About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade is seeking talented and ambitious candidates for an upcoming HEO Private Secretary role in the Minister for Industry and Economic Security’s office.  

The Minister’s office sits within Private Office Group and is uniquely placed, covering both international trade and business elements with the goal of supporting the Minister and the wider Department. The Minister’s portfolio also includes the Cabinet Office, so this is a great chance to witness first-hand XWH working between Departments. 
 
These are career-enhancing roles at the heart of the government’s investment agenda. Private Secretary roles provide exposure to strategic decision-making, as well as offering significant responsibility and autonomy. 

Most important is a positive attitude, confidence and the ability to build great relationships with senior stakeholders.  
 
An additional Private Office Allowance is payable for these roles, to account for the requirement to take part in a duty rota, work some unsocial hours and travel – internationally and domestically – when required. 

Job description

You will report to the Deputy Head of Office in the Minister for Industry and Economic Security’s Private Office and be responsible for a significant part of the Minister’s portfolio. 
 
You will commission briefing and bring urgent submissions to your principal’s attention and provide background or handling advice where appropriate. This means taking ownership of the production of advice and material, including ensuring it is of the appropriate quality. This will require commissioning and reviewing submissions on policy issues, as well as briefings for meetings and events. 

You will work in a fast-paced and an energetic team and will need to build close working relationships with other officials across DBT, Whitehall and the Government’s international network. This is likely to include planning and delivering international and domestic visits, providing personal support to your principal where required.

Key Accountabilities :

• Lead on a portfolio of policy work for the principal, keeping them plugged in to progress and delivery. 
• Help manage and organise your office’s workflow, prioritising urgent issues and queries. 
• Provide co-ordination, project and secretariat support as and when required. 
• Commission, support and feed into briefings, submissions and documents on behalf of the principal, quality-assuring any important documents before they are presented. 
• Plan and deliver international and domestic visits, providing personal support where required. 
• Work with the Senior Private Secretary and other Private Offices to improve processes both in the directorate and the wider department. 
• Providing support to the directorate on ad-hoc discrete projects and corporate initiatives. 
• Be a visible and positive ambassador for POG to the rest of the Department. 
• Make a meaningful corporate contribution to POG. 

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria 

There is no essential previous experience required to be an effective Private Secretary.

We encourage you to apply if you have excellent organisational skills, emotional intelligence and resilience. 

Desirable Criteria  

• A record of delivering at pace in a busy environment, involving high levels of personal organisation and resilience.
• Experience of working on a variety of different challenges, often at short-notice and with little lead-in time. 
• Experience of working collaboratively with, and delivering through, a large and diverse group of stakeholders. 
• Experience of private office and working on parliamentary business.

Personal Attributes & Skills 

• The drive and motivation to deliver top-class work and achieve high-quality outcomes. 
• Strong judgement, initiative, and the confidence to make informed decisions on behalf of your principal.
• The ability to think strategically, anticipate different emerging issues and re-prioritise your work in response to an often-changing environment.
• Proven leadership skills and the emotional intelligence to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, bringing together people from across the Department and Whitehall to deliver results.
• The personal resilience to absorb pressure, think clearly and project calm during challenging situations. 

Following the interview stage of the campaign, the highest scoring candidates may be asked to attend a short meeting with the Minister or a member of POG’s senior leadership team, which will inform the panel’s decision on final appointment(s).  

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,583, Department for Business and Trade contributes £9,877 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.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:  

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the Personal Attributes & Skills criteria.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

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

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview. 

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases. 
• 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. Any applicant who has 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. 
• Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you. 
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

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.

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.   

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

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.