About the job

Job summary

In December 2021 Baroness Heather Hallett, a retired Appeal Court judge, was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chair of the independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry was formally established with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 in June 2022. The Inquiry sits independently of the Government with the Cabinet Office acting as the sponsoring department. 

Following an initial set up phase the Inquiry began hearing evidence in May 2023, and has now completed hearings across several modules with plans to publish the first report in summer 2024. The Inquiry is set to hold further hearings across other investigative modules until 2026, so we are continuing to look for exceptional staff to join the Inquiry team.

This is an exciting role, offering the opportunity to work with the Inquiry’s senior leaders, in fast moving circumstances, and be at the heart of an Inquiry that aims to ensure lessons are learned from the UK response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Further information about the Inquiry can be found on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website.

Conflicts of interest

Please note that candidates invited to interview will be invited to declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interests which could affect the independence of the Inquiry, in confidence, to the senior conflicts of interest recruiting manager. This may include current or prior work undertaken on the COVID-19 pandemic response. Decisions on any potential conflict of interest will be made before an appointment to the role is confirmed.

Job description

This is an innovative team where you will be supported to challenge yourself in often ambiguous circumstances. The team encourages working in a flexible, collaborative manner to learn and support each other as we look to undertake one of the broadest, most publicly anticipated inquiries in UK history.  The Private Office team is responsible for supporting the Inquiry’s Senior Leaders to deliver their responsibilities to fulfil the Inquiry terms of reference.

As Private Secretary, you will be principally supporting the Chair of the Inquiry, Baroness Hallett, supported by another Private Secretary and a Diary Secretary. Reporting into the Head of Private Office, you will be working within a high pressure environment and will need to be comfortable briefing senior leaders both orally and in writing. You should be confident to use sound judgement when triaging incoming issues, knowing when to escalate or manage appropriately. You will also need to build a strong working relationship with colleagues across the Secretariat and legal teams, including Counsel and Solicitor to the Inquiry.

The work of Private Office is diverse, fast paced and challenging. As such you will need to be a great team player with a can-do attitude who is prepared to jump in and assist with a range of challenging tasks.

As a Private Secretary in the Private Office team, some of the key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Providing Private Secretary support principally for the Chair of the Inquiry. This will involve accompanying her to meetings and hearings, providing official readouts of what was discussed, disseminating information across the organisation and following up on actions and decisions.
• Managing the preparation of day packs, meeting papers and hearing bundles for the Chair, working with senior colleagues - including Solicitor and Counsel to the Inquiry - to ensure high quality and robust advice is provided in a timely manner. 
• Managing the forward look of work for the principals ensuring the provision of joined up support, successfully managing competing pressures on their time. 
• Acting as Private Office lead on specific Modules, liaising with teams across the Inquiry (including Legal, Planning, Policy and Comms teams). 
• Line management responsibility for an EO diary manager ensures they receive the right balance of support and stretch and oversee the efficient running of the Chair’s diary.
• Support the leadership of Private Office to create and maintain robust systems and processes to support work streams across the team.
• Develop ways of working that recognises the importance of strong governance to the success of the Inquiry, ensuring the Chair’s decisions are logged and disseminated appropriately.

Person specification

The ideal candidate for this role would have the following key skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

• Thrives in a fast-paced environment with the ability to balance a large number of competing priorities.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills with the ability to succinctly summarise complex information effectively.
• A high level of judgement in order to triage issues effectively and manage relationships on behalf of senior leaders.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• A self-starter who, once up and running, can deliver without significant oversight.
• The ability to engage professionally with senior leaders in challenging, fast paced situations.
• A team player with a willingness to work flexibly and collaboratively .
• Ability to remain professional and act with integrity in a pressurised environment and in handling confidential information.
• Excellent IT skills.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience of working in an Inquiry, investigation or legal context.
• Previous experience working in a Private Office environment.
  

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 £44,500, Cabinet Office contributes £12,015 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.

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23.55 on 11/07/2024. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Should you be successful in passing the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of your applications, which will include a CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable 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.

Please also provide a Statement of Suitability of no more than max 750 words explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using your statement of suitability.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview

If you are successful in securing an interview you will be asked questions on the behaviours listed within the advert and on strengths.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – 12/07/2024 onwards
Expected interview date/s – w/c 05/08/2024
Interview location - Online - Remote - Google Meets

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 Services 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 a wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a language service professional.

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.

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years UK residency prior to commencing. 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.

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 

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

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

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.

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

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 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.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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.