About the job

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill a Diary Manager role in DWP Ministerial Private Office. This is a key role and we are looking for people who will help us deliver exceptional results in a unique business.

DWP Private Office supports the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and four Ministers. Private Office is the link between Ministers and the Department, ensuring the Ministers are organised, focused on the right things at the right time, and provided with the right support. This facilitates decision-making at the highest levels of Government on issues that make a difference to people every day.

If you would like to play a role in supporting our Ministers with the highest possible service, we would love to hear from you.

We are a high-performing, inclusive and supportive team of around 100 people. The nature of these roles mean that you will need to juggle competing commitments, often working at a fast-pace.

We can offer the right candidate:

An exciting, fast-paced and challenging work environment dealing with a range of complex issues.

The opportunity to be part of a supportive team, to build on their existing leadership and management skills and to learn and develop new strengths and behaviours.

A chance to work with senior colleagues, decision makers and Ministers to deliver excellent customer service.

A thorough grounding in DWP policy and Departmental business.

Job description

We welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate:

• Working with a wide variety of senior stakeholders to resolve challenging issues.
• Excellent organisational, prioritisation and communication skills.

Given the heavy workload and fast-paced nature of the role, you will also need to demonstrate attention-to-detail, personal resilience, sound judgement and political awareness.

Standard promotion rules will apply and successful candidates will be placed on the pay scale and terms and conditions of DWP.

Due to nature of the role, it may be necessary to work long hours, especially when Parliament is sitting, for which overtime will be payable.

Person specification

Successful candidates can expect to be involved in a range of the following:

• Be responsible for the Minister’s diary, including prioritisation of meetings, events and invitations
• Manage the Minister's correspondence and Parliamentary Questions
• Plan and arrange the Minister’s visits to DWP sites and external engagements
• Work with officials across the Department to ensure timely and high-quality briefing are received for Ministerial meetings
• Oversee the team’s administration
• Lead the relationship with the Minister's constituency office.

Candidates will be able to demonstrate the following Key Criteria:

Key Criteria

• Excellent organisational, prioritisation and communication skills. (Lead Criteria)
• Confidence in working with colleagues at all levels in an organisation, communicating and influencing with credibility, knowledge and tact.
• You will need to demonstrate attention-to-detail, personal resilience, sound judgement and political awareness.
• Proficiency in using customer service management systems and Microsoft Office tools.

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%

Location

The role available will be based in Westminster London.

The successful candidate will be based in the office (Caxton House, London) and is full time.

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.   

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed. 

Hybrid Working

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home.  This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

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.

Application

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a 1000-word Personal Statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Written Sift

The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your CV and Personal Statement and will be assessed against the Key Criteria within the 'Person Specification' section of the advert.

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

• Excellent organisational, prioritisation and communication skills.

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

CV

The CV element will not be individually scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement.

The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Job site and there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. Our CV element is short, and allows an initial check of eligibility, so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement.

Personal statement

When completing your personal statement please read and understand the Key Criteria thoroughly as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against.

Your statement should be no more than 1000 words.

Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criteria separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several key criteria.

You may not be able to meet all the key criteria, but please ensure you evidence: the key personal requirements and what have you done that relates to the requirements.

You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used.

Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why, what you can do and the skills you have that are transferable to the key requirements, and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.

The interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview at Caxton House, London and will be assessed on their answers to interview questions on Strengths and Behaviours.

The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can do and what they have done, but also their potential.

This will consist of an interview which should take approximately 30-40 minutes.

To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of the interview, 5 days prior to your interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared.

The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your strengths. 

An example of a Behavioural question would be; Tell me about a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult customer.

The behaviours being assessed are:

• Managing a Quality Service - Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others. 
• Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
• Working Together - Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in, and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:

What was the task, How you approached the work/situation and what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or What was the Situation? That were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?

It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role.

While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this.

Sift will be carried out in February 2024

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 3 months from which further appointments can be made. Other opportunities might become available across Private Office, for which we will hold a reserve list for additional suitable candidates.

We may use this to recruit into other roles as they emerge and candidates who make the reserve list may be considered over the coming 3 months.

You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check (SC).

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, an expectation of UK residency of 5 years within the previous 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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. 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.