About the job

Job summary

DWP plays an important role in improving people’s quality of life, supporting people to become financially resilient by moving into and progressing in work, whilst providing a safety net for those who cannot work.

The Permanent Secretary’s Office is at the heart of the Department bringing together the Departments different areas of work and working closely with Ministers, the Executive Team, and other offices across Government.

Job description

Specific areas of focus

• Managing the diary of the Permanent Secretary ensuring the best use of their time. This will involve coordinating important and timely meetings on their behalf, managing, and clarifying the expectations of senior stakeholders across the department and government, and advising on requests for attendance at key events.
• Leading, developing and organising the Permanent Secretary’s visits strategy. Working with the team and business to help the Permanent Secretary regularly meet and engage with colleagues and stakeholders to see and hear how things are working day to day in our jobcentres, pension centres and service centres etc.
• Forward planning in the diary to ensure strategic priorities are supported.
• Maintaining the team forward look trackers, making sure that team members are aware of, and adhering to, deadlines and plugged in to emerging priorities.
• Managing the inbox of both the Permanent Secretary Office and Permanent Secretary; directing emails to private secretaries as required and using quick judgment to flag urgent information and actions.
• Supporting preparations for meetings by managing the team and tools used to ensure the Permanent Secretary is fully briefed and prepared. Including working with Cabinet Office on agendas and briefings.
• Be a champion of innovative ways of working, including use of Microsoft 365 programmes, be liaison point in team for IT support so that the Permanent Secretary and the office can work in a digital and seamless way.
• Coordinating correspondence from colleagues and customers, working with the relevant teams in the department to provide timely and useful responses.
• Working flexibly across the Permanent Secretary’s office as needed, to support the Private Secretaries when there are pressure points or urgent requests.
• Look after the Permanent Secretary’s corporate contributions and regular returns to CO.

Person specification

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage important and urgent tasks efficiently.
• Effective prioritisation skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, demonstrating an ability to engage professionally with senior officials.
• Ability to adapt both verbal and written communications styles and recognise where different approaches are required to work across a diverse range of teams and levels of seniority.
• A team player with willingness to work collaboratively across the wider team.
• Ability to guide direction of the Permanent Secretary’s diary and support to effectively deal with competing priorities.
• Understand the bigger picture of the wider Civil Service and priorities.
• Ability to remain professional and act with integrity in a pressurised environment and in handling confidential information.
• Good IT skills and proficiency Microsoft 365.
• A can-do attitude to take on ad hoc tasks from the Permanent Secretary and team as necessary.

Experience Key Criteria

• Experience of supporting Senior stakeholders with diary management or wider Private Office support (Lead key criteria)
• Excellent communication skills when dealing with internal and external stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
• Excellent organisation skills.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 27%
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days for new entrants rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern)
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities
• Time off volunteering and charitable giving
• Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket

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.

1. Application & Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. The CV is for reference only and will not be scored.

A sift will be carried out using your 750 word Personal Statement.

Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out above and not the published behaviours listed in this advert.

We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement must show demonstrable evidence of what you did, how you did it, and what outcome was achieved. This should include the impact of your approach and evidence of your ability to take forward different approaches in different circumstances.

The standards detailed in the Experience Key Criteria are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. In the event of a large number of applications, meeting the pass standard for the lead criteria "Experience of supporting Senior stakeholders with diary management or wider Private Office support" will determine if the other criteria are scored. Candidates will have to meet the standard for all criteria to progress to interview.

Your statement must not exceed 750 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.

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.

2. Interview Stage

If you are successful at the sift you will be invited to an in person interview which will be held in the Caxton House office in London. The interview will comprise of Behaviour-Based questions, and shorter strength based questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. 

Behaviours:

• Managing a quality service (Lead behaviour)
• Delivering at pace
• Working together
• Communicating and influencing

Note that the Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage only.

Candidates invited to interview will receive the Behaviours questions in advance of their interview.

The strengths to be assessed will not be shared ahead of the interview. 

By applying you are stating that you are willing to accept a post in our London Caxton House hub.

The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home. There is an expectation of a minimum of 4 days in Caxton House a week.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

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. 

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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.

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.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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.

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.