Executive Assistant
Job Introduction
DAC Beachcroft LLP are currently recruiting for an experienced Executive Assistant to provide high level support to our Head of Insurance and Practice Director.
The Executive Assistant will act as a main point of contact for our Head of Insurance and Practice Director, working with both internal and external contacts.
Location: Flexible
Hours of work: Monday to Friday, 35 hours a week
The ideal candidate must have previous Executive Assistant experience, ideally within a professional services environment. They will be a self-starter, who is adaptable and used to working at pace. Additionally the Executive Assistant will be able to manage a variety of styles of working, as well as being comfortable with protocol, the EA will be expected to exercise judgement and professionalism and be capable of working calmly and unsupervised in high-pressure situations.
The workload will be varied, ranging from booking travel, taking minutes, and assisting in arranging events. Dealing professionally with senior people requires a high degree of responsiveness, an overtly positive attitude and strong attention to detail. Confidence and excellent communication skills are essential, as well as the need to work as part of a wider team. The EA will be a very visible part of DAC Beachcroft's external profile.
This role will also provide some support to our 3 Practice Managers.
Role Responsibility
- Providing a full personal organisational service to our Head of Insurance and Practice Director
- Managing complex and busy diaries
- Managing and booking travel arrangements including international travel where appropriate
- Screening telephone calls and emails and handling where appropriate
- Managing and booking client meetings and events and ensuring the individual is well-prepared e.g. meeting documentation, itinerary/timetable
- Producing documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations (using PowerPoint where appropriate), sometimes from dictation
- Assisting with ad-hoc business development and communications activities e.g. client contact reports, delegate packs etc
- Managing expenses
- Ensuring contact information is kept up to date and data is accurate
- Any other duties as may be reasonably required for the performance of the role
The Ideal Candidate
Essential Skills/Experience
- Previous Executive Assistant experience is essential, ideally within a professional services environment
- Exceptional minute-taking experience
- Experience of working in areas where protocol and etiquette is important
- A secretarial NVQ / Diploma or equivalent would be beneficial but is not essential
- A client service-focused approach, interacting with clients in a professional manner at all times
- Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the ability to apply project management skills to ensure delivery
- Excellent all-round communication skills and the ability to engage effectively with different audiences at all levels
- Strong ability to work on own initiative and demonstrate pro-activity
- Team oriented approach and collaborative with a flexible, can do attitude
- Must have advanced IT skills and detailed working knowledge of standard IT systems and software packages e.g. Word, Excel and PowerPoint, together with bespoke DAC Beachcroft packages. Experience of using Big Hand or other dictation systems would be beneficial
- Demonstrable ability to multitask and prioritise a full workload under pressure and the ability to work independently. Effective time management is essential
- An excellent eye for detail with a focus on quality and accuracy
- Ability to communicate clearly and concisely verbally and in writing
- Ability to take accurate minutes and type from dictation
- Acting as first port of call/acting as representative on behalf of the firm with external clients, utilising a professional and competent telephone manner and assisting with queries where appropriate
Location
- Location is Flexible
- Flexible with regards to regular travel
About the Company
We are a leading international legal business with over 2,400 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Northern Ireland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Peru, Central America, Argentina, the USA, Australia and Germany.
We are known for our market-leading presence in sectors such as Insurance, Health and Real Estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for the majority of the top 30 insurance and financial services companies operating in the UK. We are the asset management lawyers for the UK’s largest shopping centres and act for 9 of the UK’s top 10 housebuilders.
We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 155 Chambers UK 2019 practice area and individual lawyer rankings, including 30 rankings at 'Band 1' level. In Legal 500 UK, 2018, the firm received top tier ranking for 32 of its practice areas and 59 practice areas in the top two tiers. In March 2018, we were named as one of Legal Week's Best Legal Advisors for the third year running, achieving category-leading satisfaction scores for our commercial approach, service delivery, quality of legal advice, communication & responsiveness and overall relationships.
Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.
DAC Beachcroft is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from every sector of the community. We also welcome direct applications. If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.
DAC Beachcroft