Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Westminster About the job Job summary The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) is part of the Government in Parliament Group, which also includes the offices of the Leader of the House of Commons and House of Lords, as well as the Whips offices in both Houses. The principal aim for the group is to successfully deliver the governments legislative programme, as set out in the Kings Speech, and other Parliamentary business. OPC is responsible for drafting all government bills and amendments, providing advice on legislative matters and Parliamentary procedure (both in relation to individual Bills and on the programme as a whole), and also to advise on constitutional matters (particularly in connection with Machinery of Government changes and Ministerial appointments). The OPC is divided into teams of lawyers of varying SCS grades with a Director General leading each team and reporting to First Parliamentary Counsel. The Support Office works by offering general assistance to the entire office but also providing dedicated support to their Director General and taking on work from the various SCS grades from within the team. Job description The successful candidate will provide dedicated support to a DG as well as wider office support. They will report back to the Assistant Private Secretary. The role is pivotal to the OPC meeting the government's legislative agenda, by maintaining a high level of organisation and assistance as well as carrying out various tasks to support the drafting of legislation. Responsibilities and Duties: Dedicated team support: The core responsibilities of the business support administrator includes; acting as dedicated team support and supporting the DG with diary management and wider team with any ADHOC tasks dependent upon parliamentary business.The post holder is required to complete organisational tasks including but not limited to; recording accurate time spent on projects, filling in annual leave charts, booking meeting rooms, booking official travel, and archiving. Wider Office Support: in the wider office the post holder is required to participate in a daily rota of everyday tasks which includes; sending counsel updates from the House, sending out Order Papers and Hansards office wide, sending individualised emails to bill teams with updated bills and amendments and sending out Business statements. Research and Bill work: the post holder will be required to carry out research tasks for draft bills as well as proofreading on a regular basis. They will need to have a good understanding of the passage of legislation through both Houses while monitoring the passage of their teams bills. The post holder will be trained on bespoke legal software and will also be required to help Counsel archive correspondence relating to all parliamentary bills. Finances and Booking: the post holder will be responsible for making purchases for their team and the office at large including; stationary, publications, software contracts, travel and courses. They will also need to be able to accurately document all purchasing and work closely with the Finance Lead. They will also provide IT Support. Person specification We are looking for individuals who have strong administrative and organisational skills and will have experience within a similar role. They will also be self-motivated and able to manage their own workloads, prioritise effectively in meeting competing demands and deadlines and will also work well both independently and within a team. They will also have the following desirable skills and knowledge: Experience working with Senior Civil Servants or VIPs. Research and proofreading experience. Experience of Financial responsibility. Knowledge of Parliamentary Processes. Which they will demonstrate in their personal statement. Additional information: A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Managing a Quality Service Making Effective Decisions Benefits Alongside your salary of £33,200, Cabinet Office contributes £9,618 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%. A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. Application process As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, 500 word personal statement as well as two 250 word behaviour statements. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Your personal statement should be no more than 500 words. It should explain how your knowledge, skills and experience (using examples) meet the requirements for this role in line with the Success Profile element(s) being assessed (e.g. Behaviours, Experience etc). Using the job advert information, particularly the job description and person specification. Information is available on the application process (including what Civil Service Success Profiles is) and how to write your personal statement. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service. C andidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. Selection process During the interview you will be assessed against your experience and the behaviours that are contained within this advert. Expected timeline (subject to change) Expected sift date w/c 20th January 2025 Expected interview date/s w/c 27th January 2025 Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview. Reasonable adjustments If a person with disabilities 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 c abinetofficerecruitment.grs cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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 youre deaf, a Language Service Professional. Further information Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you. A reserve list may be held for a period of 9 months from which further appointments can be made. Any move to Cabinet Office 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible. Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting 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 had their employment continued. Any applicants 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. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. 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 Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. 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 : Emily Tillbrook Email : emily.tillbrookcabinetoffice.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at infocsc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk. Attachments Cabinet Office Employee Offer (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 344kB) Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External (1) (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 82kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail