About the job

Job summary

Based at 10 Downing Street, this is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of government as the Deputy Director Protocol for the Prime Minister. While the challenges of this role are significant, so are the rewards, with the successful post-holder providing senior leadership to a brilliant and ambitious No10 Events and Visit team.

The successful candidate will be an expert in the field, strategic and have strong and concise communication skills. They will have strong experience in events and visits management at a senior level. They will be a strong and respected leader, able to work collegiately and collaboratively with all and have the ability to bring different work streams together to create a cohesive approach and plan.

This role will appeal to experienced and confident candidates, who enjoy working with senior ministers, political advisers and officials. They will be equally confident that they can articulate the clear sense of direction necessary to motivate a high-performing team.

Working at No10 involves regularly delivering under pressure and to challenging deadlines. This role will also include routine out of hours work and some travel.

Job description

Key responsibilities include:

• Run the No10 Events and Visits team on a day to day basis to ensure it functions cohesively and delivers a world class events and visits programme, with a strong communications output.
• Work collaboratively with the No10 senior team, Communications, Policy Unit, Delivery Unit, Cabinet Office, Special Advisers, Government Departments, to create an effective programme which will deliver events and visits which reflect and support the Prime Minister’s priorities.
• Financial responsibility for the Events and Visits team, including budget management and contract management for services procured.
• Be an active part of the No10 SCS Management Team.

Person specification

The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate the following Essential Criteria:

• Outstanding leadership skills and a high level of personal resilience, with a proven ability to inspire a team and enabling them to deliver during periods of change, uncertainty or ambiguity.
• Strong experience at a senior level of delivering an events/visits programme, including a proven track record of working closely with very senior stakeholders e.g. C-suite, senior Ministers or Special Advisers.
• Track record of working at pace in a complex multi-stakeholder environment and to manage multiple priorities in pressured timescales.
• The ability to get to the heart of institutional (e.g. government) priorities and translate these through events/visits to reach and resonate with identified audiences.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Cabinet Office contributes £20,250 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 and Experience.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below. This should be completed no later than 23.55, Sunday 25th February 2024. 

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both portions of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies in the Civil Service requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without the need for a new competition.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 4th March 2024

Expected interview date/s – w/c 11th March 2024

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 at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years UK residency in the past 5 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.

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 here.

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 security 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.