Personal Assistant to Port Director & Deputy Port Director

Job Introduction

37 hours per week Monday to Friday

The City Council controls all its maritime activities through the Port Service. Portsmouth International Port comprises the International Cruise and Ferry Port, Flathouse and Albert Johnson Quays and the Camber. 

What is the role? 

This is a brilliant opportunity to join us and provide a Personal Assistant service to the Port Director (PD) of Portsmouth International Port, diary and travel management for the Deputy Port Director (DPD) and manage both reception and a business support administrator, who provides support to the senior management team at the port. 

Please see the full job profile attached at the bottom of this page for all of the main duties of this role!

Who is the person? 

You need to have: 

• Excellent literacy and numeracy (GCSE level or equivalent in English and Maths is required due to the administrative work involved in the role.
• Formal secretarial qualification or equivalent standard is desirable or experience of working as an effective personal Assistant at Director level, with the ability to take concise minutes and capture actions accurately, preferably in a corporate environment. 
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• The ability to converse at ease with customers and politicians.
• Excellent grammar to be able to draft letters from a short brief.
• Excellent organisational skills. 
• Proficient with M365 applications, including Microsoft Office, Outlook, Teams, Word and Powerpoint.
• Shorthand (beneficial but not essential). 
• Experience of working to tight deadlines in a dynamic environment and using own initiative to problem solve. 
• Experience of diary management and outstanding organisation skills to ensure that the PD and DPD have everything required for the day ahead. 
• Good attention to detail with proven ability to think ahead and plan workload. 
• Proven experience of analysing office management processes to make them more efficient. 
• Cost management through challenging invoice payments.  Setting up orders and checking invoices.

If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please call Mike Sellers, Port Director on 023 9285 5901. 

All employees and third parties working at the Portsmouth International Port are subject to the Substance Misuse - Drug & Alcohol Testing Policy and the Port reserves the right to carry out with cause and random testing. In line with Home Office requirements, employees must also register their personal details on the government's central database, Access Pass Holder Information Distribution System (APHIDS), as without this registration employees will be denied entry to the Restricted Area (RA) of Portsmouth International Port.

When completing the application form, please thoroughly tailor your application to the 'Who is the Person' points with the use of examples from your experience. This is really important or you are likely not to be shortlisted. The full job profile is attached at the bottom of this page.

About Portsmouth City Council

What we can offer you:

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800