About the job

Job summary

This Private Office is a fast-moving environment, and the successful candidate will play a leading role here. The post desirably requires sound critical judgement and experience insecurity and/or intelligence. You will need the ability to forge strong relationships with colleagues across the intelligence community and Whitehall, and will bring excellent organisational skills. You must be able to absorb and analyse large amounts of information quickly and draft at speed and to a high standard. You should have well developed communication skills and confidence to prioritise the GCSO’s diary and commitments. You will need to apply these skills in a dynamic, changing intelligence and security environment.

Job description

• Responsibility for making the most of the GCSO’s time by planning, managing and coordinating their schedules, resolving conflicts, negotiating and allocating time to priorities and making sure they are in the right place at the right time, with the right information and preparation. Also ensuring any meetings have the right set up to ensure they run smoothly e.g. dial in details, Skype etc.
• Coordinating and collating briefings, papers and daily meeting packs and making sure the Director is provided with the relevant papers or briefing in advance of meetings. 
• Actively monitoring and helping to manage the Director General’s inbox. Being able to identify and then deal swiftly with urgent enquiries.
• Managing the Director General’s travel and accommodation when needed, administrating the Director’s line management duties, such as expenses and leave approval.
• This list is not exhaustive, and you are expected to work flexibly and closely with others in the team to ensure consistent and effective support to the Director.

Person specification

• An ability to work collaboratively and flexibly with others and within a dynamic team, often to short deadlines and to achieve common goals.
• Strong interpersonal, relationship building and communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Good judgement and approach to situations, tasks and problems, and a self-starter who can work independently.
• Good organisational, time management and planning skills, being able to prioritise and multitask.
• An ability to quickly and effectively deliver to tight deadlines, whilst remaining professional in a pressured environment.
• Taking responsibility for high quality work, demonstrating personal resilience and strong attention to detail.
• Good working practice of Outlook, Excel, Word, OneNote.
• Experience of working in a Private Office would be desirable, but not essential.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,000, Cabinet Office contributes £8,640 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.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a Behaviour statement on the Civil Service behaviour, Working Together. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Selection process

Applicants will be assessed at application on the Behaviour Working Together, and again at interview on the Behaviour Working Together.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date -  w/c 8 July
Expected interview date/s – w/c 15 or 22 July
Interview location - London or Virtual

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 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. 

Further information

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

Please note that this role requires DV clearance, which would normally need 10 years’ UK residency in the past 10 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.

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

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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.

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.

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 developed vetting (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.