About the job

Job summary

We are currently looking for a Private Secretary to join our Governance Function within the Enablement group.

This is a full-time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.  

Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.

We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 4 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 8 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.

 

Who are we? 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.  

The Governance Office is a small unit that brings together support for managing and controlling the Agency effectively, through operation of the Agency Board, Executive Committee, expert and independent committees, together with delivering the highest standards of delivery across corporate governance, risk and assurance. We work closely with DHSC to deliver an effective sponsorship relationship and reach right across the Agency to deliver an array of functions in partnership with colleagues.

The Executive Office is a small team that directly supports the Chief Executive and Chair. It is a fast moving, dynamic environment at the heart of the Agency’s operations, responding to urgent and changing priorities and demands and working with senior colleagues in the Agency on a daily basis. The Team has recently moved to a portfolio model, which enables strategic ‘shadowing’ of different departments in the Agency in order to advise the CEO on current challenges. The Team also supports the operation of the Agency Board and Executive Committee and various underpinning committees which constitute the Agency’s governance structure.  In order to achieve this, the team takes responsibility for organising diaries, commissioning, briefing and providing secretariat support to internal and external meetings and taking forward a range of project work.

Job description

An effective and efficient Executive Office is critical to the Agency’s ability to deliver the CEO and Chair’s priorities for patient safety and as such, we are looking for someone who can lead the development of new processes to build new capability within the team and with clear commitment to continuous improvement.

This is an exciting time to be involved in the evolution of this team, as the Agency continues to implement its new operating model as a standalone regulator, and the role offers significant development potential.

The post holder will report to the Head of the Executive Office and must be highly motivated, solution orientated and able to operate in a high-profile role with minimum supervision at pace and with significant autonomy. The range of responsibilities is broad, and the post offers opportunities to work proactively with senior officials on the corporate management and development of the Agency as well as become involved with critical regulatory challenges.

Key responsibilities: 

• Provide critical support to the CEO including forward delivery by others on areas of priority, supporting internal and external discussions, supporting others to provide quality outputs for CEO approval and directly delivering on behalf of the CEO
• Support the effective operation of critical governance committees and structures
• Deliver specific projects on behalf of the Chief Executive, including but not limited to key public health priority programmes such as internal Agency-wide projects,     conferences and engagement exercises, and international programmes;
• Develop new governance arrangements around the public health challenges that the Agency deals with, enabling appropriate and timely decision-making which reinforces accountability within the new operating model.

 

Person specification

Our successful candidate will: 

• Experience of working in a Private Office or a CEO/Chair’s office, understanding the importance of effective governance to ensure the Agency can meet its obligations
• Making effective decisions - clarify understanding and stakeholder needs and expectations to enable effective decisions
• Problem Solver - You take a positive approach to tackling problems and find ways to identify suitable solutions
• Resilient - You have inner composure, recover quickly from setbacks and learn from them
• Delivering a quality Service – develop, implement, maintain, and review systems and services to ensure delivery of professional excellence

 

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please read our Job Description and Person Specification! 

 

Please note: The job description may not open in some internet browsers. Please use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If you have any issue viewing the job description, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,353, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £15,215 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

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates, find out more here. 

 

• Online application form, including questions based on the Behaviour, Experience and Technical Success Profiles. Please ensure all application questions are completed in full; your application may not be considered if any responses are left blank. Our applications are CV blind, and our Hiring Managers will not be able to access your CV when reviewing your application.
• Presentation, to be prepared as part of your interview, with further information being supplied when you reach this stage. 
• Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles. 

 

Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role. Applications are scored based on the competency-based answers provided- ensure you have read these thoroughly and allow sufficient time. You can view the competencies for this role in the job description. 

Applicants must ensure that anything submitted must be factually accurate and truthful. Plagiarism ‘can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

 

 If you require any disability related adjustments at any point during the process, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk as soon as possible. 

  

Closing date: 2/4/2024

Shortlisting date: 10/4/2024

Interview date: 22/23/4/2024

Candidates will be contacted within a week of the sift and the interviews completed to inform them of the outcome.

 

If you need assistance applying for this role or have any other questions, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

 

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here. 

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

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.

Any move to the MHRA 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 here.

 

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

 

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should firstly contact Mira Mepa, Head of Recruitment and Operations, Mira.Mepa@mhra.gov.uk.  

 

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk 

 

info@csc.gov.uk 

Civil Service Commission 

Room G/8 

1 Horse Guards Road 

London 

SW1A 2HQ 

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.