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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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International Trade
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About the job
Job summary
We are seeking an ambitious individual to fill a EO Assistant Private Secretary role in the Special Advisers Office.
The Special Advisers Private Office sits at the heart of the dynamic and fast-paced Private Office Group and exists to support the Secretary of State and her Special Advisers.
The team currently supports five Special Advisers in their engagement with the department, Private Offices and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
The successful candidate will be a motivated person eager to learn and looking for exposure to a policy making environment at the highest level. You will have excellent communication and organisation skills, and be able to function effectively as part of a team. You will build positive relationships with colleagues across the department.
This role will also support the delivery of the wider business management aspects of the Secretary of State Office.
Private Office roles require you to work some unsocial hours including weekends when required. For this, a Private Office Allowance is payable to the successful applicant while in post.
Job description
This role will see the successful candidate supporting the Special Advisers in their day-to-day responsibilities. You will ensure their time is effectively prioritised, providing administrative support and ensure they have the information needed to provide high-quality advice to the Secretary of State.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Provide diary management and administrative support for each Special Adviser, ensuring their time is appropriately prioritised in line with the Secretary of States objectives.
- Deliver excellent service to the Special Advisers in a high-pressure environment by organising their day and drafting excellent quality readouts of meetings.
- Liaising directly with internal and external colleagues and partners to deal with enquiries and to co-ordinate meetings.
- Plan agendas for Special Advisers meetings and oversee the co-ordination and distribution of paperwork.
- Managing the flow of conditional and non-conditional write rounds. Ensuring SpAds steers are communicated and actioned whilst meeting departmental deadlines.
- Keep Special Advisers well-informed and sighted of the Department for Business and Trades work and make sure their views are fed back into the Department.
- Providing business management support to the wider Secretary of State Private Office and the Principle Private Secretary where required.
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with colleagues across DBT and wider government.
Hybrid working
The role will be based in London.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas.
Informal hybrid working arrangements will be available as agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Most DBT employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in an office, on average.
If your office location is London, you will be eligible to receive London weighting.
Support in applying for our vacancies is available by joining a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
Person specification
We are looking for a talented individual who is eager to learn. They will have good organisational skills and effective time management with the ability to deliver in a pressurised environment.
They will possess the ability to maintain the deliverance of key processes, ensuring the office is meeting its commitments to our wider departmental colleagues.
They will show resilience when juggling competing priorities.
They will be a proactive team player with a strong desire to muck-in where required to deliver the best quality service to Special Advisers.
Desirable:
- Experience of working in a pressurised, fast-paced environment, which requires high levels of personal organisation and resilience.
- Experience of working independently and planning time effectively to ensure service standards are met.
- Experience of providing secretarial and diary management support.
- Experience of private office, either directly or through working as a locum.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Benefits
£7,906 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- 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%
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.
Sift will take place from 15/09/2023
Interviews will take place from 29/09/2023
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please align your CV with previous skills and experience. Maximum of 2 A4 pages.
In your Personal Statement, please explain your motivation for applying for this role and the extent to which you satisfy the essential criteria of the role. Maximum word count of 500.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
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 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.
VISA SPONSORSHIP
For this role, the Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. Please note 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 had their employment continued. Any applicants 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.
Please note the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
The Department for Business & Trade embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation.
Please note harmonised terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to the Department for Business & Trade 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
Reasonable Adjustment
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 dbtrecruitment.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 youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Vetting Requirements SC
All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK. The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
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).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Harry Barar
- Email : harry.barar@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@trade.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.
