About the job

Job summary

Roles in the Floods & Water directorate support Defra’s objectives of a cleaner, healthier environment, benefiting people and the economy; and a nation better protected against floods and other hazards, with strong response and recovery capabilities.

We are committed to making the Civil Service more representative of the citizens we serve and making our workplaces more inclusive and equal. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from citizens who come from groups traditionally underrepresented in the Civil Service (such as ethnic minority communities, disabilities, and long-term health conditions, the LGBTIQ+ communities and those without formal qualifications). Our Directorate has a deep commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and is committed to getting the best from people and making it a place people can be their authentic selves and thrive. Examples of this in action in the last 12 months include: 

• Ethnic minority colleagues have developed and participated on a specific mentoring programme to boost their skills and confidence 
• We have grown a lively and influential EDI group which advises the senior leadership team on how to be more inclusive 

We are looking for enthusiastic and high performing individuals to provide executive and diary support to the directors and deputy directors of the Floods and Water directorate.

Job description

These roles are the welcoming, competent first point of contact for many people interacting with the directorate.

You will need to demonstrate excellent prioritisation skills and attention to detail. You will showcase excellent verbal and written communication skills and be proficient in the use of Microsoft packages particularly Outlook and MS teams.

You will need a high level of organisational skills, the ability to work independently to manage demanding workloads but maintain a strong sense of team and a collaborative, flexible approach to working with colleagues. You will need to show you can build trust and relationships with others, maintain confidentiality, and understand the importance of strong stakeholder engagement. Through this role you can start building a network of contacts across the Defra group and Whitehall.

Due to the nature of the role you will be expected to be flexible, adapting to the changing priorities of the leadership team, you actively seek opportunities to learn in order to provide high quality business support to the directorate to help deliver Ministerial priorities.

Some of the activities you could be doing on a day to day basis include: providing comprehensive diary and inbox management; minute taking of meetings; flexing within the business management team to cover business processes; meeting visitors; collating business returns as well as commissioning briefings and papers for meetings in a timely way.    

You may also have the opportunity to be involved in line management, finance, recruitment, business planning, collection of management information or coordinating corporate returns depending on your interests and the needs of the team.

This is an ideal role to use your Personal Assistant/Diary Manager skills to develop a wider grounding in the business of the Floods and Water directorate and Defra.

There is a strong ethos of learning, collaborating and sharing knowledge within the team while delivering an excellent service to the directorate. You would be positively supported to complete an apprenticeship qualification in Business Administration with Personal Assistant (level 3 or 4) in this role if you wish.

Person specification

Essential skills you would bring to the role must be demonstrated in your personal statement: 

• Previous PA/Diary management experience
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise work of yourself and others
• Working well with others
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills especially Outlook and SharePoint
• Minute taking
• Problem solving
• Flexibility in how you work in a team

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,470, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £7,416 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, Strengths and Experience.

Application process

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a personal statement of no more than 500 words detailing your relevant experience, linking it to the essential skills and highlighting any experience in any subject area and a 250-word behaviour statement for the behaviour Delivering at Pace.

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

Sift

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

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Interview  
  
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on experience, behaviours, and strengths.

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.

The Interview will be conducted via MS Teams.

Location

Please be aware that this role(s) will be contractually based in a Defra group workplace/office. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Candidates applying for these roles will be based at one of the Defra hubs as advertised.

For information, our core Defra hub locations are:

• York – the Kings Pool
• Newcastle – Lancaster House
• Bristol – Horizon House (Please note that space at this office is limited and it may not be possible for all Policy roles to be recruited to this location)
• London – 2 Marsham Street

Internal (core Defra) employees can apply for this role and choose to remain in their current location or to be based in one of the advertised locations.

All other applicants will be based in one of the advertised locations. Our current office attendance approach requires 60% attendance in Defra group workplaces or off site meetings with partners and customers. This balance provides thriving workplaces to connect with colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs balanced with personal flexibility and choice. 

Travel and subsistence will not be paid for travel to a base office location.

Reserve List

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

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Reasonable Adjustment

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 defrarecruitment.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

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.

Criminal Record Check

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.

Internal Fraud Database Check

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.

Higher Security Clearance 

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

Childcare Vouchers 

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

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.