About the job

Job summary

How would you like to be a part of a new and growing team at the forefront of making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran? This is an exciting opportunity to join the OVA as it strengthens its engagement with other government departments, the Devolved Administrations, and with a variety of regional and local actors, to better coordinate veteran support services, facilitate reciprocal policy learning, and drive delivery of the Veterans' Strategy across the UK. 

We're looking for an enthusiastic, organised and adaptable individual to join our team and support this important work. With a plethora of organisations and initiatives operating in support of veterans in communities across the UK, we’re looking for someone to help map and monitor this activity, and provide essential administrative and secretarial support to both the OVA Director and Regional & Devolved Team. The successful applicant will be required to build strong relationships, work at pace, produce high quality materials and maintain accurate records.

Job description

• Support the management of the OVA Director’s diary.
• Monitor and manage the shared Regional and Devolved team’s mailbox, draft responses as required and act as a first point of contact for regional and devolved matters within the OVA.
• Support the mapping of key stakeholders and manage our contact records.
• Arrange team visits and help to coordinate the Regional and Devolved team’s activities by liaising with external partners, including statutory bodies, charities, community groups, local authorities and the Devolved Administrations.
• Understand and collate information requirements from across the OVA and other government departments.
• Undertake limited and ad hoc research in support of visits and events, including supporting the production of briefings and visit packs (including for the Minister).
• Assist Parliamentary and Governance colleagues with correspondence and question/debate responses on a range of topics, ensuring high quality and timely returns in line with internal procedures and deadlines.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Calmness under pressure, with the ability to juggle competing priorities and deadlines to deliver high quality results in a timely manner.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and confidence engaging with a variety of stakeholder with different degrees of seniority.
• Effective stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate with and build influential relationships with internal and external partners.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of executive diary management.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working with correspondence.
• Experience of working in policy.

• 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 £27 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 your application you will be asked to provide a name-blind CV detailing your job history and qualifications, 500-word Personal Statement and a 250-word statement on the lead behaviour (Working together). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The Personal Statement should outline your suitability for this job role. Please pay particular attention to the person specification when writing your statement. This section will be used for the sift to assess your suitability to be invited to an interview. You do not have to refer to the Behaviours element in your statement. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour above. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

The interview process will assess the Behaviour and Strengths elements of Success Profiles. We would generally expect answers to follow the STAR or CAR structure and encourage candidates to use this during the interview.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date - w/c 29th Apr
Expected interview date/s – w/c 6th May or w/c 13th May
Interview location - Virtual via MS Teams 

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

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

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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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.

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.

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 had their employment continued. Any applicants' 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.

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.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. 

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

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

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

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

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.