About the job

Job summary

The UK Security Vetting (UKSV) Private Office team provides high quality secretarial, administrative and business management support to the UKSV Executive Leadership Team (ELT). The team supports ELT members - helping them prioritise, focus on what is needed most to maximise their time. They also support the business areas: making sure they know and understand ELT priorities, acting as a conduit for raising issues, coordinating activity within teams and ensuring good communication between business units through the Private Office network.

This is a fast paced and dynamic role providing the opportunity to work closely with the UKSV ELT Team in a vibrant and high profile environment. As an Executive Assistant, your primary responsibility will be to provide a variety of secretarial and administrative support, managing diaries, correspondence and acting as a key link between internal and external stakeholders. The postholder will be part of a collaborative team and you will be expected to flex workloads to support colleagues and provide continuous service across the team, working to support the Deputy Directors and/or the Transformation Director. 

This is an exciting, high profile and varied role that offers excellent development opportunities and will allow the successful candidate to gain experience and engage with senior leaders at the heart of government security

Job description

As Executive Assistant your key duties will include:

• Manage the inbox and diaries for the Deputy Directors/ Director with good judgement, prioritisation and professionalism. Ensuring time is effectively managed to tackle the most important issues.
• Maintain oversight of the Deputy Directors’/Director’s priorities and reflect these in the arrangement of meetings.
• Use judgement and initiative to proactively signpost issues and tasks arising from the inbox, ensuring deadlines are met.
• Appropriately share information and tasks from the inbox  with teams to maximise efficiency and the Deputy Directors’/Director’s time, ensuring matters are managed in their absence.
• Forge effective networks and relationships across government, with external stakeholders and private offices.
• Commission actions and outputs on behalf of the Deputy Directors/Director with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure a record is kept of correspondence and documents in line with Cabinet Office Information Management principles. 
• Make travel arrangements and accommodation bookings ensuring value for money.

Person specification

As an Executive Assistant within UK Security Vetting, we are looking for people who have the following expertise and attributes:

Essential:

• Excellent organisation and communication skills 
• Ability to manage a challenging workload and prioritise effectively.
• Able to work comfortably under pressure
• A strong team ethic with effective relationship management skills.

Desirable:

• Demonstrable experience of providing a broad range of administrative tasks in a fast paced environment and to deadlines.
• Private Office experience.

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 the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

You will be asked to provide a 250-word statement on the Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing.

To assess experience you will be asked to provide a 500-word personal statement and a name-blind (anonymous) CV.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing. 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 behaviours that are contained in this advert.  

The Behaviours being assessed are included further up this advertisement.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 01/01/2024
Expected interview dates – w/c 08/01/2024
Interview location - Google Meets Video Conferencing

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 years’ UK residency in the past 5 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.

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.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). 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.

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.