role will require you to establish a trusted and effective working relationship with your director/Deputy Directors, build relationships with stakeholders, use your judgement to identify and delegate work to the appropriate person, share information promptly without compromising confidentiality or security, and to work closely and cooperatively with the PAs of other Directors.

You will also be expected to work closely with the Executive Support Office on your Directors’/Deputy Directors’ behalf. You would need to plan and prioritise your work effectively, manage and maintain the schedules of your assigned Director/Deputy Directors,’ organise meetings, proactively respond to correspondence, take actions forward and ensure all actions are responded to. You will play a key role in managing and cascading information, and you will act as a key interface between the Director/Deputy Directors’ and the wider ONR community.

These are busy positions and will involve working with senior management, industry, board members and other government departments. You will need to be flexible with your time, be able to apply judgement and discretion, and maintain a strategically awareness of what is going across ONR.

Principal Responsibilities

• Ensure the Director/Deputy Director receives full support to enable them to fulfil their accountabilities and responsibilities, using your judgement to make decisions as appropriate. You will be required to work with discretion and confidentiality and ensure that priority issues are dealt with in the Directors’/Deputy Directors ‘absence.

• Monitor and support the Directors’/Deputy Directors’ commitments and interfaces, liaise with internal and external stakeholders. You will be required to build up an extensive knowledge of the role of ONR to help you deliver your responsibilities.

• Act as an interface between the Director/Deputy Directors’ and the rest of ONR. Where appropriate, answer queries, coordinate responses to requests for information, field calls, delegate, and share information promptly without compromising confidentiality or security. Know when to make decisions and when to seek advice.

• Ensure you manage and plan work tasks so that they meet the delivery of regulatory/support and business requirements for the Director/Deputy Directors’ and ONR in a timely and accurate manner and to quality expectations. Responsibility for bringing urgent work to the attention of the Director/Deputy Director’s,’ prioritising in order of importance/deadline and delegating, where appropriate, to appropriate areas within ONR.

• You will have responsibility for making sure that all meeting papers and briefing packs needed by the Director/Deputy Directors,’ are prepared, and made available in good time, and for supporting them in ensuring that actions are carried out accordingly. You will also collate information for responses to requests for decisions/actions.

• Provide secretarial support to senior meetings at the request of the Director/Deputy Directors. Ensure agendas are produced, record clear notes of discussions/decisions, and ensure all key decisions from meetings are disseminated and communicated clearly and concisely to the relevant people within ONR.

• Responsibility for managing the Directors’/Deputy Directors’ diary, enabling them to work efficiently, and making best use of their available time. You will manage their travel arrangements, meetings and work commitments prioritising in order of importance/deadline and delegating to appropriate areas to meet the business needs of ONR.

• Ensure all requests from the Chief Executive/Chief Nuclear Inspector, Executive Support Team, and other parts of ONR are co-ordinated and responded to on behalf of the Director/Deputy Directors’ to an appropriate standard and deadline.

• Provide ad hoc support to the wider Directorate team.

Line Management Responsibilities

• None currently, however, at this level there could be an expectation to manage staff in the future.

Location / Travel

Due to the nature of this role, the position is based in Bootle, Merseyside.

ONR operates hybrid working (working in the office and or at home) as part of our flexible working policy. There is an expectation that everyone will spend time in the office on a regular basis, recognising that some work is better done face to face. Managers will work with their teams on what works best to meet individual, team, business and organisational needs to enable collaboration, as well as balancing personal choice and wellbeing.

Work with Us

Our colleagues are from all walks of life with varied personal experiences and career journeys into ONR. We want the best people for our roles. As an inclusive employer we value individuals’ contributions, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion, or belief. Our values ‘supportive, open-minded, fair and accountable’ are central to this. We invest in our people to build capability, resilience, and promote wellbeing in our great teams, underpinned by our inherent focus on inclusion and excellence.

Security Clearance

This post will require security clearance at SC level.

Person Specification

Inclusion

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We will consider reasonable adjustments to ensure the recruitment process is inclusive and barrier-free. Please contact ONR.Human-Resources@onr.gov.uk/ or Francesca.fay@onr.gov.uk to discuss further.

We will also offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the guaranteed interview scheme.

We recognise we have a role to play in helping those leaving the Armed Forces and have a Veterans guaranteed interview scheme. We offer an interview to Veterans who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the scheme. Please see eligibility criteria below.

• served for at least one year in His Majesty's Armed Forces (as a Regular or Reserve).

• be in transition from, or ceased to be a member of, His Majesty’s Armed Forces.
• not already be employed by ONR.

Essential Skills/Job Related Expertise

• Proven significant experience of providing dedicated administrative/executive support to senior personnel at director level.
• Excellent communication both verbally and written. Strong attention to detail, accurate spelling and good writing, proofing, and editing skill.
• ability to work with challenging, conflicting, and tight deadlines, and to determine appropriate priorities with a flexible approach and ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities without supervision.
• Proven evidence of being able to collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders to achieve results.
• Ability to use appropriate IT applications effectively (including Outlook, SharePoint, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).

Desirable

• Understanding of the role of a regulator

Further Information

For more information about this vacancy please contact Joanne O’Brien

Email - Joanne.OBrien@onr.gov.uk

Telephone - 07825922403

How to Apply

Please submit your application through the recruitment portal.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 5th July 2024 at 11:45pm

Your application should include:

• CV to include a full record of your education and professional qualifications and a full employment history.
• A suitability statement (maximum of 800 words) highlighting how you meet the ‘essential skills and experience” required for the role, which will be used at shortlisting in conjunction with your CV.
• Where applicable highlight if you have any experience under ‘desirable skills and experience’ within the application form.

Throughout our shortlisting process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the essential criteria (and the desirable if applicable). If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to a competency-based interview.

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