Private Secretary to the Director
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 13th October 2024
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For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
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About the job
Job summary
In August 2018, MHCLG announced its intention for Government to take responsibility for the Grenfell Tower site which was transferred from the local Council in July 2019. The Grenfell Site and Programme (GS&P) manages the site and supports the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission (GTMC). The priority of the programme is to work towards delivering the vision of the GTMC for a lasting memorial on the site of the Tower and to work towards a Ministerial decision on the future of the Tower which is evidence-based, informed by the advice of public authorities and technical experts, and ensures the community is engaged at every stage.
This role will offer the successful candidate the opportunity to contribute to the strategic development of our programme by allowing them to build strong relationships with senior colleagues. In this role things will often arise or change at short notice, needing you to be flexible and calm, with a keen eye for distinguishing the preferable, from the essential. You should have strong communication skills and an aptitude for stakeholder management as you will need to work closely with a range of senior officials.
You will be required to develop a good working knowledge of the programme, you will be able to intelligently prioritise the directors’ time and ensure that they are fully prepared for meetings, and more generally to fulfil their brief. A busy post in a high-profile area, the successful applicant will be expected to work well under pressure, be highly organised, and take initiative!
Job description
- Use your relationships, judgement and understanding of the wider context to support the Director in their work and to add value to the process and substance of decision making.
- Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to provide the best advice and support to the Director.
- Build and maintain a relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Confidently engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to convey clear messages on behalf of the Director.
- Daily management of the Director diary to ensure that they operate efficiently, and forward plan to see that longer-term priorities and commitments are met.
- Lead on supporting the Director and Senior Civil Servant’s team in developing the culture and values of the Grenfell Site and Programme Directorate, including through directorate communications, events and other activities as needed.
- Line management of an Executive Officer.
Person specification
Essential skills:
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to multi-task, prioritise, and work to tight deadlines
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain a relationship with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
- Confidence to use initiative to make effective decisions
- PA or office management experience working or supporting a senior management team
Desirable skills:
- Experience in diary management
- Skilled user of Outlook and its wider functions
- Line management experience
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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of our pre-employment checking process we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage.
Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).
Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions, for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
When writing your application, remember:
- The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.
- Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.
- If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)
At sift, we will be assessing
Behaviour (Lead Behaviour): Making Effective Decisions
Behaviour: Leadership
Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service
There is a 250 word limit per question.
In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Behaviours: Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service
Strengths
The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service
Strengths: Yes
We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs
Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.
HEO salary
- The salary for this role is £35,400 (London) or £32,178 (National).
- For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.
BENEFITS:
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to MHCLG 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
For further information about the benefits available to MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
- London
- Wolverhampton
- Darlington*
- Leeds
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Manchester
There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.
*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.
For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.
SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:
Sifting is envisaged to take place w/c 14th October 2024 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.
Reserve List
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.
CTC (Counter-terrorism Clearance):
Important note
Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.
Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the CTC security checks – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years. Please refer to the MHCLG Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC). Thank you.
Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by MHCLG. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
Internal Fraud Database
The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.
For more information please see - Internal Fraud Register
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 : Lottie Gillard
- Email : Charlotte.Gillard@communities.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk