Executive Assistant to the Principal Private Secretary and the Chief of Staff

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

London

About the job

Job summary

We are seeking an ambitious individual to fill the role of Executive Assistant to the Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of State and the Chief of Staff to the Permanent Secretary.

The PPS and Chief of Staff together lead a group of 70+ people known as ‘Private Office Group’. This dynamic and fast-paced group leads on a wide range of tasks, including ensuring first class support to Ministers, Special Advisers and the Permanent Secretary and coordinating cross-government processes and engagement. The jobholder will support the PPS and Chief of Staff to ensure delivery within the group and the promotion of a programme of excellence across the group.

The successful candidate will be a motivated person, interested at working in the fast-paced environment and supporting colleagues to deliver an excellent service. 

The post holder will have excellent communication and organisation skills and thrive as part of a high performing team. The successful candidate will be adept at building positive relationships with colleagues across Private Office Group and the wider Department.

This role will be an excellent opportunity for the right individual to develop the skills required to progress further in the Civil Service. 

Job description

The successful candidate will manage the diaries of the PPS and Chief of Staff. They will also provide them with administrative support and ensure they have the information needed to provide high-quality services to the Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary.

They will provide wider corporate support to the directorate, spot and resolve issues across the group, and improve processes where necessary.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Leading on diary management and administrative support to the PPS and the Chief of Staff and helping them to achieve their objectives.
• Providing a single point of contact on key processes including FOIs, ensuring timely returns.
• Leading corporate governance across the Group (e.g. fortnightly huddles, financial management, group culture) helping to make Private Office Group a well-functioning and fantastic place to work.
• Working flexibly in response to changing demands to ensure the smooth running of the Secretary of State and Permanent Secretary’s offices, which will include working in a fast-paced environment.
• Potential opportunities to deputise and cover for the Secretary of State’s and the Permanent Secretary’s diary managers when needed. This will include liaising directly with internal and external colleagues and partners to deal with enquiries and to co-ordinate meetings. Further, building and maintaining strong relationships with colleagues across DBT and wider government.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• An ability to prioritise tasks effectively.
• Enjoy working in a rapidly changing area, quickly responding to emerging issues.

Desirable Criteria

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates:

• Prior experience as an Executive Assistant, a Business Manager, or leading corporate workstreams.

Personal Attributes & Skills

We are looking for a talented individual who is eager to learn and can calmly manage a variety of tasks in a fast-paced environment. They will have good organisational skills and effective time management with the ability to deliver in busy surroundings. They will show flexibility when juggling competing priorities. They will be a proactive team player with a strong desire to muck-in where required to deliver the best quality service to the Principal Private Secretary and the Chief of Staff.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,138, Department for Business and Trade contributes £11,048 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Dora Willcock
• Email : dora.willcock@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

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: Resourcing@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

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.

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