Executive Officer

About the Role

We're looking for an exceptional Executive Officer to provide high-level, confidential support to the Corporate Director of Children's Services.

This is a pivotal role at the heart of the directorate, supporting the Corporate Director to deliver key priorities and ensure the smooth and effective running of their office. You'll be a trusted adviser and key point of contact, managing complex demands, coordinating priorities, and helping to drive the delivery of services that make a real difference to children, young people and families.

What You'll Be Doing

• Providing high-level, confidential support to the Corporate Director of Children's Services.
• Managing a complex diary, inbox and correspondence, ensuring competing priorities are effectively coordinated.
• Preparing high-quality briefings, reports, presentations and meeting papers to support informed decision making.
• Taking accurate minutes and tracking actions from up to 2-3 meetings per week, including both in-person and hybrid meetings.
• Coordinating and monitoring actions arising from senior leadership, governance and partnership meetings.
• Supporting the preparation and quality assurance of Cabinet, Scrutiny, Directorate and corporate reports.
• Maintaining oversight of key deadlines, forward plans and priority work programmes.
• Building productive relationships with senior officers, Members and colleagues across the Council.
• Supporting the delivery of directorate priorities by monitoring progress, identifying risks and helping to drive improvement activity.
• Leading, supporting and coordinating the work of Executive Support Officers where applicable.

About You

We're looking for someone who can work confidently with senior stakeholders and who thrives in a demanding, fast-paced environment.

You will have:

• Significant experience providing executive support to a senior leader within a large and complex organisation.
• Experience managing demanding diaries, inboxes and competing priorities with minimal supervision.
• Experience preparing high-quality briefings, reports, presentations and correspondence.
• Strong experience supporting senior leadership and governance meetings, including agenda management, minute taking and action tracking.
• Proven ability to coordinate work across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Experience identifying, managing and escalating risks, issues and competing priorities.
• Previous management or supervisory experience.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to work with discretion, integrity and political awareness when handling sensitive information.