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Senior Private Secretary to Director of Communications - Flexible Working Available

Employer
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Location
City of Westminster, London (Greater)
Salary
£43,550 - £48,480 (inclusive of Comms pay allowance)
Closing date
6 Jul 2019

Job Details

About the job Job description

About the Role: 

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is looking for an experienced Senior Private Secretary to the Director of Communications.

This is a high-profile role in the centre of a busy Directorate, requiring an enthusiastic, positive and organised person with experience of managing a busy office and the ability to deliver in a fast-moving environment. 

As Senior Private Secretary, you will be supporting one of the busiest Directors in the department across a broad portfolio of priorities including the Industrial Strategy and EU Exit. 

About the Team: 

You will be part of the Strategic Communications team in the award-winning Communications and Partnerships Directorate in BEIS. You will be responsible for line-managing at least one HEO and working closely with the team's other SIO with responsibility for the directorate's Business Support Team and Director's office (in total there are 8 people in the team working to a G7). 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Support the Director, prioritising and delegating work across the Director’s office, ensuring work is delivered to an excellent standard in a timely manner. 
• Build a strong understanding of departmental and Government priorities and engage confidently with all areas of the department and centrally with the Government Communication Service to service incoming commissions and projects. 
• Draft briefings, papers and correspondence for the Director as required 
• Organise the Director of Communications regular programme of engagement with BEIS’ stakeholders. 
• Lead on fulfilling Communications Directorate’s corporate responsibilities, including business planning, risk and accountability, and corporate reporting. 
• Oversee the running of the Director’s office, providing managerial support to the team and ensuring they deliver an excellent standard of work. 
• Ensure a professional secretariat of key senior management meetings within the Directorate. 
• Ensure the Directorate’s Senior Management Team are supported to manage their teams effectively, delivering a high-quality, needs-based, service to them and their teams. 
• Own our communications relationships with our partner organisations, making sure that they are co-ordinated and consistent with us on strategy, standards and spend and that they are playing a key role in communicating BEIS policy priorities. 
• Report into the Head of Communication Coordination, Capability and Standards (G7) in the Strategic Communications function, managing at least one direct report. 

Person Specification: 

This is an exciting opportunity to help ensure the high performance of the BEIS Communications team and our wider communications network. 

The successful candidate will: 

• Be able to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines, managing multiple commissions and ensuring these are delivered on time and to an excellent standard. 
• Have a proactive, problem-solving approach, with excellent organisational skills and some experience in project management, with a flexible approach to deal with a heavy workload and managing priorities. 
• Have excellent writing skills and be able to confidently proof and check the work of your team and others, ensuring outgoing communications from the Director’s office is of the highest quality. 
• Be able to establish strong relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of team outcomes. 
• Encourage collaborative team-working within own team and across the Department. 
• Familiarity with working in, or with, communications teams will be an advantage, but not essential for potential candidates. 

About BEIS: 

BEIS is a department at the heart of the Government’s agenda, with a vision of an economy that works for everyone. We are responsible for developing and delivering a comprehensive industrial strategy and leading the Government’s relationship with business; we work to tackle climate change and ensure that the country has secure energy supplies that are reliable, affordable and clean. Our role is vital to lead the Government’s vision in a context of momentous change, responding to both the short-term domestic impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and working to define the next stage. 

We feel the department has an exciting remit, and we hope you agree. 

Please note that BEIS does not hold a licence to sponsor visa applications. 

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Delivering at Pace
  • Working Together
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits Pensions

Civil Service pension schemes may be available for successful candidates.

Allowances

There is a communications allowance for this post of £5050.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass basic security checks.

Nationality statement

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules.

If you're applying for a role requiring security clearance please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

Candidates will be sifted on behavioural statements and CV. 

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behaviour (Delivering at Pace). 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information Contact point for applicants

Name: Fayrouz Essack 
Email: [email protected] 

Sift/interview dates and location

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 
Interview Location - 1 Victoria Street, London. SW1H 0ET 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

Further information

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments can be made. 

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

Any move to BEIS mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. 

Reasonable adjustment 

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 [email protected] 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 have a hearing impairment, a Language Service Professional 

Complaints 

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: 

http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

Company

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is a government department, which was created by Theresa May on 14 July 2016 following her appointment as Prime Minister, created as a result of a merger between the Department of Energy and Climate Change and Department for Business, Innovation and Skill

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