About the job

Summary

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1300 people, with a big vision – to drive change in the food system so that it delivers “food we can trust”. Our primary goal is to continue to protect public health and consumers’ wider interest in food. As we have now exited the EU the FSA faces a significant period of change and activity.

Sitting at the very heart of the FSA, Personal Assistants help to ensure that vital work carried out by the Senior Civil Service runs smoothly and effectively. The complex nature of the varied responsibilities undertaken by the FSA mean that our work is fast paced, challenging, and can often involve several high profile priorities that need to be dealt with simultaneously. It is the support offered by our Personal Assistants that allows us to face up to these challenges, juggle these priorities and ensure that no matter what happens we can continue to deliver food that is safe, and exactly what it says it is.

Job description

Assisting in the effective delivery of the Senior Civil Service’s work, the post holder will help to manage the flow of information into and out of the office, providing an invaluable interface between a wide range of figures within the FSA. The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator, working closely with this diverse mix of colleagues and establishing relationships throughout the business to ensure quick responses to meeting requests.

The post holder will also arrange, organise and prepare agendas for meetings, working to effectively manage time on behalf of the Director or Senior Civil Service member. They will also ensure materials are prepared for meetings, from PowerPoint presentations to the commissioning of briefing/speaking notes as required.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain invaluable experience at the very heart of a progressive government department and begin a career in the civil service by surrounding oneself with some of the FSA’s most high-profile work. If you are organised and able to balance and adapt to changing priorities whilst maintaining a quality service and delivering at pace, apply today to join this team at the core of the FSA.

Responsibilities

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process. We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace