Personal Assistant

Unlike an administrator who tends to look after a team, a personal assistant (PA) typically carries out administrative work on behalf of one individual. This individual is usually a manager or executive in a commercial, not-for-profit or public sector organization. The role of a PA is to free an executive’s time from organizing and administrative tasks so that they can spend maximum time on strategic tasks. Responsibilities typically include:

• Acting as the first point of contact: dealing with correspondence and phone calls
• Managing diaries and organizing meetings and appointments, often controlling access to the manager/executive
• Booking and arranging travel, transport, and accommodation
• Organizing events and conferences
• Reminding the manager/executive of important tasks and deadlines
• Typing, compiling and preparing reports, presentations, and correspondence
• Managing databases and filing systems
• Implementing and maintaining procedures/administrative systems
• Liaising with staff, suppliers and clients
• Collating and filing expenses
• Miscellaneous tasks to support their manager, which will vary according to the sector and to the manager’s remit, eg completing some corporate governance reporting (to ensure that the business is being run properly and complying with legislation and regulations) or conducting research.

It is also possible for a PA to work for a wealthy family or individual, instead of for a corporation. If this is the case, the work of the PA may also cover home or personal life maintenance tasks, such as ensuring MOTs are up to date or hiring cleaners.