Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location London About the job Job summary We are seeking a motivated and ambitious individual to join Private Office Group as a Diary Manager and Assistant Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security. This role offers unparalleled exposure to the top-level workings of the department, and an excellent opportunity to develop and hone the skills required to progress further in the Civil Service. You will work at the heart of DBT Private Office and be responsible for effectively managing the Ministers diary. Working closely with the Minister, Head of Office, Private Secretaries, and other officials, you will ensure ministerial priorities are carefully planned and contribute to their successful delivery. You will be the face of the Ministers office to external stakeholders and ensure their time is appropriately balanced between departmental, constituency and parliamentary commitments. In your capacity as Assistant Private Secretary, you will also have the opportunity to take on a small policy portfolio. The successful candidate will be an assertive and confident individual who is eager to learn and looking for exposure to a policy making environment at the highest level. You will have excellent communication and organisation skills and be able to function effectively as part of a team, while remaining calm and reliable under pressure. Private Office roles require you to work some unsocial hours including weekends when required. For this, a Private Office Allowance is payable to the successful applicant while in post. Job description You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Minister makes effective use of their time through your overall responsibility for management of the diary. Further responsibilities include: Working closely with the Minister and Head of Office to manage conflicting priorities to ensure the smooth running of the diary and office; Planning and managing appointments while keeping people informed of changes in the daily schedule, and using your own judgement to ensure that meetings are arranged in the most efficient order; Building strong relationships with other ministerial offices, senior colleagues, and the Ministers constituency team; Oversight of all invitations and correspondence, working with policy and communications colleagues to advise and take forward; Coordinating the logistics of meetings and overseas visits, including arranging travel and commissioning briefings; Preparing diary and briefing packs for the Minister; Lead on the Ministers business engagement portfolio as part of their Assistant Private Secretary duties, attending relevant events and meetings related to this; Managing and reviewing office processes to deliver a quality service. Person specification Essential Criteria Attention to detail and perceptive judgment Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills Resilience and adaptability when juggling competing priorities. Experience of working in a pressurised, fast-paced environment. Experience of working independently and planning time effectively to ensure service standards are met. Desirable Criteria Experience of providing secretarial and diary management support. Personal Attributes & Skills While there is no specific previous experience required to be successful in this role, we are looking for someone with excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, along with an ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships both with the Minister and other senior stakeholders. Wed be particularly interested in hearing from you if you: Enjoy working in a fast-paced, stimulating team environment; Can problem solve under pressure in order to help the private office deliver effectively; Have the ability to work with diplomacy and tact, particularly when handling sensitive information; Are looking for a job that offers significant professional advancement. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace Managing a Quality Service Benefits Alongside your salary of £32,744, Department for Business and Trade contributes £9,485 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. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. 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 (500 words) 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. In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. Following the sift stage of the campaign and before the interview stage, all short-listed candidates will be invited to attend a short meeting with the Minister.. The 'fireside' chat is an unassessed, informal conversation which may be conducted either 1:1 or as a group meeting. This conversation will give both parties an opportunity to meet and ask questions that may not be covered in the interview. The chat can also be used to discuss the leaders priorities and the candidates proposed approach to the role. 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 DBTrecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk 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: 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. Vetting 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. For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting 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 security 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 : Monica Tanouye Email : Monica.Tanouyebusinessandtrade.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : dbtrecruitment.grscabinetoffice.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: Resourcingbusinessandtrade.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 Attachments DBT candidate pack July 2024.pptx Opens in new window (pdf, 1737kB) DBT T&Cs 19092023 Opens in new window (doc, 46kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail