View Vacancy - TW - Personal Assistant to the Representative and the Deputy Representative

The British Office Taipei promotes the UK’s interests and values in Taiwan.  We are recruiting an experienced and highly motivated Personal Assistant to the Representative and the Deputy Representative.

This is a key role in the British Office.  The Personal Assistant enables the Representative and Deputy Representative to fulfil their roles, maintains close liaison with all sections of the British Office and is an important interface with our external contacts.  The PA needs to be well-organised, with an eye for detail and a high degree of accuracy in management of diaries, telephone calls and paperwork.  They need to be good with people, both as a team-player with colleagues inside the British Office and as a courteous face of the British Office in dealing with outside organisations.   They should be able to take the initiative on problem-solving, but also know when to consult.  They need to be skilled in use of IT, including spreadsheets, and to be fluent in Mandarin and English (both spoken and in writing).  Knowledge of Taiwanese political, economic and social structures would be an asset.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing the diaries of the Representative and Deputy Representative.
• Arrangement of internal and external meetings.  Meet and greet visitors.
• Dealing effectively with correspondence (email, post and telephone calls).
• Booking travel and accommodation for the Representative and Deputy Representative.
• Managing the Representative’s travel and hospitality budgets.
• Writing letters and records of meetings in Mandarin and English. 
• Maintaining records of correspondence and official hospitality.
• Understanding the Taiwanese political and economic systems and making effective contacts in key organisations.
• Understanding the British system and channelling enquiries to specialist colleagues.
• Maintaining the contacts database.
• Managing invitation lists for official hospitality, eg annual Queen’s Birthday Party and other regular events.
• Managing the Residence maid and one of the office drivers.

The British Office is a welcoming and fun place to work.  It is located in bright modern offices with fabulous views over the city.  Colleagues are able to work flexibly and enjoy a healthy work/life balance.  The British Office has a strong commitment to diversity and to learning and development.

• At least 5 years relevant experience as a Personal Assistant or Executive Assistant to a senior manager or in office administration
• Excellent interpersonal skills and communications skills
• Initiative to solve problems, raise matters of concern and seek guidance where necessary
• A good problem solver, able to work independently using personal judgement
• Able to organise and prioritise workload
• A team worker, collaborating effectively with colleagues
• Courteous, assertive, and able to handle demanding people
• Strong capacity for working with IT with proficiency in use MS Office, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, web applications and proficient typing skills.
• Fluent in Mandarin and English (written and spoken)