Personal Assistant to the Lord Lieutenant

About The Role

Working within Democratic Services and reporting to the Deputy Clerk to the Lieutenancy, you will play a key role in managing the Lord-Lieutenant's diary and supporting the smooth running of the Lieutenancy Office. This will include coordinating invitations, appointments, visits, engagements and speaking requests; preparing schedules, itineraries and briefing materials; managing correspondence; and supporting wider office administration. You will act as an important point of contact for the Lord-Lieutenant, Deputy Lieutenants, partner organisations, community representatives, volunteers and members of the public. The role requires professionalism, discretion and diplomacy, as well as excellent organisation and attention to detail, particularly when handling sensitive information and supporting high-profile activity.

In addition to day-to-day diary and administrative support, you will help with the planning and delivery of Lieutenancy events throughout the year and support effective public engagement. This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the visibility and smooth delivery of the Lieutenancy's work across Surrey.

What You Will Bring

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate professionally and confidently with senior stakeholders, community representatives, volunteers and members of the public.
• Proven experience of providing high-quality administrative, business support or personal assistant support in a professional environment.
• Strong organisational skills, including experience of managing diaries, coordinating meetings or events, handling correspondence and prioritising competing demands.
• Good IT skills, including confident use of Microsoft 365 applications and the ability to maintain accurate records and support effective office systems.
• A high level of discretion, diplomacy and integrity when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• The ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• A proactive and methodical approach, with strong attention to detail and the ability to work independently using sound judgement.
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout Surrey to support meetings, events and engagements as required.
• Experience of supporting civic, ceremonial or high-profile public events, together with an understanding of protocol, etiquette and formal occasions.

Pay and Benefits

• Starting salary of £34,660 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.
• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service.
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave.
• A generous local government salary related pension.
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year.
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave.
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing.
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources.
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping.

Application and Contact Details

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and personal statement. Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 2nd August 2026 with interviews planned for Friday 7th August and the possibility of 2nd round interviews on w/b 17th August.

For any questions relating to the role, including flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment, please contact Caroline Breckell via email at caroline.breckell@surreycc.gov.uk.

This response is AI-generated, for reference only.