About the job

Job summary

Sitting at the heart of the Strategy, Assurance & Standards (SAS) team and working to the Operations Manager of the team, you will play an important role in ensuring the Director of SAS has everything they need to lead their team effectively and efficiently. You will do this by providing Diary Management and Administrative support. 

Job description

• You will lead on diary management, so should be proficient in Google Workspace, and must be confident in challenging appropriately and seeking information to establish the importance of differing requirements.
• There is the need to ensure that conflicting demands are resolved in a timely manner ensuring that time management is optimised and schedules well organised. 
• You will build an extensive network of internal and external stakeholders, working with teams across the department and engaging with senior leaders daily.
• You will work closely with the offices of the Ministers and the Permanent Secretaries, so should communicate in a clear and concise manner, and demonstrate exemplary written skills.
• The nature of the work will provide you with a range of opportunities to support your personal and career development. You will develop an understanding of the breadth of work undertaken across the department and beyond, particularly operational delivery, strategy and governance. 
• Provide a full range of secretarial and administrative support and assistance.
• Develop relationships with appropriate private offices and departments to enable the smooth running of the team and wider function.
• Arranging Business Travel and Accommodation for the Director. 

Person specification

Proactively manage the diary for the Director of SAS and provide cover for others on an ad hoc basis. Prioritise tasks, provide clear and concise updates, and cascade messages as appropriate to ensure transparency and cohesion and to ensure their time is utilised effectively and efficiently.

Undertake administration related duties as required, including but not limited to, inbox management, preparing documents and presentations, tracking and reporting of team milestones and targets.  Be adaptable and flexible in your tasks, recognising the importance of your work and how organisation and prioritisation is paramount. 

Track deadlines and monitor progress against requirements, such as in collating returns from the team to ensure adherence. Chase, seek information and offer advice where possible to support deadline achievement.  

Take personal responsibility and accountability for your performance. Support colleagues in your own team and the wider unit as required to ensure objectives are met. Work flexibly, primarily within the team but also across the wider unit as required. Be innovative and look for ways to improve and challenge the status quo. 

Use appropriate communication skills to handle enquiries in a professional manner. Be confident in engaging with both internal and external stakeholders and in engaging with senior leaders and VIPs. Remain calm and level-headed, even under pressure.

Essential Requirements:

• Calmness under pressure, with the ability to juggle competing priorities and deadlines to deliver high quality results in a timely manner.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and confidence engaging with a variety of stakeholders with different degrees of seniority.
• Effective stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate with and build influential relationships with internal and external partners.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Pro-efficient IT skills - comfortable with presentation compilation in particular.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience of executive diary management or scheduling 
• Good knowledge of Google products (Gmail/Docs, Sheets, Slides)

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,750, Cabinet Office contributes £7,492 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.

Application process

As part of your application you will be asked to provide a name-blind CV detailing your job history and qualifications, 250 word Personal Statement and four 250 word behaviour statements. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Making effective decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Selection process

During the blended interview you will be assessed against your experience and the behaviours that are contained within this advert. We would generally expect answers to follow the STAR structure and encourage candidates to use this during the interview.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date - w/c 20th May
Expected interview date/s – w/c 27th May
Interview location - Virtual via Google Meet 

Further information

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 UK residency in the past 10 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.

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

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 or 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

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.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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 via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 
• Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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. 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.