Executive Assistant Application Pack Contents 1. Executive Assistant: Job Description Role Summary Main Duties and Responsibilities Person Specification Summary of Main Terms and Conditions 2. Organisational Background 3. Living Standards and Low to Middle Income Households 4. Application Process 1
1 Executive Assistant: Job Description Role Summary The Resolution Foundation is an award-winning independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes. Our reputation for analytical work that results in effective policy solutions places us at the forefront of the UK debate on economic and social policy. We re looking for an exceptional candidate to provide Executive Assistance to our Director and Executive Chair. This is a new position and the post-holder will play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth running of the Foundation. Our ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal and organisational skills, proven ability to successfully juggle varied and competing demands, and the confidence to communicate effectively with a range of senior stakeholders. We offer a competitive benefits package including a range of family friendly policies and the opportunity to join our small close-knit team at an exciting time in the Resolution Foundation s development as we further expand our reach and impact. Main Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Strategic and day to day diary management including assessing priority, liaising with colleagues and external stakeholders, coordinating appointments, travel and accommodation bookings, and liaising with external venues and contacts as required 2. On the day facilitation of meetings and events including coordinating room bookings, greeting guests, providing refreshments, IT and other support as required 3. Secretarial and administrative assistance including acting as a primary point of contact and responding promptly to emails / letters / telephone calls as required 4. Proactive commissioning of relevant briefings and research for meetings 5. Maintaining accurate and up to date records of engagements as required 6. Processing invoices and expenses claims, and other administration tasks as required 7. Maintaining an overview of organisational issues and assisting with internal communication 8. Developing and maintaining administrative systems and organisational procedures as part of the Resources team 9. Any other duties as deemed reasonable by the Director of Resources. The Foundation is a small team and staff members are expected to support each other and share cross-organisational work in addition to fulfilling individual responsibilities. Person Specification Essential requirements: Proven experience providing administrative assistance in a busy office environment Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a professional manner and the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of senior partners and high profile stakeholders Excellent organisation and administration skills including a meticulous attention to detail and a high level of accuracy The ability to work flexibly and maintain high standards whilst juggling competing demands 2
Proven ability to prioritise efficiently and work effectively, juggling time constraints and organisational priorities Excellent IT skills (including Microsoft Outlook and PowerPoint) A pro-active, confident and 'can-do' approach and the ability to work effectively in a small team The ability to carry out duties with good humour, tact and diplomacy and maintain confidentiality where appropriate The ability to use initiative and contribute new ideas Desirable requirements: Proven experience providing executive assistance to senior members of staff An interest in economic policy making A commitment to Resolution Foundation s core mission. Summary of Main Terms and Conditions Some of the main terms and conditions for this post are summarised below for information. This summary does not form part of any subsequent employment contract. The Foundation has a defined contribution pension scheme, a generous annual leave allowance, supports flexible working and offers a range of family-friendly policies. Job title: Accountable to: Location: Salary: Contract: Working hours: Annual leave: Probation period: Notice period: Executive Assistant Director of Resources London SW1H 25,000 pa 2 years, fixed term 37.5 hours a week, 9.00am to 5.30pm Mon to Fri, although exact timings are flexible as due to the nature of the post you will often be expected to work outside these hours. 30 days annual leave per annum plus bank/public holidays. Appointments are subject to a three month probation period, during which time the contract may be terminated with one week s notice. One month 3
2 Organisational Background The Resolution Foundation is an award-winning independent think-tank focused on improving the living standards for those on low to middle incomes. We work across a wide range of economic policy making and are a leading UK authority on securing widely-shared economic growth, having successfully ignited a major public debate about the stagnation in living standards that started in the UK in the years prior to the financial crisis. Recognised as a home of real expertise on a range of policy issues and drawing on a core team of experts as well as established external relationships with top national and international economists, academics and policy experts, we continue to inform public debate and influence key decision makers in government, the private sector, and civil society. We hold a regular programme of events, hosting diverse speakers from academia, the voluntary sector and business, and we regularly engage with politicians from across the political spectrum. The organisation was founded by Sir Clive Cowdery (Chair of Trustees) in 2005 and is primarily funded by the Resolution Trust. The Foundation is led by David Willetts (Executive Chair) and Torsten Bell (Director), and governed by a Board of Trustees. We are a small team of 18 people, based in a friendly and informal office in Westminster. The Foundation prides itself on analytical rigour and strives to achieve standards of excellence in all its work. This commitment is matched by dedication to its core purpose, working to improve the living standards of those on low to middle incomes. These twin pillars of excellence and purpose underpin everything the Foundation does. 3 Living Standards and Low to Middle Income Households The Foundation conducts authoritative analytical research on living standards in the UK, working across a wide range of issues with a specific focus on the plight of low to middle income households. Typically these are considered to be working households with incomes below the median in the UK. There are eight million low to middle income families in the UK, including twelve million adults and nearly seven million children. As each includes at least one working adult, they are not the very poorest in society, but they are struggling to get by and have felt the full impact of housing market challenges, the recession, insecure work and high inflation. We believe that low to middle income households have too often been overlooked in historical debates about equality and economic opportunity. More recently the challenges have risen up the agenda as national debate has focused on the squeezed middle or just about managing, but this attention is not matched by a policy response at the required rate. The Foundation s work programme currently includes incomes and inequality; jobs, skills and pay; housing, wealth and debt; tax and welfare; public finance and the economy, and the intergenerational commission, led by David Willetts. For further information, please visit: http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/our-research/. 4
4 Application Process Applications must be made using our application form which can be found here: http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/about-us/opportunities We do not accept CVs. Completed application forms and (optional) equal opportunities monitoring forms should be emailed to: info@resolutionfoundation.org with the name of the post you are applying for in the subject heading. Alternatively, applications can be sent by post to: Recruitment, Resolution Foundation, 2 Queen Anne s Gate, London SW1H 9AA. All applications received are sent an acknowledgement of receipt by email. We endeavour to send all acknowledgements within 48 hours. The closing date for all positions is: midnight 12 February 2018. Our policy is to provide equality of opportunity for all so we operate a process of blind shortlisting which helps ensure we employ the best qualified candidate for the position advertised. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted as soon as possible after the closing date, and we expect to hold interviews before the end of February 2018. Please indicate your availability and let us know if you have any specific requirements so we can make any necessary reasonable adjustments in advance. For general queries about the application process, please contact info@resolutionfoundation.org or call 020 3372 2960. If you would like to speak to someone informally about the position before applying, please contact sharmina.khanam@resolutionfoundation.org. 5