About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to build both a business management function and executive support function from scratch for a new organisation, working with colleagues across the team to develop processes that best meet the needs of the organisation. This is a stretching role that requires someone who is comfortable with working in a fast-paced and changing environment. The role would suit someone comfortable with experience of working with senior stakeholders, a background in business management and who is comfortable managing a varied and wide ranging workload. 

Initially, this role will be focused on providing executive support to senior leaders, including the interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Programme Director of the team responsible for setting up the IFR as well as  the coordination and delivery of corporate activities such as the creation of business plans and monitoring of finances and HR under DCMS processes. This will evolve as the programme develops, and will see the role holder designing and building the business management function and executive support function for the IFR. There is also potential for line management in the future.

This programme is a top DCMS priority and this role presents an opportunity to join, at an early stage, a programme which has huge public interest and importance. 

Job description

We are looking for a self-starter who can guide their own activities. Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Providing executive support to the interim Chief Operating Officer and Programme Director which will include effectively managing diaries, ensuring the senior leaders are briefed and communicating with stakeholders.
• Managing the flow of information to and from the leadership team,  developing an understanding of the work of the wider team and the strategic objectives that their work supports to inform effective prioritisation, delegation and coordination. 
• Working with current DCMS corporate teams,  in advance of the IFR being established, to represent the team in corporate activities. 
• Building a business management for the IFR, designing and implementing the most effective practices to deliver an efficient and high performing function.
• Building a wider executive support function as the organisation and its leadership team grows, which may include the line management of some of this team. 
• Taking a flexible approach to the role, responding quickly to developments in the organisation and to the preferences of the incoming senior leadership.  

Person specification

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience:

Essential Requirements:

• Working Together: the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with a wide range of people, within and beyond your own team and organisation.
• Communicating and Influencing: excellent written and communication skills, delivering clear and succinct messaging in the appropriate tone and format for the audience.
• Delivering at Pace: the ability to work in a fast-paced, reactionary environment, juggling competing priorities.
• Seeing the Big Picture: an awareness of the objectives of the organisation, and how your own work and that of the wider team contribute to and enhance delivery against those objectives.
• Prior experience working in an executive management or business operations role.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience of working in a new or growing organisation.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,095, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £8,935 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than 9am 5th February.

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 3 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability only. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with:

dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths and potentially include a presentation.

The behaviours to be tested at interview are:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture

You will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview. 

As part of your interview, you may be asked to deliver a short oral presentation. Full details of this, including the topic, and whether or not you will need to use visual aids, will be sent to you prior to your interview. 

Your interview will take place remotely via GoogleMeets.

If you are successful in the first interview, you will then be asked to meet with the Director for an in person second-stage interview which will assess experience and the final behaviour.

For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.

Further information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to DCMS 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

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. 

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 applicant’s 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.

DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Information for Applicants’ document.

If the vacancy is offered as FTA/Loan, existing Civil Servants must join on a Loan basis only., Prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Reasonable Adjustment

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, please:

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. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one. 

Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert.

Feedback

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 counter-terrorist 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.