Executive Assistant

**JR101737**

**Executive Assistant**

**Location: PHO Corporate Office & Toronto Laboratory, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON**

**Department: Microbiology and Laboratory Science**

**The Role**:
The Executive Assistant role provides confidential senior administrative support to the Vice President/Chief (Portfolio Lead). The Executive Assistant is responsible for managing administrative matters for the portfolio leadership and the Office and triages information of a sensitive and confidential nature ensuring effective and efficient communication between all internal and external contacts.

**Key Responsibilities**
- Initiates, leads, and supports the flow of information, documents, and activities for the Office; identifies, prioritizes, and ensures urgent matters with potential impact on the Portfolio/PHO are brought to the attention of the Portfolio Lead, appropriate PHO executive or dealt with on own on behalf of the Executive.
- Establishes and maintains liaison with PHO executives, management, and staff and with senior government, public health, health care, academic and private sector officials to act as a focal point of contact to the executive’s office, manage corporate linkages and protocol and to respond to inquiries.
- Identifies, obtains, and ensures the availability of information for review by the Portfolio Lead and recommends/prepares materials on behalf of the Portfolio Lead in preparation for meetings and requests.
- Coordinates, drafts and/or delegates response to correspondence and information requests;
- Manages the Portfolio Lead’s calendar, making arrangements for all meetings including determining priorities of appointment requests, booking meetings; preparing agendas, compiling, and distributing materials; taking meeting notes as requested.
- Provides support on project activities and committees, lead, or attended by the Portfolio Lead; tracks action items, ensures that possible contentious issues are identified in advance, are thoroughly researched, and recommends responses on behalf of the Portfolio Lead.
- Provides senior level secretariat support to Board/committees if required.
- Coordinates information (e.g., briefings, meetings with outside organizations) for the Portfolio Lead.
- Writes, reviews and/or edits a variety of department documents, briefing materials, meeting minutes, or articles and suggests changes in content/format; generates various documents, reports, and presentations for the Portfolio Lead.
- Prepares and monitors the office budget; checks/processes invoices, P-card purchases, expense claims and provides regular financial updates.
- Coordinates the portfolio’s administrative staff, including setting clear responsibilities and objectives, advising on staff training needs, provides direction and leadership in the implementation of new techniques and standards.
- Provides input and participation on projects related to the development and implementation of office administrative procedures, systems, and practices within the Agency.
- Acts as a member of the Administrative Professionals Forum.
- Performs other duties as assigned.

**Knowledge and Skills**
- Knowledge of executive office protocols to manage a range of stakeholder relationships, projects, and administration for the Office of the Portfolio Lead.
- Skills in providing senior level secretariat support to Boards/committees.
- Skills to prepare and monitor the office budget and to process invoices, purchases and expense claims;
- Highly developed oral communication and interpersonal skills to liaise with PHO executives, management and staff, senior government, public health, health care, academic and private sector officials and occasionally the general public to respond to inquiries regarding the department’s mandate and activities on behalf of the Portfolio Lead and to research information on behalf of the Portfolio Lead.
- Written communication skills to draft responses to information requests; create correspondence, reports and prepare presentations.
- Written communication skills to write, review and/or edit a variety of department documents, briefing materials, meeting minutes, or articles.

**Education and Experience**
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field i.e., administrative/business program or completion of a post-secondary secretarial or administrative assistant diploma program.
- Five (5) to ten (10) years’ experience providing executive assistance and support to a Senior Leader/ Executive management position.

**Attributes and Competencies**
- Demonstrates professionalism when acting as the focal point of contact to the executive’s office to manage corporate linkages and protocols;
- Takes in initiative in ensuring urgent matters and issues with potential impact on the Department/PHO are expeditiously brought to the attention of the Portfolio Lead, appropriate PHO executive or dealt with on own on behalf of the Executive for routine administrative matters.

Duration: Permanent

Hours of W