Personal Assistant

[Personal Assistant - The Bicester Collection - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract/Full Time]

Something Extraordinary Every Day™

In this exciting and truly varied role, you will assist our Retail Director. You will provide proactive and efficient support to ensure their teams business schedules run smoothly by organising travel, diaries and meetings across a number of different time zones. Our business is incredibly fast-paced, so you’ll need to be able to prioritise, think ahead and have exceptional initiative.

This role is being offered on a 12 Month Fixed Term Contract Basis

What you will be doing

• Managing the flow of meeting invitations, prioritising, dealing with frequent changes
• Extensive management of the diary (via Outlook) including scheduling all meetings, engagements, conference calls and travel.
• Manage all travel arrangements and logistics, including booking flights, hotels, local transfers, restaurants and hotels.
• Take telephone messages and respond to queries promptly, texting and notifying when required.
• Liaise confidently with senior stakeholders, departments and Villages across Europe, China & the USA as and when required.
• Organisation of departmental conferences & events.
• Support and execution of Quarterly Business Update Forums, High level stakeholder visits and Department offsites and Internal Employee Celebrations.

What makes you special

Every colleague is an entrepreneur at heart and this drives our organisational culture, which values invention, innovation and risk taking. To be successful with us, you’ll have:

• Previous experience as a Personal Assistant, at Senior Manager/Director and preferably in the luxury retail industry
• Experience in managing travel and itineraries
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, in particular Outlook
• Fluency in English essential
• Confidentiality and discretion
• Second to none organisation, prioritisation and multi-tasking ability
• An eye for detail, creativity and an interest in all things luxury
• A proactive and pragmatic approach to problem solving
• Adaptable communication skills (verbal & written) in order to connect with all levels of our business

There’s no one quite like us

The Bicester Collection are the worlds’ leading luxury shopping destinations, and we are committed to creating magical and memorable experiences for our guests. Taking the name of the founding Village, The Bicester Collection distinguishes the 11 Villages in Europe and China as one collection of destinations for our guests, our brand partners, our travel and tourism partners, our corporate and financial media, and our internal teams.

Our Vision is to be the best shopping destination in the world. Our Mission is to make the lives of others better - our brands, our guests, our people and our communities. Our Brand Promise is to offer something extraordinary every day. Our Five Values are the glue that bind us together and allows us to lead ahead:

• Authenticity - Always do the right thing
• Innovation - Think outside of the box
• Passion - Do what you love and love what you do!
• Critical Thinking - Challenge the obvious
• Vision - Be mission driven always

Why we’re exceptional

The key to our success is the quality and commitment of our people. To work in one of the teams at any of the Villages is to play an active role in redefining both the art and the science of retail. This creates a dynamic approach that underpins our ability to anticipate future trends in a fast changing world. In return for your Authenticity, Critical Thinking, Innovation, Passion and Vision, you’ll receive a generous salary and we’ll also reward you by:

Looking after you: You’re entitled to 25 days of annual leave (plus UK Bank Holidays) and your birthday off, plus extra leave if you are getting married or moving. We provide above industry average life assurance cover, income protection, pension, personal travel insurance, dental and eyecare, private healthcare, access to a virtual GP app, Employee Assistance Programme, cycle to work scheme and flu vaccinations

Treating you: Discounts throughout our villages, discounts with other retailers (known as My Choices) and a very generous employee referral bonus

Championing you: You’ll be working within a creative and collaborative environment like no other, with the opportunity to develop your professional and personal skills while advancing your career

Come and live your story with us

The key to our success is the quality and commitment of our people. The Bicester Collection is made up of 1,200 colleagues of 50 nationalities. We are diverse in background, age, experience and leadership style. We believe that an inclusive workforce makes magic happen, and with this in mind we welcome everyone - regardless of age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability or ethnicity - to be a part of our family. We are offering a fantastic opportunity for a professional and commercially focused individual to join us. We have huge ambition for what we can achieve together and we want to have fun!