Priority Projects Unit - Policy Advisor
Cabinet Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 27th October 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Fixed term
Loan
Length of employment
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
At the Cabinet Office we support the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office Ministers in delivering their key objectives and ensuring the smooth running of government - from developing policy, to modernising public services. The Cabinet Office is both a “corporate centre” for government and a policy department in its own right that challenges, supports, leads and provides services to other Ministerial Departments. We welcome talented people from all backgrounds with the skills and the commitment to build a career in the Civil Service.
The Cabinet Office Purpose is:
- to maintain the integrity of the Union, coordinate the security of the realm and sustain a flourishing democracy;
- to support the design and implementation of HM Government’s policies and the Prime Minister’s priorities; and
- to ensure the delivery of the finest public services by attracting and developing the best public servants and improving the efficiency of government.
The work Cabinet Office delivers is vast and therefore presents opportunities to develop your skills and experience in a variety of critical government agendas.
An organisation of approximately 7,000 employees, the Cabinet Office is a vibrant, modern and exciting place to work, attracting a diverse workforce which represents the people we serve. Our main offices are in London, but we have staff based around the UK, including at our second headquarters in Glasgow. The Department ultimately aims to have 50% of its staff based outside London by 2025.
The Cabinet Office values sit at the heart of what we do. To deliver our Purpose and help make Cabinet Office a great place to work, we all commit to:
- treating everyone with Respect
- actively Collaborate, and
- build Trust
We have an aspiration to become the most inclusive employer across the Civil Service. We have a number of staff benefits, including flexible working, and access to a number of staff support networks to ensure we meet this. The Cabinet Office has achieved a Bronze award in the Inclusive Employers Standard and a Gold Talent Inclusion & Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) award from the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI).
Job description
The Priority Projects Unit (PPU) provides support for high-priority, complex projects across Cabinet Office and, occasionally, other departments. As ministers’ priorities change, so do we, meaning that we’re always at the leading edge of what the Cabinet Office and Government is delivering.
PPU members are typically placed on three-month projects. These placements can be either individual or alongside other PPU members at different grades. Recently this has meant team members supporting the creation of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority; leading work on critical national infrastructure within the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat; delivering bespoke projects as part of the Government’s Cyber Skills Strategy; supporting ministerial private offices; and working with FCDO to deliver the European Political Community Summit.
Like the Cabinet Office, the PPU runs a multi-location model. We have a strong presence in London and a growing team in Glasgow.
What are my responsibilities?
Each project and its demands are unique but PPU team members are often requested to provide support for complex, cross-cutting policy or strategy development; significant policy, delivery and analysis reviews; short term problem solving with policy teams on urgent issues; standing up new teams at pace; project or programme management; and ministerial or wider stakeholder engagement. This may be within the Cabinet Office or across departments.
Although the work you will be involved in at PPU will vary, to be successful in this role, you will:
- Have the drive and organisational skills to deliver projects over a short time-frame, with recent experience doing so;
- Be confident meeting tight deadlines and managing competing priorities;
- Be comfortable with frequent change - both moving between projects and as priorities change during projects;
- Have the ability to embed yourself in a range of established teams quickly, including by building effective relationships;
- Be able to analyse evidence and make informed decisions;
- Have strong report writing skills and the ability to communicate key messages clearly and succinctly to senior leaders and ministers;
- Be able to lead by example, often under demanding circumstances;
- Handle ambiguity with confidence; and
- Have a good set of essential skills to operate across a range of projects and teams - including: effective planning; the ability to build consensus with stakeholders to achieve objectives; and the ability to think through difficult policy problems.
If you can do these things outside Government, we can support you in learning how to do that in a central Government context.
Person specification
- Have the drive and organisational skills to deliver projects over a short time-frame, with recent experience doing so;
- Be confident meeting tight deadlines and managing competing priorities;
- Be comfortable with frequent change - both moving between projects and as priorities change during projects;
- Have the ability to embed yourself in a range of established teams quickly, including by building effective relationships.
You may also be expected to take on line management responsibilities within the PPU team.
Data and digital skills are an increasingly important part of operating successfully in PPU. We offer training to make sure everyone in the unit has a good understanding of the fundamentals. We would especially welcome your application if you have data and digital experience.
We’re committed to making the PPU a great team to work in. To make this happen, we all take on corporate responsibility, giving 10% of our time to help shape the team and create a vibrant team culture. Successful candidates will have a track record of contributing meaningfully to corporate initiatives or continuous improvement projects.
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:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
Benefits
- 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.
Our project-based work can also adapt to those who need to work flexibly through a part time or job share arrangement, but who want to be involved in shaping some of the highest priority projects in Government. Several members of our team already do this around caring responsibilities. We can offer a range of flexible working arrangements that will be agreed with successful candidates on a case-by-case basis prior to the start of employment. Our only requirement is that successful candidates can work in one of our offices for a minimum of two days per week.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Candidate guidance on completing your application form
Please provide a statement of suitability setting out how you meet the role specifications, focusing on providing evidence of the essential experience required for this role:
- Have the drive and organisational skills to deliver projects over a short time-frame, with recent experience doing so;
- Be confident meeting tight deadlines and managing competing priorities;
- Be comfortable with frequent change - both moving between projects and as priorities change during projects;
- Have the ability to embed yourself in a range of established teams quickly, including by building effective relationships.
The statement should be no more than 500 words and will be assessed at sift.
Please also provide a CV. This will not be assessed, but will be used to provide additional context on your application.
The three requested behaviours at sift are:
- Delivering at Pace (Lead)
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
If a large number of applications are received, vacancy managers may conduct an initial sift on the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Please use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach when writing your application answers. The maximum word count is 250 words per behaviour.
Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in or the problem you were faced with.
Task - Set out what you tried to achieve or were responsible for delivering.
Action - What actions did you take and how did you accomplish them? Make sure to use “I”, not “we”, to explain how your actions led to a result.
Result - Demonstrate the results that your actions produced, using data where possible. Explain whether it was a successful outcome and, if not, what you learned from the experience.
Selection Process
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
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. The behaviours tested at interview will be;
- Delivering at Pace (Lead)
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
There will also be a strength based section to the interview.
Please Note:
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Roles will be offered on either a permanent basis or as a 2-year loan/FTA at the discretion of the vacancy manager.
Due to the high volume of applications received for Cabinet Office vacancies, we regret that feedback is only available following the interview stage.
Near miss offers may be made at a lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.
We will be holding two virtual drop-in sessions to provide further information on PPU and answer any questions you may have on the application process. These are particularly useful for applicants from outside the Civil Service. Please feel free to join us (you do not need to sign up in advance).
SEO Recruitment - Drop In Information Sessions
Friday, 18 October · 4:30 – 5:30pm
Time zone: Europe/London
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/eod-maeq-umf
Or dial: (GB) +44 20 3957 3597 PIN: 319 136 523#
Wednesday, 23 October · 4:30 – 5:30pm
Time zone: Europe/London
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/poe-mawp-ock
Or dial: (GB) +44 20 3957 1659 PIN: 599 646 755#
Contact:
Please contact ppurecruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk with any enquiries.
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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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 you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Further Information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 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
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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/Disclosure Scotland 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.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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 Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
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
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : PPU Recruitment
- Email : ppurecruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.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.
