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.

The Early Years, Children and Families (EYCF) Directorate sits within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The directorate aims to improve health and wellbeing outcomes while reducing health disparities, by effectively shaping and driving policies, programmes and services throughout the life course. The divisions that make up the EYCF Directorate are: The Start for Life Unit, the Children and Families Team and the Dental Public Health Team.

The EYCF Directorate is a welcoming, inclusive and supportive place of work, with culturally diverse and positive teams, with strong working relationships. We would actively welcome applications from black and minority ethnic colleagues, colleagues with a disability, and other groups who are currently underrepresented in the Civil Service. Please note that while the responsibilities of the Directorate will remain the same in the coming months, some of the structures within the Directorate and some role descriptions will adapt to respond to the changing demands.

Job description

We are currently recruiting an Executive Assistant (EA) role to the Early Years, Children and Families Director.

The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the Director in making efficient and effective use of their time, including through managing their diary and inbox and providing administrative support. We are looking for an individual to manage the everyday business tasks of the Director and the individual will be the key to the successful management of their time and completion of priorities. They will work across a wide range of stakeholders and build relationships and influence across government and external stakeholders. The successful candidate will be a motivated, enthusiastic and highly organised individual who will help ensure the smooth running of the Directorate.

They will coordinate and prioritise the Director’s forward look and diary and will coordinate communications across the directorate and the divisions within it. They will maintain strong knowledge management practices and provide corporate support. Across all elements of their role they will maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation.

The post holder will be expected to work flexibly as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing a wide range of administrative and corporate support duties. The post holder will work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.

Person specification

• Providing high-quality administrative support to the EYCF Director, including diary and inbox management, ensuring the most efficient use of their time in-line with their working patterns and styles. This will involve actively managing their calendar, making decisions on and identifying priority meeting requests; actively managing inboxes, reviewing and highlighting priority emails and directing to the relevant leads; responding and taking the lead on more regular enquires, and forwarding and tracking the completion of commissions sent to the wider team. This will also include anticipating future diary pressures and advising as appropriate.
• Arranging meetings through clearly and confidently communicating with other EAs and colleagues.
• Liaising with others to prepare papers and briefings ready for the Director ahead of meetings, using initiative to source relevant information, spot issues and raise them early.
• Providing secretariat support to meetings and accompanying the Director to meetings where necessary. This could include creating agendas, minuting the meetings, sending readouts to the wider team and maintaining action logs. This includes working alongside and occasional cover for the Business Support Manager such as minuting Senior Leadership Team or Directorate meetings.
• Confidently suggesting delegation of meetings to other colleagues where necessary and informing colleagues of any relevant plans or changes to meetings.
• General logistical and corporate support to the Director and wider team where necessary including travel and room bookings, meeting setup, IT assistance such as MS Teams and dial-in details.
• Proactively alerting the Director of urgent matters, flagging priority diary correspondence and invites and taking the initiative to respond or seek guidance where necessary.
• Supporting the development of systems and procedures where necessary to ensure efficiency, quality and cost effectiveness across the business support and administration function.
• Contributing to effective information management (including maintaining administrative and information resources, i.e. filing systems) and assist with the dissemination and/or collation of information/returns, in a timely manner.
• Building strong communication networks with the other Directors, Deputy Directors, private offices, wider team and EA and business management teams across DHSC along with developing a good understanding of personal responsibilities in the team.
• General admin support to the wider team where necessary including assistance with contacts, IT queries, wider business support, away days, workshops, social events, and business continuity.
• Work with the business support manager to support the effective management of budgets and overseeing the placement and/or orders for goods and/or stationery using the DHSC procurement system, receipt goods and maintain log of expenditure.
• Delivery of a range of business administration activities, ad-hoc projects and corporate commitments in support of the objectives of the wider team, including supporting with Directorate recruitment.
• Providing cover as directed by line manager for other members of the team in their absence and assist with their workloads as necessary.

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential criteria:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent organisation skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to prioritise and complete their work independently.
• Ability to build strong relationships with people at all grades.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams and Outlook.
• Excellent judgement and ability to use own initiative to solve problems.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation required to complete own work.
• Motivated and resilient, with an appetite and ability to work in a fast paced environment and handle a stretching workload.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience in an executive assistant or secretarial role with senior colleagues.
• Experience working in a large or complex organisation.

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, Strengths and Experience.

Sift date: expected W/C 01/01/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 22/01/2024

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

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

Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability and Behaviours.

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 500  words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert. 

Please complete statements on the specified Behaviours (250 word max per statement)

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

An initial sift based on Lead Behaviour, Changing and Improving, and CV may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths.

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 

Further Information

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available. 

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

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance. 

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

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.

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.

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.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.