Scottish Government
Deputy Private Secretary
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This is an Expression of Interest (EOI) opportunity, available on a lateral move basis only. Applications are open to Core Scottish Government employees only.
Job Title – Deputy Private Secretary
Working Arrangement – For this role, you will provide regular in person support in Scottish Parliament, St Andrews House and support the Cabinet Secretary/Minister when required. For this reason, this post sits outwith the Scottish Government's standard hybrid working policy.
Grade – B1
Advert type – level transfer
Duration - Permanent
Eligibility – Expressions of interest are invited from substantive colleagues on level transfer from Core SG only.
Skilled Worker Sponsorship not being offered
Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.
Overview
- Are you a team player?
- Do you want career development opportunities?
- Do you want to work at the centre of Government?
If so, Ministerial Private Office division could be for you…
We’re looking for a talented person to join us in Ministerial Private Office division as a Deputy Private Secretary (DPS).
Deputy Private Secretaries provide a pivotal role within Private Office through management of the Cabinet Secretary’s inbox and logistics for correspondence, engagements and meetings; playing a vital role in supporting the Cabinet Secretary’s schedules; and managing communication channels with the wider Scottish Government and external stakeholders.
Time spent in Ministerial Private Office will mean that you learn and understand the intricacies of Parliamentary and Cabinet business whilst observing decision making at its highest level in Government.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Key responsibilities:
- Support to the Cabinet Secretary in all aspects of Ministerial business, including at meetings and accompanying them on external engagements.
- Day to day management of the Ministerial inboxes, paperwork and comms lines for clearance.
- Supervision of the Ministerial diaries, including: engagements; meetings; logistics and briefing; correspondence; and Parliamentary Questions.
- Support for A4 Assistant Private Secretary responsible for managing the portfolio diaries and correspondence
- Manage communication channels, acting as a conduit between Portfolio Ministers and policy colleagues.
QUALIFICATIONS
Success Profile
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.
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Behaviours:
- Working Together – Level 2
- Delivering at Pace – Level 2
- Communicating and Influencing – Level 2
You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot
Working Pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week. We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options depending on the needs of the role. For this role, you will provide regular in person support in Scottish Parliament, St Andrews House and support the Cabinet Secretary/Minister when required. For this reason, this post sits outwith the Scottish Government's standard hybrid working policy.
Further Information
Further information about this opportunity is available from MPORecruitment@gov.scot.
How to apply
Please submit an Expression of Interest, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) outlining your suitability for the role, relevant skills and experience, and what you would bring to the team. Please align this to how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above.
Vacancies close at 11:59pm on the date displayed in the table, unless otherwise stated on the job advert.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples 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, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.
If invited for further assessment, this will consist of a light touch interview.
Discussions are to be confirmed.
Recruitment Principles
As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.
About Us
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.
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Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.
As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Security checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
This vacancy will also require all candidates to obtain National Security Vetting (NSV) at Security Check (SC) clearance level. Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.
Further information about NSV checks can be found on the UK Government website - National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK.
Equality Statement
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
Further information
Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
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