About the job

Job summary

What you can expect

If you like a challenge, you’ll feel at home with us at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). We’re a big organisation, with big challenges, big opportunities and we’re building a reputation for pushing the governments agenda in getting people back to work following the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are passionate, proactive, and can take ownership, and share our commitment to inclusion and innovation, we want to hear from you.

Making the Difference

The DWP is one of the UK's biggest government departments, building services that make a real difference to the lives of 20 million people.

Our Inclusive Culture

We continue to grow our inclusive, diverse culture and focus on making DWP a fabulous place to work. A culture where all our people feel themselves, feel valued, empowered, and have a voice that’s heard. We do this well and as a result have a culture where innovation is driven at all levels and by everyone!

Director General Private Office

The Private Office is a high-performing, friendly, supportive, and inclusive team in a demanding but rewarding environment. This is an exciting opportunity for someone interested in working with senior officials in DWP and wider.

The successful candidate will approach their responsibilities efficiently and effectively. It is imperative the post holder is an independent and proactive individual, who is adept at acting on their own initiative whilst making a meaningful contribution to the work of the wider team and supporting the Director General.

The post holder will need to engage effectively and enhance the Director General's relationships with stakeholders including Private Offices, Ministers, Cabinet Office, and commercial customers across DWP.

Job description

This is a highly demanding but rewarding role covering a wide range of responsibilities:

• You will be the Director General’s main point of contact for diary organisation and general business support
• You will be responsible for the day to day running of the diary and forward planning, including travel and logistics for official/ site visits and away days
• You will be responsible for updating One-Note/SharePoint daily, ensuring all relevant briefings are obtained
• You will make judgement calls on what takes priority, anticipating issues and challenges, taking steps to mitigate these in advance
• There will be a requirement to proactively build effective relationships with a range of colleagues, including , PandC SCS, DG Support and Assurance Team, Private Offices and Business Support Teams
• You will be responsible for completing PandC DG compliance activity such as Gifts & Hospitality returns, Transparency Data returns, expense and annual leave recording

Like in all Private Office jobs, you will be at the centre of things, and you will need a good level of personal resilience and flexibility.

The small team currently provides cover across the operating hours of 8:00am to 6.30pm during the week and you will need to be able to offer sufficient flexibility to play your part in providing this cover.

The role does entail periods of intensive work and, on occasions, long hours, when there are business demands.  

The role provides a real opportunity to be at the centre of an exciting and dynamic DWP Private Office and to develop key relationships and skills to shape your future career.

Person specification

• The ability to remain calm under pressure and the confidence to deal with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation and cross government (Lead criteria)
• Excellent interpersonal skills to build a trusting relationship with the Director General, the Private Office Team, and a wide range of senior stakeholders
• Strong organisational and challenging skills to deal with complex competing priorities daily, with the ability to understand key relationships and the requirement for issue escalation when required
• An ability to work independently and at pace across boundaries to build an effective network with senior stakeholders 
• A can-do attitude and willingness to support your Private Office colleagues and represent the team in an efficient and proactive manner in all business support areas, seeking out ways to shape and improve current processes
  

Experience of working in Private Office would be an advantage but is not essential.

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%

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.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and 1000 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Your CV should set out your career history (this will not be scored in the sifting process it will provide context for the personal statement). Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

SIFT

Initial selection will take place by sift, based on the person specification.

Applicants should submit a Personal Statement stating how they meet the Essential criteria set out within the Person Specifications in no more than 1000 words. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria: 

• The ability to remain calm under pressure and the confidence to deal with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation and cross government (Lead criteria)

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.  

INTERVIEW 

Candidates successful at full sift will be invited to a video interview where they will be asked to deliver a presentation to the panel. 

The invitation to interview will provide a topic for a 5-minute presentation which is strictly timed and does not allow the use of visual aids. Further details will be provided to those who pass the sift and are invited to interview. This presentation will be used to assess the Communicating and Influencing behaviour and there may be follow up questions.

Candidates will also be asked questions around the other 3 behaviours listed in the advert, and a series of strength-based questions. The interview will be expected to last around 40-50 minutes.

Provisional advert timeline

Advert close      Friday 5th July

Sifts                    W/C 8th July

Interviews           W/C 15th and 22nd July

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months during which time we may use the list to fill other similar roles that become available across the DWP if they are a deemed a close match to the essential criteria

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/Disclosure Scotland 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 the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

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.

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.

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.