About the job

Job summary

The Executive Staff Officer (ESO) is a key part of the Secretariat, right at the heart of everything that we do and is involved in all aspects of the organisation at a fascinating time for defence, and for the UKHO.  Working alongside senior leaders within both our parent department (MOD) and UKHO, this is a role that will be an exciting part of shaping our future. This role enables effective decision making at the highest levels of the organisation and provides an excellent opportunity to gain insight and experience vital to a person who aspires to a future in senior leadership.

There will be opportunities to work in a hybrid way.  Attendance in the office is required in accordance with business need - which is likely to be 60% of working time.

[Please note our Policy on informal hybrid working (arrangements available as agreed with the line manager) does not extend to working overseas].

Whilst we welcome applications from those seeking part time work, please note, that there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to work a minimum of 29.6 hours (0.8) per week.

 

Job description

The Executive Staff Officers support UKHO’s strategic and governance activities. This is an excellent developmental role with exposure to the entirety of the UKHO’s operation.

You will work within the Secretariat team to deliver high quality, professional and effective support to corporate governance activities including governance meetings, the corporate planning process, crisis management and high-level visits. You will be required to support a range of formal governance meetings including those which enable the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and the Hydrographic Office Board (HOB), providing an excellent insight into strategic thinking and decision making. You will manage a demanding workload within a fast-paced environment and will need to adapt to changing priorities and offer effective solutions.

You will understand and follow statutory obligations and best practice, such as Freedom of Information (FOI) and Parliamentary Questions (PQ) requirements (training will be provided).

Key tasks include:

• Collating and preparing information, papers, and briefings for governance meetings, liaising with internal and external stakeholders and subject matter experts.
• Organising workshops and meetings to support corporate and strategic activities.
• Timely preparation and circulation of agendas and meeting papers and supporting documentation including action logs and progress trackers.
• Producing and circulating accurate meeting minutes for designated meetings.
• Responding to Freedom of Information requests, Parliamentary Questions and Treat Officials
• Supporting senior level visits to UKHO (e.g., Ministers and senior civil servants and military personnel).
• Acting as a decision loggist as part of the UKHO crisis response team.

 Additional tasks are:

• Lead on discrete activities, as directed by the Corporate Governance and Secretariat Manager.
• Maintaining professional engagement with the Sponsorship team within MOD.

Person specification

Please note that we will only score against the sift and interview criteria and not the information below.

• You will ideally have experience of working in an outer office, governance environment, or similar however this is not essential.
• You will have a passion for continuous improvement and an eye for detail.
• You will be highly organised, managing and prioritising your own workload in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to connect strands of activity and events together.
• You will have high standards of integrity and discretion.
• You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and previous experience of building and maintaining strong and effective working relationships, including with colleagues outside your own organisation.
• This role provides an excellent opportunity and while a permanent role it should allow the incumbent to develop and progress their career.
• You will be part of an excellent, friendly, mutually supportive team, so while self-motivated, you will also need to be a strong team player with a positive, problem-solving, can-do attitude.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,744, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £9,650 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.

How to Apply:

Please attach a copy of your anonymised CV demonstrating your relevant experience and skills in relation to the role (see below) by clicking "Apply Now" at the bottom of the page.  Your CV will be scored.  You will also be asked to submit a 500 word personal statement on the criteria set out below.

Timeline:

• Advert Closes for applications: 06/02/2024
• Shortlisting is likely to take place week commencing: 12/02/2024
• Interviews are likely to take place week commencing: 19/02/2024

Please note that whilst we will attempt to keep to the dates above, the sift and interview dates are subject to change.

Sift/Shortlist Criteria:

All applications are processed anonymously. You will be short-listed against the following criteria:

• Your experience of being part of a secretariat function, Chief Executive's outer office or similar placed team (this will be marked from your CV).

A Personal Statement of 500 words demonstrating the criteria below:

• Experience and skills used when being part of a Secretariat function, Chief Executive's outer office or similar placed team, with examples. (250 words)
• Experience of managing organisational governance documentation, the challenges faced and best practice used. Examples include Board Papers, Ministerial Submissions and Freedom of Information requests. (250 words).

Interview Criteria: 

Civil Service Behaviours (Level 3):

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

See here for further information: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

 Process:  

• Single Stage Interview via TEAMS. You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted (see our Candidate Pack for further information)
• Interview will be with a panel of no more than 3 people and will last approx. 45 mins 

Onboarding Checks:

In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. You will also need to apply for SC (Security Checked) Clearance, but you may be able to start your role before gaining this.  Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms. 

Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

SC – Non-Reserved

This is a Ministry of Defence non-reserved post and although open to UK, British Commonwealth and European Economic Area nationals, successful applicants will require a security clearance (SC) and therefore need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 12 consecutive months within the last 5 years

Eligibility

Due to the secure nature of our work, there may be eligibility restrictions if you hold dual nationality or are not a British Citizen. We will consider each application on a case-by-case basis. We will ask you in our application form to confirm your place of birth and details of any dual or previous nationalities.

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

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.