DFTO is the government's public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 - and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.
DFTO has over 23,000 employees, runs over 6,000 services a day and delivers over 450 million customer journeys across its networks every year. This accounts for 26% of total UK passenger journeys and 30% of passenger miles.
Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeastern, South Western Railway (SWR) and c2c.
Primary Purpose of Job:
The purpose of a Personal Assistant is to streamline the daily operations and professional life of the Senior Managers/Directors they support by handling a wide range of tasks, both routine and specialized.
Vacancy Details:
Duration:
2 year Fixed Term contract/secondment
Location:
London Waterloo
Salary:
From 32,000 to 38,497
Closing date:
1st October 2025
Reports to:
Business Manager
DFTO Benefits:
Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)
DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution
Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry
Key Responsibilities:
The main duties of a PA and responsibilities are but not exclusive:
General support
Provide proactive inbox and diary management to up to 4 Directors
Highlight priorities and conflicts to a Director, source alternatives
Act on behalf of a Director as the first point of contact
Deliver effective gatekeeping, forward planning and scheduling
Proactively flag and escalate and/or act upon priority emails or requests
Communicate professionally on the Director's behalf
Prepare the timely circulation of agendas, materials, minutes/actions, monitor and follow up actions
Assist Directors with sign offs and follow ups (chasing)
Communicate with internal and external people directly, screening calls and providing responses, including resolving and/or directing enquiries/requests to more appropriate areas of DFTO
Manage the One Drive filing system observing DFTO's e-filing protocols
Arrange meetings and workshops on request including meeting logistics e.g. room set-up, refreshments, AV etc.
Arrange travel and accommodation bookings in line with policy
Attend meetings with Directors if required to take meeting minutes; proactive follow up on action points
Liaise with Directors to deliver administrative tasks such as expenses, post, couriers, archiving, printing, photocopying, scanning, e-sigs, electronic transfers, bundles etc.
On request produce basic PowerPoint presentations and amend as appropriate
Act as a liaison between the external IT provider and the Director for IT issues or enhancements (e.g. trouble shooting, suggesting IT fixes, new system set up etc.)
Provide administrative and coordination support to other Directors during the Senior EA's leave.
Exceptional organisational, planning and prioritisation skills, impeccable attention to detail, high level of accuracy and ability to work unsupervised
Evidence of data and insights management e.g., extract, manipulate, analyse and present data sets and insights
Confident ability to deal with senior 'clients' and build relationships with the executives
Excellent standard of communication, both written and verbal; evidence of the ability to communicate appropriately to senior stakeholders
Strong interpersonal skills and can evidence exceptionally high levels of integrity
Evidence of the ability to deal with uncertainty comfortably
A highly motivated, organised individual able and happy to work independently
Professional self-starter with the ability to influence a great working culture (in person and remotely)
A strong track record of meeting deadlines in a high-pressure environment
Advanced Microsoft Office skills.
Demonstrable practical experience of managing multiple deadlines for a variety of diverse stakeholders
Demonstrate the ability to ensure all activities and duties adhere to risk and compliance requirements and maintain all requirements to protect confidential information
Displays discretion and good judgment
Adaptable and open to change showing a willingness and confidence to make suggestions for continuous improvement
Ability to cope with a wide range of competing demands and changing priorities
Essential Experience and behaviours
3 years of direct PA experience at Director level/supporting at least two senior managers in a fast-paced environment e.g., extensive experience with diary management, arranging calls and prioritising emails
Key Competencies:
Personal Assistant (PA) plays a crucial role in supporting individuals (Directors, Heads of Department) with administrative, organizational, and often personal tasks. To succeed in this role, a PA must possess a mix of hard and soft competencies which include:
Pro-active, energised and enthusiastic, determined.
Attention to Detail
Reliability
Effective Communication and Organising
Discretion and Confidentiality
A strong team player willing to contribute as changing circumstances demand
Disclaimer: Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.
About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.
Contact:
If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact dean.palmer@dftoperator.co.uk
Please do not email any CV's to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.
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