About the job

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is one of the largest Government Departments, with an ambitious and challenging agenda to deliver welfare reform to all aspects of benefit payments. PBSS is a high-profile business critical group of around 190 people safeguarding £200bn of benefit & pension payments by providing a single point of contact for Finance, leading back office payment service and performance managing critical departmental contracts for Shared Services, banking and debt Services.

The Risk, Planning and Communication (RPC) Team provides essential services and reporting across the whole group. This is an exciting opportunity that will enable the successful candidate to experience a leading role in the coordination and organisation of a range of PBSS activities, including diary management and workflow for the Deputy Director. We value everybody and we are passionate about making PBSS an inclusive place to work where everyone feels they can be themselves and are supported to be their best. We are committed to equality and valuing diversity within our workforce.

The Diary Manager role is to provide a first-class business support to the Payments, Banking and Shared Services Deputy Director. Supporting delivery of key priorities and achieving challenging deadlines, in a fast-paced and high-profile business area.

Job description

An opportunity has arisen to join a fast paced and high-profile area working directly with a Deputy Director.

The RPC team plays a key role in organising and delivering the environment to enable the Deputy Director to focus on top priorities and discharge their responsibilities efficiently and effectively. The successful candidate will manage the diary, calendar and inbox and will take all appropriate actions to identify priority requests and to schedule meetings on their behalf.

The candidate will also be expected to provide administrative support for the PBSS RPC Team, on a daily basis, on a range of activities.

Person specification

The key requirements of the role are to:

This is a high-profile role within a changeable, fast paced and demanding environment.

• You will be providing support to the Deputy Director, whose combined team totals approximately 190 colleagues.
• The role requires regular contact with the DD, the Senior Leadership Team, the Director’s office, and other key stakeholders.
• You will be responsible for managing the diary, inbox, correspondence, and workflow for the DD.
• You will assess priorities and ensure appropriate action is taken within set timescales.
• Work within the support team is wide-ranging, with shifting priorities and at times challenging deadlines.

There is a huge amount of variety and opportunity in this role, which can range from highly visible senior engagement to the drafting of key departmental communications. It is also incredibly rewarding and provides a unique and influential perspective on the workings of government at the most senior levels.

Essential Criteria 

Candidates should be able to evidence the following in their personal statement

• Experience working in an Executive Assistant or Private Office role (Lead Criteria).
• Experience of supporting senior stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills when dealing with internal and external stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
• Excellent organisation skills.

Benefits

• 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%

Location

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.   

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed 

Hybrid Working

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home.  This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a personal statement of no more than 1000 words, outlining how you meet the Essential Criteria listed in the advert.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

You should provide examples of how you demonstrated the skills in tasks you undertook, how you dealt with it, what you did and what the outcome was. The Civil Service behaviours listed in the advert will NOT be tested at sift.

IMPORTANT - Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead Criteria only - Experience working in an Executive Assistant or Private Office role. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview 

Those successful at sift will be asked to attend an interview via MICROSOFT TEAMS where they will be assessed by a panel, against the behaviours listed in the advert. 

Key dates

Sift will start 10th January 2024 onwards.

Interviews will be held week commencing 1st February 2024 onwards.

These dates are subject to change and we would ask that applicants are flexible around availability to attend an interview. 

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

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

Any move to DWP 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.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” 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.

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

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.