About the job

Job summary

Are you a proactive individual with exceptional communication skills?

Can you build solid working relationships with internal and external stakeholders?

Would you like the opportunity to work in an exciting, innovative work environment where no two days are the same?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

In CDG, we are at the heart of DfT. We advise, challenge, and enable the cross-cutting work of the department, to ensure that our priority outcomes are delivered efficiently, effectively and within the Spending Review envelope. CDG is made up of nine directorates, ranging from HR to Digital to Communications, bringing together teams with a broad range of professional expertise to shape decision making; managing risk to optimise benefits and promote value for money. It is this expert knowledge and skill set that enables the department to deliver its transport priorities.

We are looking for a talented EO to take on the role as the Director General's Diary Manager. This role is perfect for a pro-active, confident, dedicated, and enthusiastic self-starter who will thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. The role provides lots of opportunity for your personal and professional development within a diverse group in DfT and across Whitehall.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Work closely with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders (e.g. across Whitehall, Permanent Secretaries’ office, Ministerial offices, Special advisers, HM Treasury, DfT Executive Agencies, and the variety of organisations with an interest in our work); to build high quality relationships; and represent the DG and Group as needed, giving a professional and courteous service at all times.
• Manage the DG’s diary, including ensuring that it is kept up-to-date and invites are sent out to relevant parties; arranging meetings to ensure the efficient use of the DG’s time; suggesting appropriate delegation of meetings; and proactively resolving any diary conflicts.
• Support, coordinate and manage arrangements for meetings, this includes booking rooms, collecting visitors, scheduling Microsoft Teams meetings, and sending them from the DGs diary when a virtual meeting is organised.
• Proactively alert the DG of urgent matters, flagging priority diary correspondence and invites, and taking the initiative to respond or seek guidance.
• Provide high quality administrative support to the DG and the wider team as needed, for example: researching and booking accommodation/travel, handling telephone enquiries, maintaining the required records of expenses and hospitality used by the DG, in the form of transparency returns.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you:

You communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, both verbally and in written format. You are comfortable building and maintaining effective working relationships directly with the Permanent Secretaries, Secretary of State, and Ministerial offices and are able to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality. 

With high attention to detail and diligence, you take pride in your work to ensure good outcomes are delivered and any risks are mitigated. You have an excellent ability for time management. You demonstrate resilience, good judgement and the ability to remain calm when arrangements change.   

You demonstrate resilience and are responsive to moving components in the diary with the confidence in your own ability to apply good judgement when making fast-paced decisions. You work well independently and as part of a team.

Additional Information:

A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

The team regularly travels to other DfT offices to meet up in person. While it is not a requirement of the role, it is encouraged that you join your team on these away days.

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport

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.

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following: 

• Experience of working in a fast paced, changing environment.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to plan and prioritise, including working flexibly and proactively and deliver work to a high standard.
• The ability to communicate clearly using appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact.
• Able to establish and maintain good working relationships with colleagues and a range of different stakeholders.

Please fully utilise the 1000-word count when completing your personal statement.

The sift is due to take place from Monday 22nd January 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held in person from Wednesday 7th February 2024. 

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• An Interview

This interview will be conducted in person. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

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 job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

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.