Executive Assistant

Job description

Role Purpose (overall high level summary of the role)

To provide high quality, confidential and comprehensive administrative, analytical and EA support. Duties to include diary management, email handling, expense management, administration of leadership meetings and other key committees, scheduling appointments, planning and structuring programmes and itineraries across different time zones.

Principal Accountabilities:

Key activities and decision making areas

· Be responsible for calendar management for the Senior Manager, requiring interaction with internal and external executives and assistants, to coordinate a variety of meetings

· Communicate and handle incoming and outgoing emails on behalf of the Senior Manager and respond where appropriate

· Promptly screen and handle daily calls and inquiries and respond independently to routine issues and questions

· Make travel arrangements for the Senior Manager and arrange overseas meeting schedules and programmes

· Take minutes of meetings and follow up with any actions

· Produce letters, reports, memoranda, forms and schedules, utilising various PC-based software packages

· Perform general clerical duties to include but not limited to: photocopying, faxing, mailing, handling courier and filing; and sometimes confidential materials

· Team administration to consolidate department organisation charts, staff contacts, holiday records, and the whereabouts tracker.

Customers / Stakeholders

· Provides a professional and confident representation of the Senior Manager.

Leadership & Teamwork

· Build a network and develop relationships with HSBC employees at all levels. Cover for other EAs within the team.

· Extends help to other PA's workloads permitting. Work with other PA's to ensure good teamwork and cover arrangements are in place.

Operational Effectiveness & Control

· To continually reassess the operational risks associated with the role and adhere to internal controls, procedures and policies

· Support, encourage and participate in a programme of continuous improvement and cost control/reduction

· Consider HSBC's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint

· Effective use of technology

· Maintain confidentiality at all times relating to information handled and known

Major Challenges (The challenges inherent in the role that require a continual test of the role holder's abilities)

· The role holder will continually be dealing with changing priorities and deliverables

· The role holder must remain calm under pressure and flexible when required to deal with urgent issues

· The role will requires excellent communication skills

· The role holder will have to deal assertively but sensitively with customer demands and conflict

· The role holder must remain professional at all times and project a good image to external clients

· Due to the nature of this role the position will be exposed to highly confidential information and will need to safeguard this at all times.

Role Context (The environment and operating conditions of the role including the extent of guidance and authority)

· The role holder is required to work with a level of autonomy sometimes dealing with issues where considerable judgment is required.

· The Senior Manager position is of a global nature so the role holder will be continually challenged with differing time zones. Experience within a global role and ability to plan and structure programmes and itineraries across time zones to maximise Executive's time and interaction with a global team is essential.

· HBEU continues to evolve through updated operating model, capacity, capability and infrastructure. The function has a key role to play in the fulfilment of commitments to the Monitor and Global Standards and regulatory compliance.

Management of Risk (Operational Risk / FIM requirements)

· The jobholder will also continually reassess the operational risks associated with the role and inherent in the business, taking account of changing economic or market conditions, legal and regulatory requirements, operating procedures and practices, management restructurings, and the impact of new technology.

· This will be achieved by ensuring all actions take account of the likelihood of operational risk occurring.

· Also by addressing any areas of concern in conjunction with line management and/or the appropriate department.

Observation of Internal Controls (Compliance Policy / FIM requirements)

· The jobholder will also adhere to and be able to demonstrate adherence to internal controls. This will be achieved by adherence to all relevant procedures, keeping appropriate records and, where appropriate, by the timely implementation of internal and external audit points, including issues raised by external regulators.

Desired profile

Qualifications :

Knowledge & Experience

· Broad understanding of the HSBC Group

· General knowledge of HSBC structure, organisation and ideally knowledge of HR

· Previous secretarial / administrative experience working at a senior level

· Experience of working within a global role

· Previous data management and analysis (some experience preferred but not essential)

· A-Level Qualifications or equivalent and above

Skills

· Strong interpersonal skills, confident and ability to work at all levels

· Professional and able to project a good image to external clients

· Strict adherence to the requirements of confidentiality

· Energetic, enthusiastic team player

· Role model and ambassador for HSBC and their executive manager

· Very good knowledge of Lotus Notes and proficient in Word, Excel and Powerpoint

· Professional, polished, ability to deal assertively but sensitively with internal and external customers

· Remain calm under pressure

· Ability to re-prioritise in very short timescales

· Discretion and integrity.