About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

Social Care Group is an inclusive, friendly, supportive, and dynamic place to work. We aim to establish a workforce which reflects the society we serve, and we welcome applications from all. We are especially interested to hear from gender diverse, disabled, LGBT+ candidates, and candidates from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, including Black, Asian, mixed, and other ethnic groups.

We are recruiting for a Business Manager to support the Director of Social Care Workforce and Policy and are looking for someone who is organised and proactive. We will support your professional development by ensuring you receive appropriate inductions, support for ongoing learning and development and tailored support to enable you to identify and progress towards your chosen career goals.

The role sits in the Programme Office, a multi-disciplinary team, first established in August 2023 to provide programme management and business support to the ASC Workforce and Policy Directorate. The Programme Office consists of PAs, Business Managers, Programme managers and the head of the Chief Social Worker and Chief Nurse office.

Job description

The Business Manager will cover business, diary and administrative support needs for the Director, as well as supporting our multidisciplinary team in delivering business support to teams across the directorate.

Responsibilities include diary management, inbox management, meeting secretariat, liaising with key stakeholders and commissioning updates from the Deputy Director led teams. The role offers the opportunity for significant interaction with senior officials and stakeholders. The postholder will balance their time working in the office and working from home and will be expected to build good working relationships with colleagues across the directorate as well as with key external contacts.

The role will work in line with DHSC’s office attendance policy of at least 12 days per month, and depending on your location you may not be based in the same office as the Director.

Person specification

Role responsibilities

Ensure smooth day-to-day running of the Director’s diary and inbox by providing quality business and administrative support. This will involve secretariat support for key meetings; inbox management; budget management; commissioning work and liaising with policy teams.

Be adept at problem solving and in dealing with any issues that arise in a confident and calm manner, e.g. travel or scheduling disruption for the Director.

Establish and maintain good relationships across DHSC, other Government Departments and with external stakeholders and use these to support the efficiency of the Director’s work and their priorities.

Anticipate and identify potential business-related problems arising, especially when there are competing priorities. Taking the initiative to act to resolve or minimise disruption.

Build good working relationships with other business support staff, both within the multi-disciplinary Programme Office and across the Directorate, to share knowledge and best practice.

Key skills and experience required for this role

Essential

• Strong written and oral communication skills, and the ability to communicate appropriately with a range of senior stakeholders.
• Ability to make decisions under pressure and the ability to make decisions when information is incomplete or uncertain.
• The ability to problem solve, and to communicate the solutions to others clearly, seeking agreement where necessary.
• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to help others to remain organised in their own work.
• Good time management skills and the ability to prioritise, including managing competing priorities.

Desirable

• Previous experience in a personal assistant, diary manager or administrative/business support role.
• Previous experience working in a role in adult social care or the NHS.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,188, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £8,690 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.

Sift date:  expected W/C 20/02/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 05/03/2024

Interview location: By video.

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability, and Behaviours.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

An initial sift based on Statement of Suitability and the lead behaviour of Communicating and Influencing may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to DHSC 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.

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

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.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 dhscrecruitment.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 you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis 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.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.