Personal Assistant to the Managing Director
Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire · Permanent · £25,420 – £33,000 depending on experience · Early Friday finish, or a four-day week if you prefer
Job summary
We are seeking a proactive and highly organised Personal Assistant to support our Managing Director, who looks after four related businesses. It is a varied and genuinely important role: managing the daily post and correspondence, keeping bills, invoices and utilities under control, coordinating the Director's diary and travel, and making sure the administration across the businesses runs smoothly.
The pace here is steady and considered rather than frantic — this is not a high-pressure corporate environment — but the volume and variety of work is real, and it needs someone who takes quiet satisfaction in bringing order to things and seeing them through.
Following a recent change in the leadership of the business, there is a significant backlog of paperwork and administration waiting to be worked through and brought under control. Getting on top of that, and then keeping it that way, will be a large part of your first year.
The ideal candidate will bring exceptional organisational skills, real attention to detail, impeccable manners and a calm, positive attitude.
Hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, with an early finish at 1:30pm on Friday. If you would prefer not to work Fridays at all, we are open to a four-day week.
Duties
- Open, sort and prioritise the daily post and correspondence, flagging anything urgent
- Collect, check and prepare bills and invoices for payment, keeping a clear record of what is due and when
- Manage the utilities across the businesses — water, electricity and gas — including meter readings, contract renewals, tariff comparisons and resolving billing queries
- Research options and prepare recommendations on contracts, renewals and pricing. All contracts and pricing are signed off by the Managing Director — your job is to do the groundwork and present a clear recommendation, not to commit the business
- Chase outstanding invoices politely but persistently, keeping an accurate log of who has been contacted and when
- Manage the Managing Director's calendar and schedule appointments, meetings and travel arrangements with precision
- Handle incoming calls professionally, with an excellent telephone manner, and direct enquiries appropriately
- Prepare, organise and maintain correspondence, reports and other essential documents using Microsoft Office and Google Workspace
- Carry out data entry accurately and promptly, keeping records, databases and filing systems up to date
- Work through the existing paperwork and put a simple, sensible filing system in place — paper and digital — and then maintain it, so anything can be found quickly
- Order supplies, manage office logistics and coordinate meetings and events
- Collect parts, items and supplies locally when needed, and handle deliveries and couriers
- Maintain absolute confidentiality over sensitive business and personal information
- Keep the office and the Managing Director's workspace clean, tidy and presentable
- General day-to-day support across all four businesses — the kind of role where no two weeks look quite the same
- Some personal, non-business tasks for the Managing Director as well — errands, appointments, personal correspondence, household and vehicle admin and similar. This is a genuine mix of business and private support, so please apply only if you are comfortable with that side of the role
Experience and attributes
- Proven administrative experience supporting senior executives or management teams.
- Exceptionally organised. You keep lists, you follow things up, and nothing quietly falls off the end of your desk.
- Strong attention to detail, particularly with figures, invoices and records.
- Polite, with excellent etiquette. You will often be the first point of contact for suppliers, customers and professional advisers.
- Trustworthy and discreet. You will see confidential business and personal information.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Docs).
- Accurate typing and data entry skills, and a professional manner on the telephone.
- Happy on your own initiative, but clear on where the line sits. You will usually be given the objective rather than step-by-step instructions, and every contract and price is checked and approved by the Managing Director before it is agreed.
- Tidy and methodical in your work and in your surroundings.
- Flexible about what lands on your desk. Some days will be invoices and utilities; others will be a personal errand or an unexpected job that simply needs doing.
- A full, clean UK driving licence and access to a vehicle, as you will occasionally collect parts and items.
- Able and willing to travel within the UK and to Europe from time to time. A valid passport is essential.
Helpful, but not essential
- QuickBooks, Xero, Sage or similar accounting software
- Purchase ledger or bookkeeping experience
- Experience dealing with utility providers or commercial supply contracts
- A second language
What we offer
- £30,000 – £35,000 per year, depending on experience
- Monday to Thursday, 8:00am – 5:00pm, and Friday 8:00am – 1:30pm. No evenings or weekends
- If you would rather not work Fridays at all, we are happy to consider a four-day week, Monday to Thursday. Salary would be pro-rata — around £25,600 to £29,900 depending on experience
- 28 days' holiday including public holidays, rising by one extra day for every year of service up to a maximum of five additional days — 33 days after five years
- Company pension and free on-site parking
- Occasional travel to Europe
- A settled, quiet working environment, and a varied role with real responsibility and the trust to get on with it
Pay: £25,420.00-£33,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
