The Great South West is a business-led organisation covering Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset focused on driving investment into the region and promoting the world class potential of the industries, technologies, businesses and workforce located in the south west of England. We do this by convening the collective voice of business, local councils, Universities and other stakeholders through the leadership of our Partnership Board, which works with Government and investors to champion our incredible region on a national and international level. Our area of operation stretches from Bridgwater to Lands End and Plymouth to Bournemouth, alongside our work in London.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity to support the Great South West Director, partnering with the University of Plymouth, providing Board-level executive and operational support. You will need to be a proactive team player with excellent organisation and communication skills with the ability to work accurately and flexibly in a constantly changing environment with senior colleagues and stakeholders in both formal settings and high profile events.
You will:
- Provide executive support to the GSW Partnership Director and Partnership Board, supporting board meetings including booking venues, setting up rooms, sending out papers, liaison with Chairs and speakers and taking minutes
- Assist in the arrangement of a series of business-related events (high-profile conferences, stakeholder meetings, business support seminars, etc)
- Event follow-up to maintain stakeholder management and update relevant databases
- Provide administrative support for the GSW Director, the GSW team and Chair of the Board
- Manage the virtual team office and resources
- Manage the team’s IT and mobile telephone systems
- Liaise with the University of Plymouth Personnel and Cornwall Council finance team in the management of GSW budget and adherence of staff to UoP policies
- Line management of any support role in the pursuit of the above duties
- To act as an advocate for their service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the GSW area
You will be expected to become involved in a diverse range of work to enable the GSW Executive Team to respond effectively to the changing requirements of the Partnership.
Above all, we are looking for a highly motivated candidate who is keen to develop their career with strong interpersonal, written and oral communication and customer service skills and be comfortable using your initiative to solve issues working across multiple actors and stakeholders alone or as part of a team.
Ideally, you will have experience of working with senior board members and executives in a dynamic and fast changing environment. Experience in the management of budgets and supplier contracts, event management and coordination is also desirable.
Please demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.
For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Ahmed Goga by email [email protected] or by telephone on 07845 633570.
There is an essential requirement within this role that you will be required to travel to and work at different University sites and/or other business locations that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Please refer to the job description for further information.
Interviews are likely to take place on Monday 22 April 2024 and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted or not.
This is a full-time position working 37 hours per week, (flexibility can be discussed) and will be a hybrid arrangement combining home based alongside working from an office touchpoint, with some occasional travel to events and meetings as required.
This position is on a fixed-term basis until 30 June 2025 due the funding with the potential for extension subject to securing further Government and partner funding beyond this period. We are also open to secondment arrangements for suitable candidates.
We offer a competitive salary package and a generous pension and holiday scheme. We also offer a range of other benefits, including ongoing development opportunities. A summary of our comprehensive benefits can be viewed here .
A successful external candidate for this position would be employed by the University of Plymouth Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Plymouth. Employees of the University of Plymouth Services Limited work alongside the University of Plymouth colleagues in delivery of Plymouth’s strategic vision, and will adopt the University of Plymouth’s HR policies and procedures in full unless otherwise stated.
The University of Plymouth is a diverse, welcoming community where everyone makes a difference and is encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. To find out more about our inclusive community, initiatives such as Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter and our range of benefits / support mechanisms such as flexible working, staff networks and enhanced maternity, paternity & adoption leave please visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpages
We particularly welcome applicants from under-represented groups such as BAME/BIPOC and LGBT+
Job Description