Office for National Statistics
Senior Civil Servant (SCS) Personal Assistant
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Job Summary
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social, and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.
Make an impact at the heart of senior leadership.
As a Personal Assistant within the Strategy and Change Directorate, you'll work closely with senior leaders, gaining unique insight into strategic decision-making while playing a key role in helping the organisation deliver its priorities. This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same, offering excellent exposure and opportunities to develop your organisational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
The Strategy and Change Directorate is a central corporate function that enables ONS to deliver its strategy and business plan through expert advice, insight, and assurance. It comprises three divisions: Strategy and Policy, Planning and Portfolio Management, and Change Portfolio.
We regularly recruit for Personal Assistant roles across ONS and expect future opportunities to arise. As a result, we are looking to create a reserve list from this campaign. Candidates who meet the required standard may be considered for future vacancies, providing additional opportunities to secure a role and develop a rewarding career within ONS.
If you're highly organised, enjoy building relationships with senior stakeholders, and are looking for a role that offers variety, visibility, and development, we'd love to hear from you.
Job Description
As a Personal Assistant supporting up to two Senior Civil Servants, you'll be at the centre of decision-making, providing trusted, confidential support that enables senior leaders to focus on delivering key organisational priorities. This is a rewarding opportunity to gain unique insight into senior leadership while building a diverse and highly transferable skill set.
Working as part of a Directorate Business Support Team within a wider Directorate Support function, you'll collaborate with colleagues across ONS to deliver a seamless, high-quality support service. You'll play a vital role in helping Directors and Deputy Directors manage competing priorities, navigate complex demands, and achieve their strategic objectives.
This is a fast-paced and dynamic role where no two days are the same. You'll thrive if you enjoy working with senior stakeholders, managing changing priorities, planning ahead, and building strong relationships with a diverse range of colleagues and partners. Your ability to stay organised, anticipate needs, and adapt quickly will be key to success.
Beyond supporting senior leaders, you'll have the opportunity to work closely with a network of Personal Assistants and business support professionals across ONS. Together, you'll share best practice, drive continuous improvement, solve operational challenges, and contribute to innovative ways of working. This role offers excellent exposure, development opportunities, and a chance to make a real impact while growing your career within ONS.
Responsibilities
- Taking the lead as the Director’s / Deputy Director(s)’s first point of contact, providing comprehensive and proactive inbox(es) management, to include:
- rationalising and filtering email traffic,
- responding to requests as appropriate,
- escalating issues,
- prioritising work,
- cascading information.
- Proactively and reactively managing the Director /Deputy Director(s)’s diary, ensuring efficient use of their time, managing changes and conflicts (including delegating to their senior leadership team as appropriate), working collaboratively across the organization negotiating with others as necessary to achieve this.
- Providing the Director / Deputy Directors with all necessary documentation ahead of meetings
- Facilitating effective communication between the Director / Deputy Director, their senior team, and other stakeholders, both internal and external, as required.
- Working with the business support team, organise and manage the logistics of business meetings, conferences and away days, ensuring that meeting papers are complete and distributed in a timely fashion, as necessary.
- Arranging travel and accommodation in line with ONS policies for the Director /Deputy Director, and submission of travel expenses on their behalf.
- Other ad-hoc administrative tasks as required, which may include covering for other PA absences within the wider Directorate as required.
- Providing other business support to the wider team as necessary, including undertaking short self-contained assignments as required.
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Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Ability to communicate effectively, both in verbal and in written format, and comfortable liaising with people at all levels across the organisation.
- Highly organised with the ability to work well under pressure to ensure deadlines are met, and that information can be quickly and easily located and understood.
- Ability to prioritise your work, managing competing demands and priorities efficiently.
- Ability to flex personal working style to meet the needs of the Director / Deputy Director(s).
- Excellent attention to detail, producing high quality work.
- Experience of using the MS Office suite.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £28,138, Office for National Statistics contributes £8,151 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 Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.
Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.
Inclusion & Accessibility
At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.
If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.
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Things you need to know
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.
Right To Work And Nationality Requirements
To work at ONS, applicants must meet the Civil Service nationality requirements, satisfy UK right to work requirements and, where applicable, meet the relevant security clearance requirements.
If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the advert before applying. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected and employment offers being withdrawn.
Visa Sponsorship
ONS are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants are expected to hold a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are applying on a time-limited visa, this will need to be valid for at least 18 months.
Security Clearance:
For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.
If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.
At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
Application Process
Number of Stages: 3 stage process
Stage 1: Civil Service Skills test
Civil Service Online Tests
Upon submission of Part 1 your application form you will be sent an invitation to complete Customer Service Skills online tests.
There will be full instructions on how to complete each test including an opportunity to practice before undertaking the actual test.
The test is made up of three parts. Please note that Part 3 is timed, and you will have 10 minutes to complete this section.
For further information about the assessment, including guidance on how to prepare and what to expect, please visit:
Skills
Preparing for the Customer Service Skills Test - GOV.UK
We recommend reviewing this guidance before completing the test to help you familiarise yourself with the format and requirements.
If you pass a test, you will then receive a further invite to
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