Personal Assistant

Role Description

Professional Services Central Admin Service are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive, and experienced PA to join our Leadership Support Hub. This innovative service unites administrative professionals across three hubs, to provide effective, consistent and high-quality support to colleagues across Central PS and the Senior Executive. 

As a member of the Leadership Support Hub, you will offer essential personal support to two or more Senior Executive or Professional Services Leaders. These roles would suit someone who excels in delivering high-quality secretarial and administrative support and enjoys working in a fast-paced diverse environment. 

You will be part of a central team and also a wider network of PAs, undertaking various tasks to ensure the smooth operation of central professional services and the senior executive team. You will work as part of a vibrant team providing cover and support for each other, and will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of standardised administration services and process improvements that streamline the support provided to the University Leadership Team. 

Department

Our Personal Assistants roles are based within the PS (Professional Services) Central Admin Service, which brings together administrative professionals to deliver an effective, consistent, and quality administration service to colleagues across Central PS and the University’s Senior Executive. Central PS Directorates work across the institution to support the university’s strategy and mission and include: Facilities Management and Campus Services; Estates; Finance; Global Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions;  Library Learning, Archives and Wellbeing (LLAW); Human Resources; IT Services; Strategic Planning and Performance; Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (RIKE); Reputation, Economic Development and Advocacy; Student Education and Experience (SEE); and University Secretary's Office.  

Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the team and is currently available on a 0.9 FTE basis for a fixed term period starting on 1 August 2026 until 31 December 2027. We have secured additional funding to enable us to offer the role on a full time basis for the first 6 months only. After this, hours will reduce to 0.9 FTE. 

As a member of our Leadership Support Hub you will support two or more of the University’s Senior Executive and Professional Services Leaders.  

You will provide a proactive and professional secretarial and administrative service, including diary and inbox management, meeting and travel arrangements, support with finance and HR processes and providing a high quality visitor service. Working as part of a team, you will be the first point of contact for senior leaders and will provide informed advice and guidance to internal and external colleagues, customers and stakeholders. 

Our team works collaboratively and flexibly to provide high-quality support, ensuring resilience and continuity in our key operations. We are committed to embedding continuous improvement practices in our service delivery, ensuring our support is both flexible and adaptable to meet the University’s needs. 

The Leadership Support Hub shares responsibility for maintaining a consistent level of support, streamlining processes, and maximising the use of digital technologies. We place the customer at the heart of everything we do, ensuring our services are efficient and effective. 

Although appointed to work in a specific administration hub and team, post holders will be required to work flexibly across the three administration hubs within the PS Central Admin Service, to support other central PS Directorates or activities as required. 

Skills, Experience & Qualification needed

We are looking for individuals who are self-motivated, passionate about administration, and recognise where there are opportunities for continuous improvement, learning and development, with strong digital and customer service skills.

The roles will involve a varied workload and require excellent interpersonal skills to be able to communicate with a range of internal and external stakeholders, at all levels.

We are looking for individuals who have a friendly, professional and customer-focused approach and can work collaboratively with others to deliver high-quality support that is timely and has strong attention to detail. Workload will fluctuate according to demands, and you must be flexible, adaptable, and highly organised, to be able to balance conflicting priorities and diverse workloads for a range of different stakeholders. 

Interview date: Thursday 18 June 2026     

For informal enquiries: please contact Laura Hurst (laura.hurst@york.ac.uk) 

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive  – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University. 

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork

As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum (essential) criteria for each position will be offered an interview.  Read more about the University of York’s commitments under the Disability Confident scheme.