Army - Executive Assistant

Ministry of Defence

Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 17th October 2024

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Details

Reference number

372624

Salary

£28,300

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

MOD - Army

Type of role

Administration / Corporate Support

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Location

Location: Andover, Hampshire SP11 8HJ + We are passionate about Smarter Working and believe that a combination of flexible working practices, digital technology and modern workspaces will give you the opportunity to enjoy a healthy work-life balance, while ensuing you deliver your outcomes effectively and efficiently – we expect you to know where to be to have the most impact, balancing your individual needs with that of your team and the organisation. In line with Civil Service direction, staff are expected to spend 60% of their working time face to face with colleagues either in offices or on official business.

About the job

Job summary

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 7,000 MoD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations.

We are looking for motivated and highly organised professionals to join the Army Headquarters, providing direct support to Directors.

The successful candidates will provide effective and efficient administrative support and work as integral part of outer office support.

The ideal candidate will have experience in a similar role, in a professional service environment and have an ability to work proactively and as part of a team.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

This role is in scope of a change programme, therefore please be aware that there could be changes to the role as a result of the change programme.

Job description

As a civil servant you will work alongside military colleagues in jobs that matter; jobs which often have a direct impact on the quality of the operational capabilities the Army delivers. Roles can offer great job satisfaction and there are many opportunities to develop and progress both within the Department and across the wider Civil Service.

Main Responsibilities include:

Effective day to day diary management: This includes allowing for transition between locations, IT communication set up and preparation time; deconflicting and rearranging appointments when priorities change; reacting to short notice requests; monitoring deadlines; confirming attendance & trouble-shooting problems; multitasking and reprioritising to the demands of the Principal.
Forward planning. This includes: arranging visits, meetings, briefings and engagements; confidently liaising with colleagues and senior stakeholders, to influence timing and ensure adequate preparation for the Principal; building relationships with key stakeholders inside & outside MOD; anticipating and highlighting future diary & timing issues.
Travel management: This includes researching, analysing and making complex travel arrangements (road, rail, air, hotel) in line with MOD Policy, ensuring Principal’s time is used most effectively.
Hospitality Management: This includes maintaining electronic register of hospitality, both given & received, in accordance with MOD Policy; Quarterly completion of Senior Travel & Hospitality Declaration.
Meeting Support: Collate and organise briefing information packs for meetings, boards or conferences as required and within the timescales set using MS Office tools such as OneNote and Outlook.
Records Management: Maintain effective electronic housekeeping and records management/retrieval processes, including safeguarding and handling of classified material in accordance with extant policy.
Adhoc administrative tasks to support outer office staff, acting as a professional representative of the principal at all times.

As part of an ongoing review, the post holder may be required to undertake line management responsibility in the future.

Person specification

The successful candidate will be a rational and clear thinker, who can work well during periods of change.

You will:

Be self-motivated and highly organised with an ability to forecast and be able to work well within a small team, whilst working collaboratively with the wider Army Headquarters
Have strong interpersonal skills.
Use sound judgement.
Work quickly and concisely in order to meet demanding priorities.
Have the ability to converse effectively with a range of stakeholders at all levels across the Army, also linking into Other Government Departments, MOD and civilian organisations.
Maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times. Ensuring all information received by your Principal is managed and stored appropriately, applying and adhering to security classifications as appropriate.

Essential Criteria:

A sound understanding of Microsoft Office packages (or similar).
Previous experience in a PA or EA position.

Desirable:

Experience of delivering outputs at pace in a lively environment and strong written and verbal briefing skills would be advantageous.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £28,300, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,198 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

As a civil servant working alongside the Army, you will be part of a forward-looking organisation with inclusive workplace policies, excellent career prospects and a job that makes a difference.

The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Benefits for Army Civil Servants include:

Learning and development tailored to your role including the opportunity to further develop Climate Change and Sustainability experience within a project and programme delivery environment.
A dynamic and innovative working environment that offers flexible working options.
A working culture that encourages inclusion and diversity.
Opportunities for personal and professional development.
Highly Competitive Pension Scheme.
Flexi-time scheme.
Alternative working practices.
25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service.
Ability to roll over up to 10 days leave per year.
Highly competitive pension scheme.
Personal and professional development of skills.
Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
An excellent range of family-friendly benefits, for example, enhanced parental, and adoption leave.
6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities.
Local site benefits such as free parking, on-site gym facilities, shop, café and the opportunity to join and use one of the on-site messes.

Discover my benefits- outlines the range of benefits available to MOD Civil Servants.

Please be advised;

The post does not offer relocation expenses.
Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
That the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Flexible working is encouraged with support available for a range of personal circumstances allowing a positive work/life balance.

Successful candidates can discuss their development options with their manager when in post.

A Great Place for Veterans to Work scheme which was introduced by the Government in 2020 under the Veterans Strategy Action Plan which included the commitment of making the Civil Service a great Place to Work for Veterans. To be eligible for this scheme in the Civil Service, candidates must meet the minimum standard for the role being applied for and:

have served for at least one year in His Majesty’s Armed Forces (as a Regular or Reserve); this includes time spent training
be in transition from, or ceased to be a member of, HM Armed Forces
not already be a civil servant, or be employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body
There is no maximum time limit from when you left HM Armed Forces to be eligible for this initiative

This post does not offer any assistance with relocation allowances.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD 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/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender and ethnic group. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

At application you will be assessed against

Experience: Work History and Personal Statement (no more than 750 words)

Please note that it is essential that your personal statement (750 words max) is aligned with the job description/person specification to provide evidence that you have the knowledge and recent practical experience

At interview you will be assessed against

Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing and Working Together

We will endeavour to sift applications within 5 working days of advert closing with interviews taking placing within 2 weeks.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.  

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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.

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 : Elle Longley
Email : ArmyPers-ACPT-ACRC-Submissions@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: , Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email:
info@csc.gov.uk.