Personal Access Facilitator
Permanent, Full Time
Up to £25,679 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Interview will take place on the 14th May 2024 in our office in Chelmsford.
The Opportunity
A rare vacancy has arisen for a Personal Access Facilitator with an energetic, enthusiastic, and adaptable approach to work.
The post holder will support the Senior Equalities & Partnerships Adviser, who is visually impaired. The role requires willingness to drive (in your own vehicle, with milage reclaimed via expenses) and working with a guide dog.
This role is to support the Adviser with a variety of tasks, such as travel around the county; networking and engaging with senior public sector leaders; providing support to administrative tasks, including note reading and writing, managing communications information, data inputting, and preparation of presentations, analysis, and reports.
A Personal Access Facilitator requires excellent communication skills, professionalism, and flexibility. You will have an excellent eye for detail, a strong track record of working with office systems and processes and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the social model of disability. Experience working with people with sensory impairment is desirable but not essential.
Strong IT skills are essential, especially Microsoft Teams, which is used extensively for remote working, so we would expect you to be a super user. You should also have good working knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Predominately working remotely but with an office base of County Hall in Chelmsford, you will be expected to attend the office in person at least twice a month, and you will occasionally need to travel around the county of Essex. The role is fast paced and working hours will be flexible, which will be spread over Monday to Friday. There may also be a very occasional requirement for the post holder to work evenings or weekends, or travel outside Essex.
This role is specifically to meet the access needs of an ECC officer with disabilities. The role is funded entirely by Access to Work, is therefore cost neutral to ECC and is accommodated by the organisation as a reasonable adjustment in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Accountabilities
- Represent and communicate on behalf of the Adviser to a wide range of internal and external partners/stakeholders when necessary.
- Proactively review the Adviser's inbox, prioritising and marking items for their attention, taking the initiative to resolve issues where appropriate, using personal judgement in relation to prioritisation.
- Assist the Adviser in drafting high quality reports, presentations, visual materials, and other forms of written communication. In particular, reading, and summarising documents in a variety of formats, interpreting and creating diagrams, proof reading and inputting information into electronic formats.
- Proactive management of the Adviser's appointments: prioritising and responding where appropriate. Booking venues and arranging for the appropriate equipment to be available. Ensuring meeting materials are available to the Adviser, e.g., agendas, briefings, and other relevant information.
- Undertake research and project work to assist the Adviser when required within tight non-negotiable deadlines, tailored to specific audiences, and addressing the key issues.
- Plan for, facilitate and attend meetings with the Adviser. This will include supporting their physical mobility, the visual elements of human interaction and assisting with use of visual materials. This includes driving the Adviser to meetings as and when required.
- Provide practical support including observing health and safety procedures and tasks, such as helping access catering facilities and supporting the Advisor ensuring the guide dog's welfare.
- Ability to pay attention to detail.
The Experience You Will Bring
- Driving licence and access to a car.
- Be willing and able to support alongside a guide dog.
- Experience working with people with sensory impairment is desirable.
- Excellent communication skills in order to efficiently develop working relationship with Adviser, at times communicate on Adviser's behalf and read aloud clearly and confidently.
- Ability to work well under pressure and manage a demanding and varied workload.
- Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills to deliver tasks with conflicting deadlines.
- Excellent IT skills including the ability to:
- Use Microsoft Teams extensively.
- Word process (for layout and presentational purposes) and input data into electronic systems and databases, e.g., Excel and Word.
- Design spreadsheets and databases using Excel.
- Describe complex diagrams, graphs, and visuals.
- Draft graphics, slides and presentations using Excel, PowerPoint, and other relevant software.
- Manage inboxes and calendars.
- Good analytical and information skills, problem solving, able to break down tasks and plan effectively across multi-agency dimensions.
- The ability to absorb a variety of information quickly and re-interpret as necessary and ability to produce accurate work to deadline.
- Experience & knowledge of local government as well as methods involved in social policy and social research.
- Ability to take accurate dictation of letters and notes as well as following instructions when filling in forms.
- Understanding of disability and health and safety issues.
Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.
