Apply Now
Details
Reference number
Salary
Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Policy
Other
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Cabinet Office is the centre of Government, and this post forms part of a small team based in the Propriety and Constitution Group which report to the Prime Ministers Appointments Secretaries, for Church and Lord-Lieutenants. They are supported by the Ecclesiastical Secretary, to whom the successful applicant for this post will report.
The role of the Assistant Head is to ensure the smooth running of the processes for church and Lord-Lieutenant appointments. A self-motivated individual who enjoys working with external stakeholders and the challenge of an unusual civil service role, you will be looking for an opportunity to lead on a clearly defined area of work for which you will be accountable. You will need to be comfortable working at pace, as the volumes of work can fluctuate according to the demand which is driven by the resignation and retirement of the current post holders.
Job description
Church Appointments: The Crown is responsible for a range of ecclesiastical appointments in the Church of England. This is for historical and constitutional reasons, which go back hundreds of years, as the Church of England is the Established Church and The King its Supreme Governor. As well as Archbishops, Bishops and some Cathedral Deans these appointments include 10 residentiary canonries, and priests in 200 Crown parishes. The Lord Chancellors ecclesiastical appointments (which originate from the Crown) include a further 10 residentiary canonries and 457 parishes. There are also a range of other appointments which include Church Estates Commissioners, the Chair and members of the Church Conservation Trust and the Lord High Commissioner of the Church of Scotland.
Lord-Lieutenant Appointments: The King is represented by a Lord-Lieutenant in every county. Their duties include arranging visits by members of the Royal family, escorting Royal visitors and representing The King, including presenting certain honours, medals and awards. Each Lord-Lieutenant is supported by a Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants of their own choosing.
As the Ecclesiastical Secretary undertakes a considerable amount of travel around the country, you will be accountable for ensuring the work of the team is managed efficiently, and will at times lead on individual benefice appointments to provide variety for you and resilience for the team. You protect the Crown and Lord Chancellors Church patronage by leading on the oversight of requests from dioceses for the reorganisation of benefices, suspensions of our rights of presentation and Sede Vacante appointments: training and support will be provided for this and all technical aspects of the role.
You will support the Ecclesiastical Secretary in her responsibility for policy on Lieutenancy matters and will oversee the processing of Lord-Lieutenants and Vice Lord-Lieutenants appointments from the Devolved Administrations and of Deputy Lieutenants for England and Wales.
You will lead the budget negotiation processes between the Lieutenancies and the department and then monitor the expenditure of the large budget, ensuring expenses are paid according to guidance. You will also lead on Information Management for the team by dealing with Freedom of Information requests, ministerial correspondence, PQs, complaints and ensuring document retention complies with GDPR and Cabinet Office procedures.
You will line manage an EO who will undertake most of the administrative aspects of the teams responsibilities.
The role will require travelling around the country to participate in interview panels alongside the parish representatives and senior clergy. These will start and finish with prayers, often led by the Bishop. You may also be required to present candidates to the Bishop by reading aloud the Letters Patent in church services at which they are inducted to their new role. You should therefore be comfortable attending meetings and services in church, which may include prayer and Holy Communion.
Key accountabilities:
- Leading on the completion of the approval aspects of appointments process for Archbishops, Bishops, Suffragan Bishops and Deans including developing strong working relationships with senior stakeholders in No 10, Buckingham Palace, Church House and Lambeth Palace.
- Leading on pastoral reorganisation and the suspension of presentation rights for Crown and Lord Chancellor patronage through discussion with diocesan staff and senior clergy.
- Deputising for the Crown Ecclesiastical Secretary in the appointment of clergy for benefice vacancies by participating in interview panels around the country when required.
- Completing the processes for appointing clergy to their benefice roles in liaison with No 10, Buckingham Palace and the Lord Chancellors Private Office.
- Arranging for those appointed to benefice vacancies to be invited to a Royal Garden Party.
- Giving policy advice on Lord-Lieutenancy matters.
- Leading the approvals processes for the appointment of Lord-Lieutenants, Vice Lord-Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants.
- Overseeing the annual budget negotiation process for the metropolitan Lord-Lieutenancies.
- Ensuring Lord-Lieutenants personal office expenses and travel costs are paid.
- Line managing an EO who will provide support with the administrative aspects of the role.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- A flexible and a collaborative attitude to team working, adapting to changing priorities and workloads
- Effective organisational and prioritisation skills and using these successfully to deliver a quality customer service, sometimes at pace.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with an ability to build and maintain trusted relationships, often with senior stakeholders.
- A self-starter who works well independently with limited supervision.
- Excellent attention to detail and accurate drafting skills.
- A high degree of confidentiality.
- IT skills.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience of interviewing and selection procedures.
- Experience of monitoring a budget.
- A basic knowledge of Church of England practices, structures and hierarchy, along with a general understanding of church language and vocabulary.
The post holder must be willing to undergo security vetting at CTC level, if clearance at this level is not already held.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
Benefits
£12,015 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application process
As part of your application you will be asked to provide a name-blind CV detailing your job history and qualifications, a 500-word Personal Statement and a 250-word statement on the lead behaviour (Working Together). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The Personal Statement should outline your suitability for this job role. Please pay particular attention to the person specification when writing your statement. This section will be used for the sift to assess your suitability to be invited to an interview. You do not have to refer to the Behaviours element in your statement.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Working Together. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Selection process
The interview process will assess the Behaviour and Strengths elements of Success Profiles. We would generally expect answers to follow the STAR or CAR structure and encourage candidates to use this during the interview.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date 24th November or 1st December
Expected interview date/s 18th and 19th December
Interview location – Virtual via Google Meet
Reasonable adjustments
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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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.
Further information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘contact point for applicants’ section.
Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to Cabinet Office 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
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.#
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 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.
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.
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
You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Helen Dimmock, Crown Ecclesiastical Secretary
- Email : Helen.Dimmock@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
- Telephone : 07928128848
Recruitment team
- Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk.
For further information on the Recruitment Principles, and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.
