Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State ***extended to 9th August***

This is a critical role within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and offers an outstanding opportunity for the right candidate to work closely with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.​

As Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State, you will lead a small team directly supporting the Secretary of State to deliver their priorities, as well as lead the wider Private Office team supporting the DBT Ministerial team and oversee the Correspondence and Write Rounds team.​

This is a challenging and demanding – but rewarding – position that works directly with Ministers, Special Advisers, the Permanent Secretary, and other Senior Civil Servants across DBT, as well as No10 and other government departments.​

You will be responsible for advising the Secretary of State and the department on a wide range of high-profile issues. You will also have line management responsibilities for three Grade 6s, and leadership responsibilities for a team of around 75 FTE.​

We are looking for a talented and motivated individual, with extensive experience of leading teams, strong communication skills and experience working closely with senior government ministers. You will need strong political awareness and exceptional judgement. You will also need to be confident managing relationships with senior stakeholders in DBT, No10 and other government departments. Alongside that, you will need to be exceptionally organised and capable of prioritising and handling multiple issues concurrently. 

The key responsibilities of the role are:​

• Providing advice and support to the Secretary of State and Ministers on a range of policy, delivery and propriety issues – covering business, trade and equalities.​
• Working with the Executive Team and senior colleagues across the department to shape the department’s strategic priorities and forward work plan, and to ensure high quality and timely advice is put to ministers on key issues. ​
• Communicating the Secretary of State’s and wider ministerial team’s priorities to the department, as well as representing their views across Whitehall and externally. ​
• Leading a highly motivated team of around 75 FTE where individuals are supported to develop and grow in their roles (including Secretary of State’s Office, the Junior Ministers’ offices, the Permanent Secretary’s office, Second Permanent Secretary’s office, and correspondence team).​
• Ensuring the Private Office Group is a happy, inclusive and collaborative working environment and that the whole group works effectively with the department to deliver for the Secretary of State and their Ministers. ​
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with the centre and other departments, to support the delivery of priority DBT policies. ​

​The role holder will report to Anthony Green, the Director for Ministerial Strategy.

Your written application must contain examples, evidencing how your experience meets each of the essential criteria listed below.

We are looking for someone who has the personal effectiveness to deliver outcomes in a pressured environment. We would encourage you to apply if you meet the following essential criteria:​

Essential Criteria​

• Highly developed leadership skills with a proven ability to build, inspire and develop high performing teams, create an environment of challenge, drive continuous improvement and openness to new approaches and behaviours; ​
• The ability to build and maintain effective partnerships with a range of senior stakeholders up to Ministerial level (or equivalent), securing their confidence through effective collaboration and engagement​
• A track record of working closely with Ministers and Special Advisers (or equivalent), and the proven ability to understand complex political priorities and translate that into policy development; ​
• Highly developed communication, influencing and negotiation skills; and an ability to build consensus through effective relationships and challenge where necessary; ​
• Experience of working in a pressurised, fast-paced environment and the ability to think clearly and project calm during unexpected events;  ​
• The ability to prioritise effectively among multiple competing priorities.​

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• 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%

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above.
This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions.
Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and
conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your
personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any
absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you
to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Job contact :

• Name : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : SCSRecruitment@trade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : SCSRecuritment@trade.gov.uk