Diary Secretary London, England
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Job summary
Our Mission
At BEIS, we are leading the UK’s recovery from coronavirus and are building a stronger, greener country. Our varied work makes a real difference to people across the UK and internationally. This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of the BEIS team and our exciting mission!
We lead on the UK’s commitments to tackle climate change and drive green economic growth. We support businesses to create jobs and increase opportunity in regions across the UK. We also encourage investment and innovation to make the UK a science superpower producing research that will improve lives.
Our Inclusive Environment
We are building an inclusive culture to make BEIS a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.
We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.
We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. We will fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process.
Job description
The role and our team
At DSIT, we are leading the UK’s growth of the economy through Science, Innovation and Technology. Our varied work makes a real difference to people across the UK and internationally. This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of the DSIT team and our exciting mission!
We lead on the UK’s commitments to put our public services at the forefront of innovation. We bring responsibility for the five technologies of tomorrow to spur bold new discoveries. We also encourage investment and innovation to make the UK a science superpower producing research that will improve lives.
We are advertising for three Diary Manager posts which will sit at the heart of the Ministerial Directorate in DSIT, working closely with Minister(s), Special Advisers (SpAds), and senior officials. The successful candidates will take a key role in the development of the Department’s Private Office Function, providing business support and strategic time management to Ministers and Senior Officials.
Person specification
We are looking for candidates who are able to grasp and apply new concepts; who are engaged, adaptable and keen to take on a strategic role and show leadership over diary issues in a new team. We are seeking candidates who can use sound judgement and understanding, recognising the political environment their principal will operate in. The role provides an exciting opportunity to see how high-profile policies are developed and delivered, and how decisions are made at the heart of government.
The successful candidates will have the rare opportunity to be part of the new Private Office teams supporting the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The successful candidate will be expected to play a key role in building a strong, high-performing, and supportive culture within the wider private office directorate. You will be an integral member of the team, ensuring that all key office processes work effectively and efficiently.
Key responsibilities
The successful candidates will be responsible for:
- Proactively planning meetings and manage the diary in line with departmental priorities, ensuring agendas, relevant information and documents are prepared.
- Working closely with Private Secretaries in the team, Directors and senior colleagues to ensure effective use of your principal’s time.
- Using judgement to prioritise important meetings, suggest appropriate delegation when needed and clear communication.
- Working with the visits team to arrange the logistics and travel for domestic and international visits.
- Leading on key administrative tasks for the private office, for example the clearance of Freedom of Information Requests and support of Parliamentary engagement.
Given the fast-paced and changing nature of private office, the successful candidate will be expected to be flexible and support other team members on work outside their immediate responsibilities when required.
You will be offered support to develop in the role, including training, coaching and mentoring options. We follow good practice in line management in DSIT through regular performance management discussions and in-year reward rounds to recognise performance.
We encourage people of all grades to become leaders in taking forward our corporate action plan, and to foster a positive and supportive culture
The post is based in London but both domestic and international travel with the principal may be required.
Skills and experience
As a Diary Secretary, you will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of your principal. You will be exposed to wide-ranging subject areas, as well as a close and collaborative working relationship with Ministers and senior policy officials.
We are looking for candidates who will be proactive, motivated and eager to learn with a can-do approach to problem solving.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to communicate concisely and coherently to a variety of audiences.
- Excellent organisation skills, capable of effectively prioritising work and delivering consistently under time pressure.
- Strong administration skills or experience providing executive support, with strong attention to detail and the ability to adapt these skills to deliver at pace in a complex working environment.
- Good at working independently and to planning time effectively to ensure service standards are met.
- Comfortable engaging at all levels including with senior officials.
- Experience of handling sensitive information, displaying tact and diplomacy whilst maintaining confidentiality.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Benefits
BEIS offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need (from September 2021, depending on how the public health guidance evolves).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please note - the CV incorporated into the application form is for information purposes only and will not be scored.
Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behaviour statement (Delivering at Pace). Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour questions.
Expected Timeline subject to change
Sift dates: w/c 29th May 2023
Interview dates: w/c 5th June 2023
Interview Location: MS Teams.
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.
Further Information
Existing BEIS recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles may be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be located in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a disabled person is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader, more information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that BEIS offers to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our candidate guidance document. A plain text version of the guidance is also available.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
BEIS does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
BEIS cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. BEIS holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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.
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 had their employment continued. Any applicant’s 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.
BEIS wants to be accessible for all, and this includes offering assistance to attend interviews. The offer is targeted toward those from a lower socio-economic background, or who struggle to cover the cost of attending an interview. Please see the attached guidance document at the bottom of this Civil Service Jobs advert. Embedded in the document on page 5, are 2 documents that must be completed and returned to the email addresses listed on the forms to claim an expenses payment. If you have any issues accessing these documents please contact us at [email protected]
Feedback
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 Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
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).
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