About the job

Job summary

Please refer to job description.

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Department    Northern Ireland Office 

Post Vacant    Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary (Grade SEO/Band B)

Location    Erskine House, Chichester Street, Belfast, BT1 4GF   

With semi-regular travel to London and other locations across UK and Ireland expected.

Duration   Permanent contract

Applications Invited From    External candidates, as well as existing Home Civil Service staff either at Band B or analogous grades on level transfer or at Band C on temporary promotion. (National salary scale: £39,868 - £43,535)

An additional Private Secretary allowance of £5,835 per annum is payable for this role.

Who we are

Inclusion and diversity

The Northern Ireland Office is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. 

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, as they are under-represented within the NIO at this level.

The Northern Ireland Office strives to be an inclusive employer and is recognised by its staff and externally as being an employer where Diversity and Inclusion are valued.

We hold a Diversity & Inclusion Charter Mark and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader organisation.

In March 2018 we won the award for Best Employer for Diversity & Equality in Northern Ireland (small employer category) in a Gala Award ceremony hosted by Legal-Island, a multi-award winning workplace compliance company based in Northern Ireland.

We have an active D&I network supporting colleagues through D&I Advocates, championed by our Directors.

We want all our people to feel valued for who they are and we are confident that you will find the NIO a warm, welcoming and inclusive place to work.

WHAT WE DO

The Northern Ireland Office represents Northern Ireland interests at a UK Government level and UK Government interests in Northern Ireland.  We have a wide range of responsibilities, including: underpinning political stability in Northern Ireland; overseeing the Northern Ireland devolution settlement; leading on national security policy in Northern Ireland; addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past; delivering elections and constitutional reform in Northern Ireland; playing a key role in rebalancing the NI economy; representing NI interests, including on the border with Ireland, as the UK exits the EU.  Our small size and diverse portfolio create a stimulating, fast-paced and challenging working environment, with regular engagement with a range of Ministers and senior officials.  We support flexible working and have a modern, flexible IT system which helps enable this.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The position of Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary offers a great opportunity to operate at the heart of the Northern Ireland Office in a fast-paced and demanding role  working closely with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the wider Private Office Group, senior officials across the department, and Ministers.

As Private Secretary, your role is to ensure the Permanent Secretary has the support and information they need, at the right time, to enable them to carry out their role as the head of the department and lead adviser to Ministers.

The Private Secretary acts as the primary link and channel of communication between the Permanent Secretary, the rest of the department, and the ministerial Private Office. In the Private Secretary role, you will ensure that the Permanent Secretary’s views are represented on areas of policy across the department as well as working very closely with policy colleagues to ensure the best possible advice to ministers. You will also have strategic oversight of the Permanent Secretary’s diary and stakeholder engagement, ensuring this reflects and adds value to departmental priorities. To help you achieve this objective, you have line management responsibility for the Diary Secretary to the Permanent Secretary.

You will build effective relationships across the department, including with senior officials,  and will use your judgement to identify issues that need to be brought to the attention of the Permanent Secretary and the wider SLT, ultimately helping to ensure the best possible advice is presented to ministers.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Principal responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the Senior Private Secretary in the smooth and efficient running of the Permanent Secretary’s office and the wider Senior Leadership Team;
• Working with the Diary Secretary and policy teams to manage the Permanent Secretary’s diary, with responsibility for strategic forward planning;
• Supporting the Permanent Secretary at meetings, across the UK and Ireland, ensuring they are properly briefed by policy teams;
• Working closely with colleagues in the ministerial Private Office to understand Ministerial movements and priorities, effectively communicating this to the Permanent Secretary, SLT and decisions and recommendations between Ministers and officials.
• Providing support and supervision to the Executive Support Team in their role as diary and administrative support to the SLT and wider department;
• Providing strategic advice and join up on the preparation of policy advice from across the Department, representing the Permanent Secretary’s and Ministers’ priorities, views and expectations;
• Management support of the Executive Support Team and deputising for the Senior Private Secretary as required.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to understand different perspectives;
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure;
• The ability to think strategically and creatively, recognising where improvements can be made and implementing them;
• Proven experience of working effectively with senior officials;
• A strong ability to influence at all levels, and to work collaboratively to resolve difficult issues;
• Sound judgement and an ability to maximise opportunities and mitigate risks.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

• An understanding of the Northern Ireland political system and the work of the Northern Ireland Executive would be advantageous, but is not essential;
• Previous experience of working in a Private Office.

[For the essential and desirable criteria please upload a suitability statement of no more than 250 words setting out how you meet the essential/desirable criteria]

BEHAVIOURS

We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours at Level 3 during the selection process.

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

More information on behaviours and success profiles can be found here.

Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead Behaviour “Communicating and Influencing”.

Security Clearance   Security clearance to (SC) level will be required for this post.

Eligibility Sift     An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the application form.  It is therefore important that all applicants demonstrate in their application how and to what extent their behaviours are relevant to the above criteria.  Those candidates who do not clearly demonstrate that they meet the experience and behaviours will not be invited to interview.

Pay and Allowances  The successful candidate will adopt the terms and conditions of the NIO for the length of their appointment. 

Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post.

Further Information   Further information about the post may be obtained from the Senior Private Secretary, Claire Shanks (claire.shanks@nio.gov.uk).

Applications  You can apply for this post through the Civil Service website at: civilservice.gov.uk.  Once logged onto the site go to the civil service jobs page and then search for jobs in the Northern Ireland Office where the application form can be found.

Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered.  Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview.

Home Civil Service applicants who, because of disability, need assistance in completing the application form should contact MoJ Shared Services on 0845 010 3512.

All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.

This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment.

Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following interview.

Additional Information 

Further information about us

We are a small and friendly department of approximately 175 staff.  Due to our size we are able to offer staff more exposure to ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department.  This creates an interesting, though often challenging, work environment.

Other Benefits

The NIO offers a pleasant, modern work environment which allows consideration of a range of flexible working arrangements which support a good work/ life balance. These include flexible/ alternative working patterns, part-time and job-share options.

Benefits include:

• 25 days annual leave on appointment increasing to 30 days after 5 years service;
• A competitive contributory pension scheme;
• Flexible working patterns allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours and still meet the needs of your role. and still meet the needs of your role;
• Generous paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave above the statutory minimum;
• Tax-Free Childcare voucher scheme;
• Interest-free season ticket and bicycle loans;
• Quarterly Reward & Recognition scheme.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Northern Ireland Office operates the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, details of which are attached to the application form for this post.

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com to be removed from the reserve list. 

Further information on civil service careers can be found at  www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.  

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. 

Please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk) in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages:

http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

Person specification

Please refer to job description.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,868, Northern Ireland Office contributes £10,804 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.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.