Personal Assistant - Standard Bank

Standard Bank is a firm believer in technical innovation, to help us guarantee exceptional client service and leading edge financial solutions. Our growing global success reflects our commitment to the latest solutions, the best people, and a uniquely flexible and vibrant working culture. To help us drive our success into the future, we are looking for an experienced Personal Assistant to join our team. Standard Bank is a leading African banking group focused on emerging markets globally. It has been a mainstay of South Africa's financial system for 150 years, and now spans 16 countries across the African continent.

Job Purpose

To support an executive and other levels of senior manager by providing administrative support, schedule coordination, secretarial functions, procurement, invoice approval and administration travel and event management, meeting and workshop coordination across the Standard Bank Group and with external parties.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

Manage the executive's schedule of meetings

• Proactively manage the diary of the executive, set up, accept and decline meetings as requested. Review the diary priorities with the executive on a weekly basis to determine which meetings should be accepted, delegated or declined.
• Escalate any diary priority clashes to the executive for joint decision making as and when they occur, proactively managing any potential meeting overlaps and clashes
• Ensures sufficient travel time between meetings
• Screen requests for meetings or events to be attended by the executive and determine which ones would be appropriate for personal attendance and which ones should be delegated to other managers in the business unit.Track and monitor the acceptances and declines obtained from parties that have been invited to the meetings requested by the executive. Resolve attendance issues. Liaise with relevant parties to reschedule any meetings.
• On a daily basis, print meeting documents and packs and provide them to the executive for their reference, or ensure that the packs are available in electronic format if the executive uses a mobile device (such as iPad).
• Take minutes of meetings on request. Ensure that the minutes are approved by the meeting chair and distributed to the relevant parties within the agreed time period.
• Follow up on the action items discussed in meetings upon request
• Arrange teleconferences and video conferences and liaise with internal service provides to obtain dial in details.
• Arrange refreshments for meetings on request from the executive.

Manage all travel arrangements including transfer, accommodation and flights

• Liaise with bank-approved travel agencies to obtain quotes and proposals for travel bookings for domestic, regional and international trips the executive is required to make. Present the options to the executive for decision making. Complete the bookings and follow up to ensure that all the items are correct.
• Determine the visa requirements for regional or international trips and ensure that the executive has the right documentation and appointments to obtain visas in good time.
• Adhere to the bank's travel policy in relation to class of travel and hotel accommodation.
• Arrange transfers to and from airports to ensure minimum disruption to the executive’s schedule.
• Ensure the executive is equipped with all relevant emergency numbers and contact numbers of hosts as well as accommodation and transfer companies.
• Provide the executive with a detailed itinerary prior to each trip.
• Arrange for the ordering and delivery of foreign exchange for locations where corporate credit cards cannot be used.

Provide administrative and logistical support to all parts of the business unit and the respective Unit Head

• Take care of parking arrangements and access control for external visitors. For buildings that require it, personally collect external visitors from the reception area.

• Develop leave plans for direct reports of the executive.
• If requested, act as delegated approver for leave requests and other items created on Employee Self Service by direct reports.
• Together with Human Capital teams, arrange smooth onboarding of new direct reports in the executive's team. Ensure that building access is arranged ahead of time and that equipment (computer, phone, connectivity) is delivered prior to their start date.
• Support the exit process for direct reports by ensuring that all their equipment, access cards and other bank items are collected on the last day of work.
• Maintain all confidential filing in behalf of the executive. This could include client files and employee files.
• If requested review incoming emails into the executive's mailbox, answer administrative related queries and flag for follow-up or redirect to other members of the team to act on.
• Order stationery for the department, control stationery stock and proactively order high usage items.
• Participate in the planning of desk allocations. Plan and support relocations in collaboration with the facilities management teams.
• Ensure that administrative support for the logging of Team Track/technology requests as well as building management issues is provided to the business area.
• Provide secretarial services to the key decision making committees in the business area. Ensure that there is appropriate governance and record keeping around terms of reference of the committees, agendas, attendance and decisions taken.
• Prepare presentations for executive by researching and packaging detailed content keeping in mind the Business Unit brand and the executive's personal style. Draft communications to be distributed on the executive's behalf - obtain approval first prior sending.

Provide support to enable the department to control costs and effect governance requirements

• Review expense claims prepared by the executive's direct reports by comparing the supporting documents to the claim form. Highlight any out of policy expenses to the direct report. Present the expense claims to the executive for approval in cases where it fall outside of delegated authority
• For purchases required in the department, prepare the shopping carts or purchase orders. Obtain approval before submitting to suppliers
• Monitor that Finance provides monthly management accounts to all the mandate holders in the business area, following up on any missing reports and information
• Ensure that the area's Compliance Officer is known to all key members of the business area leadership and key employees.
• Monitor expense budgets for the cost centre on a monthly basis and highlight potential issues to the executive for resolution.
• Sign off expenses within the mandate assigned by Finance on the executive's cost centre (Delegation of authority less than R 15 000)
• Maintain a gift and asset register for cost control and compliance purposes.
• Managing identified budgets for initiatives such as entertainment, rewards and recognition processes e.g. Beyond Excellence, CSI events

Coordinate events and road shows

• Arrange venues and catering for any team events utilising approved budget.
• Oversee the planning and execution of identified business events for the executive such as road shows, employee discussion forums, etc.
• Develop invitee lists and obtain input from the executive and other seniors in the area to validate the list prior to using it.
• Manage logistical requirements such as transfers to and from venues, parking, access, equipment rentals and payments. Call for support from the marketing team for large events.
• Develop the invitations to events and roadshows and obtain support from marketing for external events. Distribute invitations and manage the responses.
• Prepare the agenda for events and roadshows.
• Liaise with exhibitors and speakers and ensure they understand the timeframes for their participation as well as the contents that are expected from them.
• Project manage the delivery of the events and call on support from marketing, building management, security and other areas as needed

Preferred Qualification and Experience

• Computer literacy, computer skills i.e. Microsoft Office
• Diploma in Office Administration- Diploma in Office Administration

Experience:

• 7-10 years experience in Business Support, supporting a team of Senior Management and Executives, ensuring that the day to day team administrative duties are met