About the job

Job summary

The Government People Group exists to work with departments, professions, and functions to build a modern, effective Civil Service.

We support the government workforce with the right skills and capability. We are working with leaders to get the right people in the right jobs, with the right skills and continuous learning to excel in their roles.

We provide leadership, and in turn, create leaders with exceptional line management capability across departments, influencing partners in the wider public sector and beyond. This involves getting our retention and reward strategy right, to nurture specific skills, and create pride and resilience in our workforce.

Our role is also to provide system leadership across central government in pulling together back office services. Collectively, we help support the Cabinet Office’s priority to drive efficiencies, and reforms that will make government work better, to ultimately provide a better service to the public.

The Diary Manager will be part of the Private Office Team and will work across a range of tasks, and will manage senior leaders’ diaries. This includes supporting the effective running of the team, effective diary management, meeting preparation and arranging travel, and responding to a range of requests for information, administrative and logistical tasks.

Job description

We are looking for a capable Diary Manager for four members of the Senior Management Team in the Pay, Policy and Pensions Directorate. You will be supporting Senior Civil Servants. This role is within the Private Office team, and reports to the Private Secretary for the Director of Pay, Policy and Pensions.

This role would suit an individual who is able to adapt to fast changing needs, someone who has the ability to actively think on their feet, finding solutions to problems and able to use their creative thinking to find solutions to issues.

Person specification

Diary management on a day-to-day basis. Managing the time of senior leaders effectively to ensure they have sufficient time to do their work as well as attend key meetings, organise meetings / conference calls / video conferences, coordinating attendees, booking meeting rooms, organising travel arrangements / logistics, advising reception of any external visitors, collating agendas (if necessary).

Forward planning to ensure the senior leader is available to attend all GPG corporate meetings or to arrange a Deputy on their behalf. Keeping the senior leader informed of any last minute changes to meetings. Work closely with the wider admin team, in particular the Private Office to ensure all invites are responded to in a timely manner.

Managing the action log of various internal team meetings.

Fully delegated access to the senior leader’s inbox and day-to-day responsibility of prioritising emails, responding to emails where appropriate (acknowledging emails, delegating, requesting further information etc.). Prioritise and flag emails that need immediate action or sign off.

To manage the senior leader’s speaking engagements and any conferences they may attend (responding to invites, attending the Private Office meetings with the wider team and Communications).

Exercise discretion, tact and diplomacy in managing sensitive personal and confidential matters

Key Accountabilities:

• Overall effectiveness and day-to-day running of the senior leader’s diary and preparation for key meetings.
• Overall effectiveness of team support.

Key Skills:

• Strong organisational and administrative skills.
• A strong team player, proactive and able to work flexibly and at pace to meet deadlines.
• Ability to prioritise tasks, workload and pre-empt requirements for the future.
• Experience of working effectively with a wide range of stakeholders; ability to work collaboratively to resolve difficult issues.
• Excellent judgement to manage situations independently and understand when to escalate and how.

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 £27,750, Cabinet Office contributes £7,493 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.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a 500 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please note your Personal Statement should be aligned to the job description, responsibilities and key accountabilities (500 words max).

You will also  be asked to provide a 250-word example of the behaviours required for the role:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

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

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Working Together. 

Selection process
You will be assessed on the same behaviours plus strengths at the interview stage. 

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 29 Jul
Expected interview date/s – w/c 05 Aug
Interview location - Virtual

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 cabineofficerecruitment.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.

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. 

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

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.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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.

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

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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 counter-terrorist 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.