About the role
We seek an experience Executive Assistant for our Head of Secondary, to perform a variety of administrative tasks. The candidate should be one who is well-organised, have excellent time management skills and strong attention to detail with the ability to work efficiently, accurately and to follow up on pending items in a timely manner.
The purpose of the role is to provide a personal and professional range of services to the Head of Secondary to support them to fulfil their duties efficiently and effectively contributing to the smooth operation of the Secondary School Office and services.
Dover Court International School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including references from previous employers in accordance with our safer recruitment practice. Interviews will, if possible, be conducted in person, and they will explore candidates’ suitability to work with children.
Start Date: August 2024
Core Requirements of the Post
- Work within and actively promote the mission, vision and values of the school and of Nord Anglia Education.
- Be a loyal and supportive member of the school community.
- Be a positive contributing member of the wider support staff team (admin, business, etc.).
In fulfilling the requirements of the post, the EA to Head of School will demonstrate total professionalism and, in particular, will:
Act with complete integrity, respecting the need for loyalty to the Head of School, the school and Nord Anglia Education;
- Be prepared to learn new skills in order to support the Head of School;
- Inspire trust and confidence in students, colleagues and parents across the school;
- Live by and promote the wider aspirations and values of the school.
Areas of Responsibility and Key Tasks:
Support the Head of Secondary School
· Oversee and maintain the Head of Secondary calendar, scheduling meetings, learning visits as appropriate and including the detail of Secondary school events, liaising with relevant members of the Secondary leadership team.
· Manage phone calls, emails, enquiries and requests to the Head of Secondary office.
· Manage requisitions from budget holders requiring Headteacher approval, timely and efficiently.
· Ensure that the Head of Secondary office space is maintained, liaising with facilities and IT as appropriate.
· Provide reasonable assistance to the Head of Secondary with appointments related to government agencies, visa renewals, housing, health as requested.
· Organise travel /accommodation for approved professional learning/attendance at conferences, providing information on arrangements in liaison with EA to the Principal.
· Manage and arrange Head of School claims if needed.
Communication
· Ensure the Secondary School calendar is maintained and synchronised to the whole school management system calendar, working productively with the Secondary leadership team and Marketing and Data departments, communicating effectively with all relevant staff.
· Create and update detail in weekly briefing minutes ahead of weekly face to face briefings and disseminating to staff.
· Create and share the template for weekly Secondary parent newsletters for staff input for Head of School proofing and editing.
· Oversee and maintain the Secondary MS Team, storing and sharing documents as required.
· Meet and greet Head of School’s visitors; arrange refreshments;
· Type and format the Head of School’s letters, assist with the creation of presentations and other documents and distribute them accordingly;
· Respond to queries from parents, finding the information they need or referring them to the appropriate person;
· Assist with the planning of Secondary parent events on campus and attend parent welcome sessions.
Organisation & Compliance
· Maintain a professional, welcoming and efficient working environment and office space.
· Develop and maintain efficient systems, to include:
Effective and ongoing organisation of MS share point for storage of key documents to be accessible to all staff;
Maintenance of Secondary MS Team (and channels) and folder storage
Maintain Secondary School Leadership Team meeting minutes.
Oversee systems for individual staff absence and professional learning approvals in the Secondary School for Head of Secondary review and approval.
Lead Secondary School conference/ professional learning preparation and support whole
school conferences and professional learning events.
Health, Safety and Safeguarding
· Be alert to issues of Health & Safety and report using approved school systems, linking with the relevant staff.
· Ensure that evacuation and lockdown procedures are accessible in the Secondary School and during a school evacuation, work collaboratively with the Secondary Leadership team at the assembly point to account for Secondary students and staff.
Recruitment
· Work in close cooperation with the Head of School and HR to support the staff recruitment process by using and updating recruitment software, organising interviews and corresponding with candidates;
· Ensure IT set up and support for interviews as required.
· Provide information to candidates as requested related to the Secondary School and revert to HR as necessary;
· Maintain contact with newly appointed staff from appointment through to arrival.
· Upload relevant pre-joining information to the New Staff MS Team in liaison with the Secondary Leadership Team.
· Assist in the planning and delivery of new staff induction and Teacher planning week contributing to the smooth transition of new staff.
Other Requirements
§ Support the operation of the Secondary School and complete reasonable duties as requested by the Head of School.
Promote and adhere to the Nord Anglia Education vision and values:
● Opportunity - for us, opportunities need to be meaningful, about achieving potential and making progress.
● Impact - for us, impact is about making a difference. It needs to be immediate, positive and lasting.
● Leadership - for us, leadership is about considering the team’s needs as well as your own, setting inspiring examples, being supportive and showing real accountability and responsibility.
● Respect - for us, respect is about listening, being inclusive, showing tolerance and getting the little things right.
All staff are required to manage effective personal development as part of NAE’s commitment to invest in staff as the key resource.
Each individual must ensure that they meet their statutory responsibilities and adhere to NAE and school policies with regard to Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Equal Opportunities and other relevant legislation.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications
Diploma
Experience
Four years’ experience in an administrative role.
Experience in a client-facing role in a service orientated organisation.
Skills
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Superb time management.
Attention to detail.
Efficient working knowledge of Office 365 applications.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Systems proficient, with the ability and commitment to learn and show initiative in the use of key systems used at the school, including student management systems (MIS), recruitment software.
Personal Attributes
Act with integrity
Passionate about supporting students, staff and parents in our international school community.
Adaptable
Able to work effectively in teams in all school departments.
Approachable and helpful to all stakeholders.
Ability to work independently, setting own deadlines.
Calm under pressure and resilient.
Committed to and with evidence of on-going professional learning
