About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

This is a key role within a small and busy team of Executive Assistants that supports the Senior Management Team (SMT) of DHSC's Science, Research and Evidence directorate (SRE), currently formed of a director and five deputy directors. SRE plays a central role in supporting our Secretary of State to meet her statutory duty to promote research in the health service and is responsible for the DHSC research and development budget of over £1.2billion in domestic and international health though the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Job description

SRE is looking for a highly motivated individual to join the small friendly team to provide 3 Deputy Directors (DDs) with outstanding diary management and maintain and improve delivery of high-quality PA support.

This is an excellent opportunity to be centrally involved in the work of a key Department and to learn about the interface between science and policy at a crucial time. 

Responsibilities

• Provide outstanding and smooth diary management and meeting arrangements; anticipating and identifying potential problems arising in the diary, especially when there are competing priorities and diary changes at very short notice. Taking the initiative to act to resolve or minimise disruption.
• Act as a first point of contact, managing calls, meeting and greeting visitors, providing a responsive service to colleagues and stakeholders.
• Ensuring that the DDs are well prepared for meetings and visits, including collation and printing of meeting papers; booking travel and accommodation; provision of itineraries; and proactively commissioning briefing packs and presentations.
• Monitoring DDs' email inboxes, taking initiative to flag up matters for urgent attention and taking responsibility to redirect business and spotting and addressing issues that arise.
• Support DDs in the effective and efficient running of the directorate branches, including their business management responsibilities.
• Maintaining a broad understanding of the DDs' portfolio and priorities and ensuring that these are reflected in diary commitments.
• Working closely and flexibly as part of the team of PAs to support the Senior Management Team (e.g. providing cover across SMT during absence).
• Will be pro-active in providing administrative support across the whole Science, Research and Evidence directorate.
• Any other tasks required to support business objectives and performance delivery.
• Take minutes and participate at meetings.

Person specification

Key skills and experience required for the role

• Proven experience of diary management and arranging meetings / preparing papers.
• A strong communicator, able to communicate messages clearly to a range of audiences at all levels – both verbally and in writing.
• You will need to be highly organised and have strong attention to detail.
• You will need to be resilient, able to prioritise, and make effective decisions, remaining calm under pressure in a fast-pace, reactive environment.
• Flexible in ways of working.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a small team are essential.
• Proactivity – do not wait for work to come to you.

• The post-holder will be proactive, have strong attention to detail, be a problem solver, a good communicator and be accustomed to working under pressure and supporting on a one-to-one basis at Senior Management level. 

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  A strong customer service ethos, ability work under own initiative and taking ownership of their work and issues that arise is essential.

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds.  Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration and enhancing team working, learning, and support. 

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need. 

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.    

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,923, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £8,349 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.

Sift date: W/C 29/04/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 13/05/2024

Interview location: By video

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability, and Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Experience.

Candidates will be asked to complete a short exercise which will assess experience: Situational Management.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

Further Information

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

Any move to DHSC 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. 

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.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 dhscrecruitment.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.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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. 

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.

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.