About the job

Job summary

If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth.  

Our work ranges from protecting customers through the regulation of the financial sector, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating a greener economy, to promoting British trade around the world and supporting people across the country on jobs, growth and more.  

We are part of the Darlington Economic Campus, a pioneering new cross-government hub which brings people together to play an active role in the most important issues of the day whilst working closer to the communities we serve. The campus provides the opportunity for people from all over the UK to help shape the future of the country, and our flexible working practices ensure you can collaborate effectively with our partners. It’s central government, made more accessible to you!

Job description

About the Group

Enterprise and Growth Unit

The Enterprise and Growth Unit (EGU) promotes sustainable economic growth and higher productivity for the UK. We provide analysis and advice on enterprise, innovation, private sector investment and a cost-effective transition to a low-carbon economy. The Enterprise and Growth Unit has a varied and exciting agenda, and we work closely with a wide variety of other teams across the Treasury.   

We also work alongside other departments and government organisations to ensure that we are thinking creatively, spending wisely, and acting boldly to deliver these goals. These organisations are: 

• the Department for Business and Trade, 
• the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 
• the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs,  
• the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 
• the Department for Transport,  

• the Department for Culture, Media & Sport,  
• the Competition and Markets Authority, 

About the Team

The Group Management Services (GMS) is a small friendly team of 9 which sits at the heart of the Group: its smooth functioning is essential to making sure the Group is provided with quality administrative and business support to three Directors and eleven Deputy Directors and their teams.

This post is an essential part of the GMS team and involve extensive and often complex diary management. There will be lots of scope for flexible working across the full range of GMS functions; opportunities to share your skills with the team plus the possibility of getting involved in development opportunities, including corporate activities and many networks across the Treasury.

About the Job

EGU is split into three directorates:

• Growth and Infrastructure.
• Companies and Economic Security
• Climate, Energy and Environment.

We are recruiting for a PA to support two members of the EGU Group Leadership team. This is an important role supporting your Senior Civil Servants (SCS) to organise their productive and friendly Teams/Groups as well as their inboxes/diaries. As a PA you will be self-motivated, flexible, and able to adapt to changing priorities at short notice. You will be highly organised and meticulous across all aspects of your work. You will possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders. Prior experience in a comparable role is desirable.

Key Accountabilities

Personal Assistant part of the role:

1. Diary management. Lead all aspects of your SCSs’ diary, including proactively plan, manage and coordinate the diary using your professional judgement to line up meetings in the most well-organised way, working with colleagues in order to effectively resolve conflicts, negotiate and allocate time to their priorities.
2. Preparing documentation. Commission, coordinate and collate briefings, meeting papers and produce daily meeting packs in advance of meetings as required.
3. Mailbox management using outlook. Develop an efficient system for mailbox management to highlight policy and corporate priorities and filter any irrelevant messages. Actively monitor and help to manage inboxes by identifying and then dealing swiftly with corporate and urgent enquiries.
4. Manage the director/deputy director’s priorities, anticipate problems, risks, issues and corporate tasks that they will have to deal with and proactively make suggestions about the best way to take them forward.
5. Building Relationships. Build strong, open, collaborative relationships with your SCS and their team to understand their preferences, areas of responsibility and priorities and developing and maintaining positive relationships with their key internal and external partners.
6. Travel arrangements – Co-ordinate and handle all logistical arrangements for meetings/events to ensure they run efficiently, arrange travel and accommodation when needed taking into account value for money considerations.

For the Business Support element of the role.

1. Provide effective and proactive support to the wider group as part of the GMS and in line with the GMS service level agreement. Tasks may include:
2. ad-hoc project support as directed by the line manager.
3. Administrate authorisation duties on behalf of your D/DD, such as expenses and leave approval.
4. Support wider Group business management including maintaining mailing lists, recruitment campaigns, bonus rounds, performance reviews, business continuity and health and safety.

You are expected to work flexibly and closely with others in the GMS to ensure consistent and effective support to the Group Leadership Team.

Candidate Drop-In Session 
 
We will be running a candidate drop-in session for this role to give you greater insight about the role as well as the chance to learn more about HM Treasury and the recruitment process. If you would like to join us, then use the appropriate link below to join the call at the right time. 

1st August 11:30-13:30 Join the meeting now 

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact martin.blanchard@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Person specification

We are looking for the below skills, experience and behaviours and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application form. Please review the Candidate FAQ document that is attached to the advert for guidance on how to complete your application form.

1. Communicating and Influencing: ability to build relationships and engage others, particularly senior colleagues to deliver on priorities and resolve issues.
2. Managing a Quality Service: deliver a high-quality and professional service in a fast-paced office environment – including proficiency in using Microsoft Outlook and Office.
3. Experience of working as a PA/Administrator or similar role.

The lead criteria is: Ability to build relationships and engage others, particularly senior colleagues to deliver on priorities and resolve issues. (Communicating and influencing). 

If we receive large volumes of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on the lead criteria only.

Candidate Guidance Support Session 
 
We will be running an overview of Success Profiles and the STAR approach; top tips for the application and interview process and an opportunity to ask general questions around our recruitment practices. If you would like to join us, then use the link below to join the call at the right time. 

Thursday 1st August at 12:30: Join the meeting now

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,770, HM Treasury contributes £7,227 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.

Recruitment Timeline 

• Closing date: 11th August 2024
• Shortlisting: 12th to 16th August 2024
• Interviews:  19th to 23rd August 2024

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline. 

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile. 

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Location-Based Reserve Lists 

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a post immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be approached for roles in merit order according to the first preferred location stated on your application form. 

Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer. We would still encourage you to apply for other HM Treasury opportunities that you are interested in. If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or you are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances. 

Eligibility Statement  

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information. 

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Counter Terrorist Check (CTC).  

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case by case basis once the advert closing date has passed. 

Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you.  Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.  

These short videos address common concerns and preconceptions which applicants may have about national security vetting.  If you have questions relating to security clearances, please contact HMTSecurityVetting@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

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.