TL;DR
- A personal assistant, also called a personal, private or executive secretary, provides administrative support to a manager or director, usually one-to-one, so that the manager makes the best use of their time. Prospects says managers often rely heavily on their PA, trusting that work will be handled in their absence, so discretion and confidentiality are essential.
- The job duties of a personal assistant fall into seven groups: gatekeeping, diary and meetings, travel, correspondence and documents, research and briefing, office systems and records, and events and projects. Senior PAs may deputise, manage budgets and supervise junior staff.
- Executive assistant is the senior end of the same family: the National Careers Service lists PA and personal assistant as alternative titles and adds project management, board meetings and decision support. Say which level you are hiring, who the PA supports and how much confidential material they will see.
Behind most effective senior managers is someone who knows where they are, what they have promised, what is in the inbox and what can wait until Thursday. The titles vary, personal assistant, PA, personal secretary, executive secretary, executive assistant, but the job is one of the oldest in the office and one of the hardest to describe well. A personal assistant job description that says "diary management and general admin" undersells a role built on judgement and trust.
This article gives a personal assistant job description: what the role is, the job duties of a personal assistant in seven groups, how a personal secretary or executive secretary compares with an executive assistant, the skills to ask for, routes in and a template to adapt. The routes are for the UK; the duties travel.
A PA's work is judged in one relationship. See how New Dynamics continuous feedback supports check-ins between managers and their teams.
What is a personal assistant?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a personal assistant, abbreviated PA mainly in the UK, as “someone whose job is helping someone in a higher position, especially by writing letters, arranging meetings, and making phone calls”.
Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, describes the personal assistant as working “closely with senior managerial or directorial staff to provide administrative support, usually on a one-to-one basis”, helping “a manager to make the best use of their time by dealing with secretarial and administrative tasks”. It notes the older titles: “Personal assistants are sometimes known as personal, private or executive secretaries.” And it names the quality that defines the job: “Managers often rely heavily on their PA, trusting that work will be handled efficiently in their absence. Discretion and confidentiality are therefore essential attributes.”
Job duties of a personal assistant: seven groups
Prospects lists the responsibilities. In our words, a PA will be the first point of contact for people inside and outside the organisation; devise and maintain office systems including data management and filing; arrange travel, visas and accommodation, sometimes travelling with the manager to take notes; screen calls, enquiries and requests and handle them where appropriate; meet and greet visitors; organise and maintain diaries and make appointments; deal with incoming email and post, often corresponding on the manager's behalf; carry out background research and present findings; produce documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations; organise and attend meetings and ensure the manager is prepared; and liaise with clients, suppliers and staff.
Grouped for a job description, the personal assistant duties are seven.
- Gatekeeping. First point of contact; screen calls, enquiries and visitors; decide what reaches the manager and when.
- Diary and meetings. Organise and maintain the diary, make appointments, organise and attend meetings, and make sure the manager is prepared for each one.
- Travel. Arrange travel, visas and accommodation; sometimes travel with the manager.
- Correspondence and documents. Handle incoming email and post, correspond on the manager's behalf, and produce documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations.
- Research and briefing. Background research, summaries and findings presented so the manager can decide quickly.
- Office systems and records. Filing, data management, contact lists and records, kept so that anyone covering can find things.
- Events and projects. Organise events such as conferences; carry out specific projects.
Prospects adds that a PA may also take responsibility for accounts and budgets, work more closely with management, deputise for the manager, make decisions and delegate in the manager's absence, and take part in decision-making; some PAs recruit and train junior staff and delegate less demanding work to them.
Personal secretary, executive secretary, PA, executive assistant
The National Careers Service publishes its profile under the title executive assistant, with EA, personal assistant and PA as alternative titles, and says executive assistants “support senior managers in an organisation, helping with projects, client communications and decision making”. Its executive assistant tasks include managing projects with other teams, organising complex diaries and using judgement to prioritise, researching and summarising information for senior management, assisting with decision-making, planning board meetings, company events and travel, handling sensitive information, and managing client relationships. Its personal assistant tasks are closer to the classic list: responding to enquiries, setting up meetings, taking notes and drafting letters, preparing documents, organising events, updating records, managing travel and supervising admin staff.
| Title | Usual meaning |
|---|---|
| Personal secretary, private secretary | Older titles for the PA; still used in some sectors and countries |
| Personal assistant (PA) | One-to-one support to a manager or director: diary, travel, correspondence, gatekeeping |
| Executive secretary | A PA to a senior executive; in some organisations a step above PA |
| Executive assistant (EA) | The senior end: projects, board meetings, decision support, client relationships |
Titles are not standardised, so describe the level rather than relying on the label: who the PA supports, how much they act on the manager's behalf and whether they manage anyone. For team-wide rather than one-to-one support, see our administrative assistant job description; for the front desk, our receptionist job description.
Skills to ask for
The National Careers Service lists business management skills, administration skills, excellent verbal communication, thoroughness and attention to detail, working well with others, flexibility, patience and calm in stressful situations, thinking and reasoning skills, and confident use of a computer and the main business software. Prospects' picture of the working life explains why: frequent contact with people, “dealing with difficult or demanding people, often at very senior levels”, and work “always focused on the needs of the manager”.
Four skills separate a good PA from an adequate one.
- Judgement. Knowing what the manager would want without asking, and when to ask anyway.
- Discretion. Prospects calls it essential; the PA sees pay, personnel, deals and disputes.
- Anticipation. The papers ready before the meeting, the flight rebooked before the manager knows it is cancelled.
- Writing. Correspondence on the manager's behalf that sounds like the manager.
Routes in and qualifications
The National Careers Service says you can become an executive assistant through a university course, a college course, an apprenticeship, working your way in or specialist private courses. It names degrees in business administration, management or public administration, college courses including the T Level in management and administration, and the business administrator level 3 apprenticeship, and says employers usually accept other subjects if you have the communication, organisational and IT skills. Many PAs start through temporary agency work or move up from business support or secretarial roles by company training and promotion. Prospects says entry without a degree is possible, and that personal qualities and experience count; it notes that some PAs work through agencies on short-term contracts.
For the description: ask for evidence of supporting a senior person, not a certificate.
Working pattern and conditions
Prospects says PAs generally work 9am to 5pm, with overtime at peak times and near deadlines, and that part-time work, flexible hours and career breaks are possible; the National Careers Service gives 37 to 42 hours with occasional evenings. Travel varies with the manager's business, from none to overseas. Prospects notes two frustrations to be honest about: the manager's problems become the PA's, and the support nature of the role means the PA's contribution to projects may not always be recognised. Say in the description how the role will be recognised and reviewed.
Personal assistant job description template
Job title: Personal Assistant to [title] (or Executive Assistant)
Reports to: The manager supported; professionally to the Office Manager or Head of Business Support
Purpose: Make the best use of the manager's time by running their diary, correspondence, travel and preparation, acting as their first point of contact, and handling confidential matters with discretion.
Responsibilities:
- Act as first point of contact; screen and handle calls, enquiries and visitors.
- Organise and maintain the diary; arrange, prepare for and attend meetings; take notes and follow up actions.
- Arrange travel, visas and accommodation; prepare itineraries.
- Manage incoming email and post; draft and send correspondence on the manager's behalf.
- Produce documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations.
- Carry out research and summarise findings.
- Maintain filing, records and contact lists; handle sensitive information in line with policy.
- Organise events and support projects as required.
- (Senior) Manage budgets, deputise in the manager's absence, supervise junior administrative staff.
Skills and experience:
- Experience supporting a senior manager or director.
- Excellent organisation, attention to detail and written and verbal communication.
- Discretion with confidential information; calm under pressure.
- Confident with the main business software and diary and travel tools.
- Business administration qualification or apprenticeship: desirable.
Working pattern: Hours, flexibility, travel with the manager, occasional evenings.
Our job description template explains each section.
Frequently asked questions
What does a personal assistant do?
A personal assistant provides one-to-one administrative support to a manager or director: acting as first point of contact, running the diary and meetings, arranging travel, handling correspondence and documents, researching and briefing, keeping records and organising events, so that the manager makes the best use of their time.
What is the job description of a personal secretary?
Personal secretary, private secretary and executive secretary are older or sector-specific titles for the personal assistant, as Prospects notes. The duties are the same: gatekeeping, diary, travel, correspondence, documents, research, records and events, with discretion and confidentiality essential.
What is the difference between a personal assistant and an executive assistant?
Executive assistant is the senior end of the same family. The National Careers Service lists PA as an alternative title for executive assistant and describes EA tasks as managing projects, organising complex diaries with judgement, researching for senior management, assisting decision-making and planning board meetings. A PA's tasks are the classic secretarial and organisational ones. Titles vary, so describe the level.
What skills does a personal assistant need?
The National Careers Service lists business and administration skills, excellent verbal communication, attention to detail, teamwork, flexibility, patience and calm under stress, reasoning and confident software use. Judgement, discretion, anticipation and writing in the manager's voice matter most in practice.
What qualifications does a PA need?
None specific. Routes include a business administrator level 3 apprenticeship, college or university courses in business or administration, agency temping and promotion from secretarial or business support roles. Employers usually accept any subject if the organisational, communication and IT skills are there.
Is an executive secretary the same as an executive assistant?
Often, but not always. Executive secretary is usually a PA to a senior executive; executive assistant usually adds projects, board support and decision support. Organisations use the titles differently, so a job description should describe who is supported and how much the role acts on their behalf.
Your next step: describe the relationship
- Name the manager or managers supported and how the PA's time is split.
- State how far the PA acts on the manager's behalf: correspondence, decisions, deputising.
- List the confidential material they will handle and the policies that apply.
- Say how the role will be recognised and reviewed, and by whom.
For the regular conversation that keeps a manager and PA aligned, read and download our one-to-one meeting guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want PAs' objectives, feedback and reviews handled as carefully as the diaries they run? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current job descriptions. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
