Executive Assistant & Delivery Planning Officer Apprenticeship
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before 11:55 pm on Tuesday 24th September 2024
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About the job
Job summary
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. Our Vision is to champion open and fair global trading that drives growth, creates better jobs and higher wages, and improves living standards in this country and around the world. The Department brings together policy and operational expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment in markets across the world.
The Multilateral and WTO team leads on delivering UK trade policy in several high-profile areas in the multilateral fora including: the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the G7 and the G20. We look to influence global trade rules, manage the UK’s relationship with bilateral trading partners and use the UK’s voice at the WTO to advocate for, and reform, the rules-based international system. To do that effectively we need to develop and manage a busy multilateral trade policy programme supporting UK engagement across multiple fora, including the WTO, G7, G20 and OECD.
We are advertising for a permanent EO role to support delivery of our Multilateral & WTO Programme function and facilitating senior engagement across all aspects of the Team’s work. The successful candidate will divide their time between monitoring the Programme inbox, supporting logistics for key senior-level meetings, generating agendas and supporting products, and efficiently managing the Deputy Director’s diary.
All aspects of the role will require you to build strong professional networks with colleagues based in London and Geneva, as well as seniors and policy teams across the Department and Whitehall.
Job description
- Managing and actioning the Team’s Programme inbox to oversee all programme delivery activity, proactively communicating with internal and external stakeholders, approvals for HMG travel to Geneva, team corporate reporting, budget and financial planning.
- Managing a secretariat function for cross-Whitehall meetings, overseeing scheduling, collating and sharing agendas, commissioning contributors for supporting products, managing attendance and taking minutes.
- Managing and monitoring the Deputy Director’s diary, preparing meeting logistics (virtual and in-person) and collating meeting papers/agendas, ensuring that the Deputy Director has sufficient space to balance desk time with key engagements.
- Arranging logistics, booking rooms, processing and tracking DD’s travel expenses in line with the Team’s budget, ensuring cost-efficiency.
- Developing strong and positive relations across DBT, Whitehall and with external stakeholders.
- Provide diary cover as needed across the GTD Directorate.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Comfortable with delivering at pace and working in an environment which often has challenging deadlines.
- Ability to manage multiple work streams and switch between them as priorities change and evolve.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
- Competence with MS Office products including MS Word and Excel.
Desirable Criteria:
- Evidence of building effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders both internal and external.
- Attention to detail to produce high-quality and accurate work.
- An interest in international trade and the internal workings of government.
Personal Attributes & Skills:
- You will have the ability to build effective working relationships across a wide variety of senior and trade policy stakeholders throughout Whitehall.
- You will have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively to deliver outcomes across multiple teams.
- You will be able to confidently prioritise incoming correspondence that require immediate action and sign-off.
- You will be able to plan carefully to deliver complex and competing tasks and be flexible and innovative to make sure that tasks are delivered in the right way at the right time.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
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 average employer contribution of 27%
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.
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test and a Civil Service Work Strengths Test. If you successfully pass the tests, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 24/09/2024. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
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 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 only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Who can start an apprenticeship
To start an apprenticeship, you’ll need to be:
- 16 or over
- living in England
- not in full-time education
You can apply for an apprenticeship while you’re still at school but you’ll need to be 16 or over by the end of the summer holidays to start the apprenticeship. Please note if successful you must be 16 or over to undergo the relevant security checks.
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.
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.grs@cabinetoffice.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
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 : Jacob Collins
- Email : jacob.collins@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk