Private Secretary
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before 11:55 pm on Saturday 23rd November 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
London: £36,583-£38,272
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Policy
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About the job
Job summary
This role sits at the heart of the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) Construction, Infrastructure and Energy Directorate (CIE), which is responsible for delivering economic growth across four areas: Energy, Infrastructure Partnerships, Infrastructure & Construction and Ukraine Reconstruction.
The Directorate was recently involved in the UK’s largest trade mission to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched guidance on the National Digital Twin Programme and delivered an agreement with the Government Peru to deliver a programme of infrastructure partnerships.
Sitting within the Directorate’s Central Office, the private secretary role offers a chance to engage and drive forward strategic priorities. Providing an exciting opportunity to work alongside an experienced and highly respected director, to learn from their leadership and to gain a broad knowledge of multiple high-profile sectors and both domestic policy and international trade delivery.
We are a diverse, friendly, and welcoming directorate, and we actively encourage applications from as diverse a set of candidates as we can possibly get. If you are from a minority group, interested in the role but uncertain about your suitability, please drop us a line – we’d be very happy to have a chat.
Job description
As the Private Secretary to the Director for Construction, Infrastructure and Energy, you will play a pivotal role in the running of the Directorate and in ensuring the director makes effective decisions by:
- Understanding, articulating and helping to drive forward the Director’s priorities; by providing high quality advice backed up by accurate and perceptive insights.
- Having portfolio responsibility for some of the directorate’s teams; this will involve being the team’s first point of contact for advice on behalf of the Director.
- Managing the Director’s inbox with regards to meeting requests; reviewing emails to identify priorities and actioning requests that come in, escalation and commissioning briefing on key issues and prioritising incoming mail to ensure key deadlines are met.
- Forward planning to ensure all briefing and papers are closely managed, identifying and commissioning information/briefings as required.
- Managing the Director’s diary, travel and logistics, helping to make sure the director’s time is maximised effectively and that appropriate travel arrangements are made.
- Chairing the Directorate All Staff weekly call to ensure that the directorate is kept informed of key issues.
- Undertake specific projects and research and analysis on behalf of the Director, including presenting findings in papers, reports and PowerPoint presentations.
Person specification
Personal Attributes and Skills:
We are looking for a self-motivated person, with a “can-do” attitude who has enthusiasm and appetite for gaining exposure to senior relationships and governance across a busy and exciting directorate.
The role holder will:
- have strong organisational and effective decision-making skills,
- be able to manage upwards, to be able to work with people of all grades, delegating work, and commissioning briefings,
- be prepared to challenge the status quo and push through new ideas and thinking,
- have strong interpersonal and communication skills,
- take a strategic approach, understand the big picture and how to shape this,
- display high levels of judgment on a broad range of issues, often dealing with varied and sensitive matters,
- be able to work equally effectively as part of a team and on their own initiative,
- be able to work flexibly at pace, managing several competing deadlines and rapidly changing priorities at short notice and to very short timescales.
Essential Criteria:
- Ability to show sound judgement and make effective decisions whilst working at pace.
- Proven organisational skills and the ability to prioritise.
- Strong written and verbal communication.
- Effective engagement skills with a proven ability to work well with senior leaders and stakeholders.
Desirable criteria:
- An interest in Construction, Infrastructure or Energy sectors.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- 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 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
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 of up to 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 Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.
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.grs@cabinetoffice.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:
- A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
- Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
- The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
- 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. Any applicant who has 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.
- Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
- Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
- This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.
- Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service / Disclosure Scotland / Access NI 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
For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk
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
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 : Natasha Colvine
- Email : natasha.colvine@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
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
