Assistant Private Secretary London, England
Job description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Business Management and Improvement
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
This role provides an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal part in the effective operation of the Chief Finance Officers’ Directorate.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual with exceptional communication skills that pride themselves on their ability to deliver extraordinary levels of service and provide solutions.
As Assistant Private Secretary you will responsible for providing direct administrative support to the Chief Finance Officer. You will work closely with the directorate’s Senior Leadership Team and wider business functions to ensure the smooth operation of all office operations, which includes management of the Directors busy diary and inbox and will require working work closely with the Private Secretaries and Business Managers across the directorates to ensure seamless interaction between the different parts of the directorate.
This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious individual with experience of being able to multitask and prioritise tasks to ensure the smooth running of the office working on a one-to-one basis with the Director, and on a wider basis with internal and external stakeholders
Job description
Key accountabilities include but are not limited to the following:
- Supporting the Chief Finance Officer with appointment setting, calendar management, travel arrangements, and correspondence
- Acting as the point of contact between the Chief Finance Officer and internal and external colleagues anticipating and determining their needs to ensure greater efficiencies
- Helping to manage the Chief Finance Officer’s in-box, commissioning additional information where/when necessary, responding on the behalf of the Directors and directing everyday activities
- Coordinating staff meetings, taking and disseminating meeting notes and action tracking
- Ownership of the Chief Finance Officer’s intranet content and SharePoint sites.
- Supporting arranging team away days and events
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Effective, strong organisational skills, attention to detail and being ability to process a large quantity of information with pace and accuracy.
- Experience of working with a range of stakeholders across organisational and professional boundaries, building positive working relationships.
- Demonstrate self-motivation and pro-activity, with the ability to manage and prioritise personal workload.
- Ability to communicate effectively, written, and oral with stakeholders at all levels.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities on parallel and competing deadlines.
- Experience of working both independently and as part of a team to achieve your goal.
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with others.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience of working in a busy Private Office role or similar.
Personal Attributes and Skills:
- Positive, curious, engaged, and motivated with a desire to learn about topics beyond their immediate role.
- A proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently to solve problems and deliver discreet pieces of work as well as being team player with a strong customer focus.
- Strong interpersonal skills and be adept at tailoring messages for different audiences.
- Flexible and adaptable; able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.
Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
- A Personal Statement explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.
It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.
Please align your CV with your previous skills and experience to the equivalent of 2 A4 pages.
In your Personal Statement, please explain and highlight your motivation for applying for this role and the extent to which you satisfy the essential requirements of the role also highlighting your experience with a maximum word count of 500.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.
Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Candidate Support
You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.
Further Information:
- A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
- Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
- The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
- New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
- Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
- A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
- Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Security and vetting
All successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is SC All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: [email protected].
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints
