Personal assistant
support managers and executives
undertaking administrative tasks.
Log in
Careers advice
>
Job descriptions
>
Personal assistant: job description
Personal assistant: job description
Olivia Rowland
Last updated: 21 Jun 2023, 15:39
Personal assistants typically support managers and executives by undertaking administrative tasks. Find out about personal assistant skills, duties and more.
Save
Share
Laptop on an office desk: a personal assistant supports an individual with administrative tasks
What does a personal assistant do? | Personal assistant salaries | Typical employers of personal assistants | Qualifications and training for PAs | Personal assistant skills
A personal assistant (PA) typically carries out administrative work on behalf of one individual, unlike an administrator who tends to look after a team. This individual is usually a manager or executive in a commercial, not-for-profit or public sector organisation. The role of a PA is to free an executive’s time from administrative duties so that they can spend maximum time on strategic tasks.
Personal assistants often act as the manager's first point of contact.
Duties include:
acting as a first point of contact for callers, dealing with emails and phone calls by responding, passing on messages or highlighting them for their manager’s attention
managing diaries and organising meetings and appointments, often controlling access to the manager/executive
booking and arranging travel, transport and accommodation
organising events and conferences
reminding the manager/executive of important tasks and deadlines
typing, compiling and preparing reports, presentations and correspondence
managing databases and filing systems
implementing and maintaining procedures/administrative systems
liaising with staff, suppliers and clients
collating and filing expenses
miscellaneous tasks to support their manager, which will vary according to the sector and to the manager’s remit, eg completing some corporate governance reporting (to ensure that the business is being run properly and complying with legislation and regulations) or conducting research.