About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

The Private Office and Parliament Directorate is recruiting permanently for SEO Deputy Private Secretaries. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the roles and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs.

Location:

Successful candidates will need to be based at 102 Petty France, London.

Ways of Working

This role is available on a full-time basis only.

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 requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range. 

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:

• promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or
• pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MOJ is one of the largest government departments, employing over 90,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9.5 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

The Work of Private Office

The Ministry of Justice’s Private Office and Parliament Directorate is a supportive and collaborative group. It is also a busy and interesting place to work – it is the interface between Ministers, the rest of the Department and Whitehall.

The Department is at the forefront of the Government’s programme to tackle serious crime and support victims. It is also central to the Government’s legislative programme, with four Bills currently before the House. As a Deputy Private Secretary you will play a key role supporting Ministers to deliver the reforms and legislation that the Secretary of State has set out, working in a fast-paced and exciting environment where strong team working is required. You will gain invaluable experience working at the heart of the decision-making process, working directly with the ministers, special advisers and senior officials across the Department and with external stakeholders, on a range of stimulating portfolios.

Deputy Private Secretary - The role

Working within a busy, dynamic and friendly team, the successful candidate will be a credible source of advice to Ministers; will coordinate and prioritise their portfolio responsibilities; anticipate and resolve issues – escalating when necessary; and support their respective Head of Office or Head of Desk. The post holder will develop an in-depth understanding of their wide-ranging policy brief which covers areas across the justice system. They will also play a wider leadership role across private offices, ensuring the smooth running of the division. Roles are available across Private Office and you may be working for any of our Ministers.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Provide high quality advice and support to the Minister, driving forward their priorities and supporting policy, parliamentary and media work.
• You will be comfortable with working independently and are able to manage and prioritise a significant number of reactive and proactive tasks.
• Building effective working relationships across the department to provide leadership and an effective channel of communication for the Minister with other private offices, the Department, the rest of Whitehall, Parliament and the public.
• Using your relationships, judgement and understanding of the wider context to support the Minister in their work and to add value to the process and substance of decision making, ensuring financial and ethical probity. You should be engaging, trustworthy and unafraid to challenge peers and senior colleagues.
• Responding to and approving drafts of ministerial correspondence ensuring we meet our performance targets.
• You will support the Grade 7 Private Secretary/Head of Office in the effective management of the team and there may be line management opportunities.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• The ability to work at pace on a range of competing priorities, while remaining calm under pressure.
• The ability to work flexibly and quickly develop expertise on new policy areas and exercise judgment to advise Ministers.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate people at all levels.
• A willingness to grasp new challenges, adapt to changing circumstance and deliver at pace.

Desirable:

• Previous experience of working closely with Ministers
• Previous experience working in related policy areas

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Application Process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

Experience

You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviour (see Annex A for more information):

• Delivering at Pace

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Delivering at Pace. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out in person.

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details:  Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

In addition to the Behaviour(s) listed in the application form, you will be asked by the interview panel to provide examples of how you meet the additional behaviours listed below.

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving

We will also ask candidates at interview to deliver a 5 minute presentation on the following topic: “What makes an excellent private secretary?”

Interviews are expected to take place in January 2024.

At interview stage, if candidates do not score high enough to be appointed to a current vacancy, but have passed the minimal requirements, they could be offered a similar role within the Directorate at the same grade or grade below.

Contact Information  

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team.

Contacts: Conor McMahon Conor.McMahon@justice.gov.uk and Ben Street ben.street@justice.gov.uk

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,824, Ministry of Justice contributes £12,784 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.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.