Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Assistant Private Secretary
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Manchester
Job Summary
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.
Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:
- Joining up public sector services
- Harnessing the power of AI for the public good
- Strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
- Elevating leadership and investing in talent
- Funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
- Committing to transparency and driving accountability
We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.
We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.
The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.
Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.
Job Description
GOV.UK is the digital home for the UK government and the best place for people to access government services and information.
We are looking for an Assistant Private Secretary to work in the GOV.UK private office supporting our Deputy Directors in the delivery of key GOV.UK priorities.
You will form an integral part of a friendly and high-performing private office team, and join a wider community of private office professionals across Government Digital Service, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and beyond, who work together to support the digital transformation agenda in government.
The role of an Assistant Private Secretary demands excellent organisation and communication skills, and the ability to build relationships across the department and more widely, and work confidently with officials at all levels.
You will be responsible for keeping your principal’s day on track, ensuring they are well prepared with context to meetings. This is a varied role - you will be required to communicate confidently and effectively at all levels whilst demonstrating initiative, attention to detail, and resourcefulness both on your own and within a team.
Person Specification
- Manage the diary, schedule meetings and appointments, ensuring efficient time management and prioritisation of commitments.
- Coordinate logistics for meetings, conferences, and events, including preparing agendas, gathering materials, and making necessary arrangements. You may be asked to attend events and/or other engagements and draft minutes.
- Organise domestic and international travel arrangements, including flights, accommodations, transportation, and itinerary planning.
- Support with managing incoming mailbox communications and other correspondence and prioritise matters that require the principal’s attention.
- Building and maintaining effective working relationships with other Private Offices.
- Maintain the strictest confidentiality regarding sensitive information.
Essential Criteria
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, pressured environment while managing competing priorities.
- Excellent attention to detail and strong critical thinking skills.
- Ability to review, analyse and critically summarise written briefings quickly.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Experience of working closely and confidently with senior leaders and stakeholders.
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Desirable Criteria
- Previous Private Office experience.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £36,735, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £10,642 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
Office Attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and behavioural statements. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behaviour statement (Delivering at Pace) only.
Please note - the CV incorporated into the application form is for information purposes only and will not be scored.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour questions.
Sift and Interview Dates
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
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We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
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.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
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.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
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
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