THE ART FUND

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title

Executive Assistant, Director’s Office

Department

Director’s Office

Reports to

Director

Line manager

Director

Term

Permanent; full time

Purpose of Role

At Art Fund, the role of Executive Assistant sits at the very centre of the organisation. Your primary focus is the administrative support of the Director through complex diary management and managing a busy inbox; but the role also encapsulates organising staff social, information sharing and learning events, collaborating with departments on projects, providing administrative support to the Senior Management Team in their weekly meetings, and as facilities support in the absence of the Facilities Manager.

At its core, this role is administration based and in support of the Director of Art Fund. The Director is in frequent contact with Art Fund’s stakeholders, Directors across the culture sector, as well as individuals from Local Authority and Government. The Director’s time is therefore finely balanced between internal and external meetings, so you need to be confident in using Outlook, with a keen eye for detail and excellent communication skills. Working alongside the Director to prioritise meetings and workload, this is a role which requires collaborative working, and you will work closely with both your colleagues and the Director to ensure that their time is efficiently and effectively used.

This role interacts across all departments, and with all the staff of Art Fund; you will be confident, practical and approachable. You’ll be helping with the occasional largescale communications across the sector on behalf of the Director; managing deadlines for articles from the Director for our Art Quarterly publication and Annual Report; helping to support on events including Museum of the Year and the annual Trustees Dinner, and generally embedding yourself within the organisation as one of the team.

Through the provision of administrative support to the Director the role will also coordinate activity across the Director’s Office, and other Art Fund departments, including and  effective internal and external stakeholder management.

Key Accountabilities

Director support

·       Work closely with the Director of Art Fund to provide a high level of effective and efficient administrative support

·       Liaise with colleagues and the Director, managing deadlines/actions which need the attention of the Director; ensuring all requests for the Director’s sign-off are completed in a timely manner

·       Ensure that any moments where public speaking/appearance is asked of the Director, that the relevant Director/Head of Department is aware, and liaise on preparing briefings

·       Be first point of contact for all enquiries and correspondence relating to the Director/Director’s Office

·       Manage the Director’s diary; arrange internal and external meetings and collate agendas, information and supporting documents as required

·       Research and produce briefings for meetings as directed in collaboration with other departments

·       Have oversight of the Director’s email inboxes, flagging or redirecting urgent or important communications, drafting responses and taking further action as necessary in consultation with the Director  

·       Manage telephone communication and respond as required

·       Book travel and accommodation for the Director and others as required, in line with internal policy and procedure

·       Provide facilities support for meetings involving external attendees; ensure meeting rooms are properly equipped and catering is provided

·       Draft letters, presentations, internal communications, and other written documents as required  

·       Manage and support the planning and delivery of staff events, including monthly staff meetings and summer and end of year staff events, including booking event spaces, organising external speakers/trainers, and planning presentation schedules in collaboration with the Director and Senior Management Team.

·       Attending and supporting the Director at Art Fund events including Museum of the Year in the summer, and the Trustees Dinner in the winter

·       Monitor post to the Director and respond as necessary

·       Liaise with stakeholders as directed, including Art Fund trustees, directors of museums and galleries, artists, politicians and civil servants and third sector and business leaders. Through your actions, and your representation of the Director, take responsibility for maintaining and developing good relations with external stakeholders. 

·       Ensure seamless communication internally on current external relationships, working particularly closely with Director of Programme & Policy, Director of Development, Head of Media & External Affairs, Policy and Research Lead, Governance Manager and other colleagues.

·       Ensure all stakeholder information and communication is treated with appropriate levels of confidentiality, complying with Data Protection and Fundraising Regulator guidance.

·       Liaise with the Membership Operations team regarding correspondence to and from the Director, drafting responses as required.

Senior Management Team and Board support

·       Provide proactive administrative and planning support for SMT meetings, including setting meeting agendas and forward planning ensuring any colleagues presenting are aware and inviting them to the meeting, ensuring papers are produced and circulated in good time, attending meetings as required, taking notes, following up on any actions

·       Liaise with the Governance Manager and other staff across Art Fund to support the production and dissemination of papers for Board and Trustee and committee meetings including ensuring confidence using Art Fund’s Board portal.

·       Support the smooth communication between Director and Chair, setting up regular meetings, sharing information of event attendance and sending on invitations to the Chair; and supporting the Director’s communications with trustees

·       Provide cover for the Governance Manager when they are absent, assisting with any necessary or urgent communications to or queries from Trustees

·       Take responsibility for collating and editing the Director’s Report to trustees for the Board meeting, as well as drafting other papers and presentations as required by the Director or SMT.

·       Work collaboratively with the Governance Manager to support trustee meeting scheduling and logistical support at Board meetings, strategy sessions and the AGM as required.

Other Activities, Duties and Responsibilities

Support office management/facilities – including covering reception and opening the office in the absence of the Facilities Manager where necessary

Mentor and coach junior colleagues as directed

Actively participate in the wider life of the Art Fund

Undertake other duties as requested by the Art Fund from time to time

Reporting Lines

Reports to: Director

Line-manager: Director

Works closely with: Senior Management Team, Governance Manager, Policy and Research Lead, Facilities Manager, individuals at all levels across the organisation

Externally: Art Fund Chair, Treasurer and Trustees, senior figures across the art world, including directors of museums and galleries, artists, politicians and civil servants and third sector and business leaders.

PERSON DESCRIPTION

Experience

·       Experience of working as an executive assistant to senior staff, managing complex diaries and a busy inbox

·       Experience of supporting organisational planning processes

·       Experience of managing projects or coordinating activity across departments

·       Experience of developing and maintaining good relationships with a diverse range of people, internally and externally, at all levels

·       Experience of undertaking research

Knowledge

·       High degree of computer literacy

·       Experience of using CRM systems

·       Understanding of GDPR and data security.

·       Understanding of charity administration processes eg governance and fundraising regulation

Skills/Abilities/Competencies

·       Ability to communicate clearly, accurately and concisely, verbally and in writing

·       Exacting attention to detail

·       Ability to juggle multiple priorities and meet deadlines, forward planning and well organised

·       Ability to manage the expectations of a wide variety of stakeholders

Personal Attributes

·       Confident communicating with stakeholders at a high level

·       Quick thinking and solution oriented, unphased by last minute changes to schedules

·       Collaborative approach with a flexible, helpful and supportive attitude

·       Willingness to take on and balance both high level and routine tasks effectively and with enthusiasm